The Department of Theatre & Film is hiring for a full-time Communications Specialist role.
Job Summary
Responsible for developing and implementing design and content for various internal and external communication channels for the Department of Theatre and Film.
Plans in-person and virtual activities to support community engagement and the recruitment of students to the undergraduate and graduate programs.
Executes communications and marketing deliverables to raise the profile of the Department of Theatre and Film and the Faculty of Arts.
Participates in an integrated and coordinated approach to developing communications strategies, tactics and policies.
Works with Department Head and Administrator to set communications goals and targets.
Collaborates with faculty, staff, graduate students and representatives from other departments and other organizations.
Works closely with the other members of the Arts Communications team and Network, Arts ISIT, and various campus communicators.
Organizational Status
Reports to the Manager, Arts Communications.
Works with Department Head and Administrator to set goals and targets.
Works with faculty, staff, graduate students and representatives from other UBC departments and other organizations.
Works closely with the other members of the Arts Communications team and Network, Arts ISIT, and campus communicators.
Work Performed
Develops, writes, and edits a wide range of communication materials for the Department of Theatre and Film including newsletters, blog posts, web copy, advertising copy, and social media content. Identifies the most appropriate and effective communication channel for messages and distributes and implements as needed. Provides research and fact-checking support where needed.
Designs and produces various communications material to support the needs of the Department. Materials include digital and physical signage, presentations, brochures, campaign materials, promotional products, and digital assets. Works with external vendors to produce materials. Ensures communication and marketing materials are compliant and align with the Faculty of Arts visual identity and UBC brand standards.
Works closely with the Arts Communications team to execute projects and campaigns in support of the Departments’ objectives. Coordinates projects, develops briefs, proposes timelines, and creates content and assets that highlight the departmental programs and outputs.
Participates in regular team meetings with the Arts Communications team and the Arts Communications Network. Liaises where needed with UBC Brand and Marketing, Media Relations and other campus communicators.
Responds to requests for information from the media or general public or makes referrals to an appropriate spokesperson within the department or other University office. Identifies opportunities to provide leads and public relations materials to Arts Communications and UBC Media Relations, develops and drafts stories for consideration to focus attention on the publication and other achievements of members of the Department of Theatre and Film.
Assesses and manages departmental social media accounts. Acts as social media community manager where appropriate. Monitors and escalates issues to Arts Communications Team and departmental leads.
Works with Development and Alumni Engagement to engage donors and inform them of the work going on in the department.
Collaborates with Graduate Advisors, Undergraduate Advisors, Department Head, Arts Communications Manager, and UBC Recruitment Marketing and Prospective Student Engagement to develop strategies for student recruitment at the graduate and undergraduate levels. This includes developing and implementing communications strategies to inform current and prospective students, the general public, and other related public interest groups about the programs, key dates/deadlines, initiatives, and accomplishments of the Departments.
Develops student surveys to gather data from current students and alumni. Locates, contacts, and interviews alumni to gather data on success beyond degree completion and to write testimonials.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
Works under the general direction of a supervisor.
Work reviewed in terms of conformance with established standards and specific project objectives.
Makes decisions regarding the design, writing, and editing of communication and marketing materials.
Makes recommendations on appropriate communications approach to achieve stated goals.
Manages multiple tasks requiring judgement in prioritization.
Error in the performance of duties, mishandling of sensitive topics or inappropriate disclosure of confidential information may adversely affect the image and reputation of the faculty and the university.
Supervision Received
Reports to the Administrator, Department of Theatre and Film and the Department Head and takes subject area direction from the Arts Communications Manager.
Supervision Given
May supervise student staff and direct the work of internal and external service providers.
Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.
Minimum four years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with issues management and crisis communications, editorial writing and research storytelling.
Knowledge of graphic and web design principles required.
Demonstrated experience assessing social media channels in an organizational environment using analytics reporting and tracking tools.
Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
Ability to adapt writing styles for various purposes, for different media requirements and for different audiences.
Ability to effectively use desktop publishing software at an advanced level is an asset.
Ability to effectively use word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software at an advanced level.
Ability to develop and deliver effective presentations.
Ability to compose correspondence, reports, presentations, and other written materials using clear concise business English.
Effective project management skills. Ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities.
Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.
Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail.
Ability to recognize, respect and work effectively with individuals and groups with diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
Takes initiative in learning about language and issues relating to equity and diversity.
Ability to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships and contribute to a positive workplace culture.
Ability to recognize and appreciate the contributions of colleagues.
Committed to demonstrating respect to colleagues at every level by trusting in their abilities and knowledge to perform their roles and earning respect through meeting commitments.
Models and demonstrates good communication through active listening and appreciative inquiry and open to providing and receiving timely, constructive feedback.
Listens to, encourages and expresses creative and innovative ideas.
Open to experiment and improvise with new ways of approaching processes, tasks or problems.
Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment.
Ability to exercise tact and discretion.
Deadline
Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on May 7, 2022.
Tirion is a fourth-year BFA Acting student at UBC. A dual citizen of Canada and Britain, Tirion’s UK credits include Maria (The Sound of Music) and Estelle (No Exit). At UBC, her credits include: Woman (Oh, the Humanity!), Young Woman 1 (Machinal) and Coriolanus (Coriolanus).
You have/will see/hear/experience my work in
Commedia Dell’Arte, Machinal, Naked Cinema and Coriolanus.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
I have so many highlights, it’s incredibly hard to choose, but if I had to pick, being offered the amazing opportunity to play Coriolanus in my final show at UBC. Being a huge fan of Shakespeare it was transformative to take on this demanding role.
What kind of creative work do you see yourself doing in the next few years?
I would love to pursue acting in film and television, but part of my heart will always belong to theatre, particularly Shakespeare. Most of all I would love to have a thriving career in Vancouver, alongside my classmates.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Moving to Vancouver by myself at 18 to pursue acting. For me, that took guts!
Which talent would you most like to have?
Being multilingual.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Right now: Safeway Christmas Sugar Cookies.
If you could have dinner with someone fictional/real, who would it be?
My Nana. She was my biggest supporter and I’d love to tell her all about the craziness of the last four years.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A candle maybe? My room is always full of them and they put people at ease, which I hope I do!
Fiona is an actor and dancer from Portland. For UBC: Oil (May), Machinal (Telephone Girl/Young Woman), The Greeks (Hecuba/Electra). Other credits: Kayleen in Gruesome Playground Injuries, Miranda in The Tempest, Jennifer in Burst, and Eurydice in Eurydice. She has danced with BodyVox’s JAG Company.
You have/will see/hear/experience my work in
Machinal, Naked Cinema and Oil.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
Stepping out onstage on the final night of Oil and feeling the energy of a full house. I got to share this wonderful story one last time with my classmates, and the energy onstage was overwhelming. The love and talent everyone brought blew me away!
What kind of creative work do you see yourself doing in the next few years?
I am so excited by a lot of new plays being published right now, and I want to focus on new works. Lots of intimate and imaginative settings, breaking the fourth wall, reimagining classics. I’m excited by work that challenges me and makes me think.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Independently producing Gruesome Playground Injuries, a play by Rajiv Joseph, with fellow BFA students and alumni.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to get better at acrobatics. Someday I will do a handspring!
What is your guilty pleasure?
I’m obsessed with trashy young adult sci-fi/fantasy novels.
If you could have dinner with someone fictional/real, who would it be?
I would love to meet my favourite author, Becky Chambers. She seems so insightful and whimsical!
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I think I’d like to be a pine tree, to be connected with the earth around me and all of the living things in my ecosystem.
Robyn grew up in the sunny Okanagan as a theatre brat. At UBC she learned her knack for playing domineering mothers by getting cast for roles such as Arkadina in Chekhov’s Seagull, Clytemnestra in The Greeks and Mother in Machinal. She is extremely proud to have completed a degree in acting at UBC.
You have/will see/hear/experience my work in
Commedia Dell’Arte, Machinal, Naked Cinema and Coriolanus.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
The biggest highlight of my time at UBC was working with director Tanya Mathivanan on my role as Menenius in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus. Studying the classics was the exact reason I wanted to learn here and this was the kind of experience I’d hoped for.
What kind of creative work do you see yourself doing in the next few years?
In the next few years I see myself exploring the theatre and TV/film world of Vancouver. I am interested in doing any and all opportunities I can be a part of right out of the gates. I look forward to seeing where my career takes me.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
After denying to myself for 10 years what I really wanted to do, coming back to UBC at 28 to earn a BFA in Acting.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Exquisite dance technique.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Real crime documentaries.
If you could have dinner with someone fictional/real, who would it be?
Beethoven.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Conor is an Edmonton-born actor who is thrilled to be graduating from UBC. He is thankful for his brilliant classmates, his loving family and his supportive partner who helped him get here. He also would like to personally NOT thank his cat Willow, who had a $2200 dollar vet bill last month.
You have/will see/hear/experience my work in
With UBC Theatre: Commedia Dell’Arte, Machinal, Naked Cinema and Oil.
Other: Juggle Me Not, a touring Commedia play funded through Axis Theatre.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
The Commedia Dell’Arte unit (taught by the brilliant Susan Bertoia) was an absolute stand-out for me. Being able to really let loose comedically was a fantastic outlet, and it opened doors for some incredible opportunities for me.
What kind of creative work do you see yourself doing in the next few years?
I really want to challenge myself with every project I do. As long as the work I do helps me grow or presents a new challenge for me, I will do it. Actors are constantly growing and changing, so as long as I allow myself to grow, I’ll be fulfilled.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I think being able to finish a university degree during a global pandemic is probably up there!
Which talent would you most like to have?
I would like to have Tony Hawk’s skateboarding ability.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Fortnite. Absolutely.
If you could have dinner with someone fictional/real, who would it be?
I’d really love to have dinner with Tim Robinson.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Probably a copy of Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey.
Dylan Nouri is a Vancouver-based actor, writer, director and producer. He made his child acting debut in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (FOX). For UBC Theatre: Oh, The Humanity, Machinal and Oil. Dylan is also pursuing a Master of Management dual degree from the Sauder School of Business.
You have/will see/hear/experience my work in
With UBC Theatre: Commedia Dell’Arte, Machinal, Naked Cinema and Oil.
Other: After Life (Independent Film).
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
To be able to work collaboratively and grow artistically with such an amazing group of people. My peers are my greatest inspirations. Specifically, working on Naked Cinema with Fiona and Blake was an immensely rewarding experience.
What kind of creative work do you see yourself doing in the next few years?
I plan to continue performing on screen and on stage as much as possible, while writing and directing my own scripts. I plan on eventually starting a TV production company with my business partner Ruairi.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
All the times I was there for people when they needed me, as a son, a student, an artist and a friend.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Musical ability, to the point where I can sit down with an instrument and come up with something interesting on the spot.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Eating way too much sushi.
If you could have dinner with someone fictional/real, who would it be?
My future wife. Saves me the trouble of finding her.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A bird of some sort. I would love to be able to fly without having to go through security.
Mai Stone is an actor from Huntsville, Ontario. At UBC, her theatre credits include Secrets (Maggie), Hot L Baltimore (Jackie), Isle Dell’Arte (Il Capitano), Problem Child (Denise), Machinal (Young Woman, Ep. 7) and Coriolanus (Aufidius).
You have/will see/hear/experience my work in
With UBC Theatre: Commedia Dell’Arte, Machinal, Naked Cinema and Coriolanus.
Other: Problem Child, Hot L. Baltimore
What kind of creative work do you see yourself doing in the next few years?
Right now, I am most excited to begin auditioning for theatre and explore voiceover acting. I am also planning to focus my time writing, producing and learning to direct film.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I would consider my greatest achievement to be overcoming myself. Learning to be my own friend, rather than my own critic.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish I was really good at balancing! Could carry 12 plates at once! Walk on tight-ropes!
What is your guilty pleasure?
My guilty pleasures are listening to a lot of Disney songs and watching tarot card readings.
If you could have dinner with someone fictional/real, who would it be?
If I could have dinner with anyone, I would love to dine with Lewis Carroll and Martin Short.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
If I were to die and come back as a person or thing, it would be a thing.
Nicolas Olney-Rainville (Nicc) is an actor, singer, songwriter and musician, and an aspiring voice actor, writer and producer. He is currently the lead singer and front person of a local Vancouver band named Flint & Smoke. His UBC acting credits include The Greeks, Machinal, Oil and Kinder Tillers.
You have/will see/hear/experience my work in
Machinal and Oil.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
During the pandemic, I wrote, recorded and released an album with Flint & Smoke, additionally to starring in two short films: Kinder Tillers and Incognito! Although it was an uncertain time, it was very rewarding and creatively fulfilling.
What kind of creative work do you see yourself doing in the next few years?
As a musician, I see myself continuing to write, play live and produce music with Flint & Smoke. As an actor, I want to dive into voice acting, as well as writing in film and being more involved within the Vancouver community as an artist.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Using the pandemic as an excuse to make, record and release an album, additionally to working on my degree.
Which talent would you most like to have?
The talent to persuade genies for infinite wishes.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Swiss Fondue, a glass of Volnay white, and dark French cooking chocolate as dessert.
If you could have dinner with someone fictional/real, who would it be?
Tyler the Creator, due to his creativity and his ability to create a captivating narrative within an album of 16 songs.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A platypus. Why? Is there need for me to answer such a question?
Izzy Laesecke is a Canadian actor and theatre artist who fell in love with acting through a summer camp with Calgary Young Peoples Theatre. Since then, no one has been able to drag her out of the theatre. In Calgary: Peter Pan (CYPT). At UBC: Oh, The Humanity, The Greeks, Machinal, Coriolanus.
What was one of the highlights of your UBC experience?
Despite the performance days taking place during a heatwave, the rehearsal process of The Greeks was one of the most fun, free and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve never gotten to be that creative (and a little bit weird!)
What kind of creative work do you see yourself doing in the next few years?
I really hope I get the opportunity to collaborate with some of my classmates on some of the ideas I’ve had rattling around my brain. I think writing and creating with other people is one of the most fulfilling things you can do.
You have/will see/hear/experience my work in
Commedia Dell’Arte, Machinal, Naked Cinema and Coriolanus.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I’d like to think I haven’t achieved it yet.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I’ve always been so self-conscious of my voice, so I wish I had been born a naturally gifted singer.
What is your guilty pleasure?
I can never watch content at a normal speed—I either binge-watch whole seasons of TV or watch nothing for weeks.
If you could have dinner with someone fictional/real, who would it be?
Dolly Parton. Hands down. I think she’s one of the most inspiring, down-to-earth and genuine celebrities out there.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A dog, but specifically a golden retriever from a suburban, upper-middle class family.
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