Production Director
The application deadline for this opportunity has passed.
The Quickdraw Animation Society is a Calgary-based charitable organization dedicated to the art of animation in all its forms. We encourage the creation, exhibition, and appreciation of animated artworks through screenings, events, classes, workshops, and a robust offering of studio spaces and production resources.
We are seeking a new production director to serve the technical needs of our members, students, filmmakers, staff, and various in-house initiatives.
This is a multifaceted role that includes animation and video production, technical direction and support, handling of day-to-day operations, management of bookings and rentals, and engaging meaningfully with our diverse membership.
Quickdraw works hard to ensure our members and community have the ability and opportunity to explore the art of animation. The production director makes the practical side of that possible by actively maintaining an accessible, welcoming, and functional animation production facility and community space.
Term
This is a full-time, permanent salaried position at approximately 37.5 hours per week, Tuesday to Saturday. Due to the nature of the role, occasional evening, weekend, and offsite work may be required with time in-lieu offered to compensate.
Compensation
The starting salary is $42,000 annually, along with health benefits, an annual professional development allowance, 10 days vacation annually, and an additional extended paid break between late December and early January.
Start Date: Mid-April 2020
Applications must include a cover letter outlining your interest and vision for the role. A current resume or CV is also required, and artistic portfolios are encouraged if they are relevant to animation production.
Please send your application, including resume and cover letter, by Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 5:00pm to director@quickdrawanimation.ca with the subject line Quickdraw Animation Production Director Posting.
Quickdraw Animation Society welcomes applications from all qualified parties. More details on the posting are below. If you have any questions about this position, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the email address above. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applicants, only successful candidates will be contacted.
Responsibilities
Equipment and Studio Management:
- Coordinate bookings and rentals of Quickdraw’s classroom, production lab, private studios and equipment, including working with Quickdraw members and staff to determine their specific technical needs, timelines, and budgets.
- Ensure the good working condition of Quickdraw production facilities, equipment, software, IT, and administrative systems.
- Develop plans for acquisition, ongoing maintenance and upgrades to all equipment resources in consultation with the membership, staff, board, and volunteer production committee.
- Support and train members in the proper use of Quickdraw production resources.
- Support members in grant writing and production planning.
- Seek collaborative opportunities with other arts and cultural organizations.
- Handle master scheduling of production and educational resources, and after-hours access to our studios.
- Train members in the independent use of facilities and systems.
Support Ongoing Activities:
- Work with programming director and education and outreach coordinator to support Quickdraw’s screenings, GIRAF animation festival, special events, classes, workshops, school residencies, and community initiatives.
- Oversee the progress of the Chris J. Melnychuk Scholarship and Residency program.
- Assist in the preparation of promotional materials for events, workshops, and other opportunities.
Administrative Duties:
- Encourage a positive, welcoming and engaging environment for Quickdraw’s members, staff, and public.
- Assist the executive director in preparing and reporting on grants as required.
- Supervise and provide direction to volunteers, interns and temporary staff where appropriate.
- Communicate regularly with membership and staff.
- Management and archiving of digital materials, including member works, QAS event photo and video documentation, instructional materials.
- IT systems and server maintenance.
- Manage the purchase of office supplies as required.
- Perform other day-to-day facilities tasks as required.
Skills and Experience
Recognizing that no one can do everything, you should still see yourself in this description:
- Organization, scheduling and time management are essential to this role.
- An understanding of animation fundamentals is a must, with direct animation production experience a major asset.
- Knowledge of Dragonframe stop-motion software, Toon Boom Harmony 2D digital software, and the Adobe Creative Suite (specifically After Effects and Premiere) highly recommended, knowledge of 3D CGI software (Maya, Blender, etc.) a plus.
- Some familiarity with analogue animation techniques and technology is encouraged—knowledge of film, film cameras, and projectors, and darkroom processes is a big plus.
- Must be able to balance ongoing technical duties with member questions and last-minute requests—a flexible mindset and the ability to switch gears or keep many separate tasks on the go simultaneously are important in this environment.
- Familiarity with IT practices is a plus, including software installations and computer and server maintenance and troubleshooting in a mostly Mac-based environment, with some Windows computers in use.
- A strong grasp of community building and a passion for supporting other people’s artistic practice are important.
- Experience with running events or film screenings is a plus, but not required.
We’re a small team, so excellent communications skills, the ability to work independently, demonstrated good judgment, and initiative are all essential.
We provide a welcoming environment for members from diverse backgrounds and differing abilities; must be open-minded and patient, with strong interpersonal skills.
