Job Description
Position: Studio Manager & Executive Assistant
Location: London SE8
Salary £35–40K DOE
Closing date: 12th Aug 2022
Artist, curator, creative practitioner, and music producer Gideon Berger is founder of Gideon Berger Studio, a company established to deliver his solo work. Gideon is also co-founder, director, and musical curator of Block9. He is Homo-Centric Records label boss, project lead at R3 Soundsystem. In addition, he is a touring international DJ and is currently Guest Creative Director of Music for London Borough of Culture 2022.
The studio is recruiting an exceptional, highly skilled individual to work across all four projects falling under the umbrella of the studio.
1. Gideon Berger Studio - is the primary vehicle to enable delivery of Gideon’s creative practice. His self-initiated, commissioned and collaborative artistic work involves theatre, dance, music, technology, installation, and opera.
2. GIDEÖN - Working alongside Gideon’s booking agency in Berlin to manage and administer international DJ bookings
3. HOMO-CENTRIC RECORDS - Working alongside the label manager to administer label business and coordinate releases and events.
4. R3 Soundsystem – Helping to manage, coordinate, and administer this political campaigning and activism collective.
The role requires an agile, multitasking PA & Studio Manager with a passion for life in the fast lane. The role is based in the home office of the director in South London with frequent requirement to work on location, in transit, remotely from your home and at members clubs in central London. Work is often required outside of regular office hours. This exciting and diverse role supports the founder and freelance studio team and its collaborators.
The role will swiftly become a cornerstone of the studio operation and will suit a fast learner. Please note this is a position with strong growth potential for aspiring project managers and arts producers but it is not a route for budding creatives.
Responsibilities fall into two main categories:
A – Studio Manager: Running and administering a dynamic small creative studio, personally managing ad hoc in-house projects. Although the studio has independent accountants, all financial admin and upkeep will be managed by you.
B – Executive Assistant: Managing, supporting, and administering various aspects of the directors fast paced, highly demanding personal and professional schedule. Providing comprehensive operational support to the studio, the director, and the entities 3-4 listed above.
Joining as dual PA & Studio Manager you will utilise your superb organisation and administration skills to ensure a smooth-running office where no two days are the same. 50% of the time you will be a Executive Assistant to the Founder, covering everything from scheduling meetings, managing, and responding to emails, planning travel and proofreading documents to managing private household arrangements, paying bills, booking appointments. The other 50% of the time you will be managing the studio; this will entail all studio admin, and finance support. Ability, dedication, and ambition to make a long-term commitment to the studio is essential.
EXPERIENCE:
1. 2+ years’ experience running a small creative business or art/design/music studio or architecture practice/film production company/record label
2. Previous experience as a studio manager/assistant in an art related environment
3. Proven office experience with secretarial support at senior level
4. Able to demonstrate significant achievements in career-to-date
5. Working in a client facing role in an office environment, responsible complex diary management
6. Relevant experience as a PA or EA
7. Financial admin (to work alongside the GBS company accountant)
8. Some project or event planning and management experience including financial and logistical
KEY SKILLS:
1. Excellent management skills working within a high octane, fast-paced environment
2. Exemplary organisational, administrative and time management skills
3. Be educated to degree level or equivalent
4. Advanced IT skills (Mac based) and must include Excel, Word, PowerPoint/Keynote
5. Excellent administration skills and can provide a high level of executive support
6. Exceptional understanding of project scheduling and diary management
7. Adept at multi-tasking skills with the ability to prioritise, work quickly and accurately to tight deadlines
8. Skilled in scheduling and budgeting stand-alone projects
9. Understanding and awareness of the sector, its aesthetic and culture
10. Basic understanding of Adobe Creative Suite (useful but not essential)
11. The ability to produce fast, accurate written work to a high level of presentation with a keen grasp of the English language.
12. Happy to work on a broad range of projects and tasks ranging from small scale daily tasks to confidently leading medium sized internal projects
13. Proactive, confident decision-maker who takes initiative by being able to identify problems, research and evaluate solutions both creatively and innovatively
14. Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to deal confidently and positively with collaborators, clients, freelancers, and studio associates
15. Experienced at authoring and managing expense budgets
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Executive diary management including the management of all travel and accommodation
2. Coordinate, allocate, track and organise studio time on internal and external projects
3. Author and administer complex project plans including budgets and schedules
4. Support and administer company accounts with a good understanding of annual tax returns and bookkeeping
5. Maintain our electronic filing system, ensuring records, processes and software are up to date, efficient and in good working order
6. Project manage smaller events and associated budgets to deliver within budget
7. Prioritise sustainable and socially responsible options for the studio
8. Manage Social Media accounts and maintain websites and platforms associated with the company
9. Premises management (home office) – main point of contact, liaising with cleaning, maintenance staff and subcontractors
10. Attend meetings both in person and via Zoom and taking minutes
11. Administer company banking and accounts including the reconciliation of transactions and expenses using accountancy Xero software
12. Paying supplier/ freelancer invoices
13. Manage company PAYE and pension
14. Maintain studio labour logs
15. Manage logins, passwords, and access for all online platforms
16. Manage office accounts and policies including car insurance, utilities, phone & broadband and pension
17. Liaise with DJ agent and record label manager and coordinate non-agency bookings.
18. Liaise with accountants and bookkeeper
TIMELINE:
1st stage interviews will be held on Zoom on the 23rd of August 2022.
2nd stage interviews will be held in person on the 2nd of September 2022.
3rd stage interviews will be held in person on the 5th of September 2022.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NOW:
To apply, please send us a CV and a supporting statement of up to 1500 words. The supporting statement should set out how you meet the criteria of this position. Please explicitly address the criteria set out in the job description and give examples.
Shortlisted applicants may be asked to undertake several additional tasks prior to or during interviews including software proficiency test and a creative writing task.
Gideon Berger Studio will particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian or Ethnically Diverse and D/deaf and disabled candidates in an effort to address under-representation in the cultural sector.
>>> Click on Apply Now to be taken to the application page.
Artist, curator, creative practitioner, and music producer Gideon Berger is founder of Gideon Berger Studio, a company established to deliver his solo work. Gideon is also co-founder, director, and musical curator of Block9, a creative partnership established in 2007 annually presenting large scale installations, “temporary alternative realities”, including numerous late-night attractions at Glastonbury, the world’s largest greenfield festival.
Recent projects have seen Gideon head up Creative Direction for Dua Lipa’s record breaking Studio 2054, winning the MVA’s Music Video of The Year award. He was production designer for lead artists at Live at Worthy Farm, Glastonbury’s virtual festival livestream. Other collaborations include projects with Banksy, Imperial War Museum, Finnish Opera House, Hercules & Love Affair, Lana Del Ray, Skrillex, Brian Eno, Roisin Murphey, The Blessed Madonna, Honey Dijon, Anohni and Jorja Smith.
Gideon is also founder and label boss at Homo-Centric Records, a label set up to showcase his own productions and to amplify the creative contributions of queer artists working in underground dance music. The label aims to highlight the LGBTQ+ heritage of House Music and its manifesto states its intent to “re-establish the lines of queer musical tradition in House Music, lost to the dual crises of the AIDS epidemic and the rampant commercialisation of dance music itself”.
Gideon has a background in music spanning 30 years. In addition to his practice as an artist, stage designer and curator, he is a touring DJ and is an avid collector of vinyl records. He has a degree in Music with Visual Practice (BA Hons) and is currently guest Creative Director of Music for London Borough of Culture 2022.
Since his first set of turntables in 1990, Gideon has devoted his life to collecting vinyl from the US, Jamaica, Latin America, Africa, and the UK. He specialises in Northern Soul, Latin, Reggae, Gospel and Disco rarities. House Music, above all, is his first and greatest love.
As a DJ, he has been actively involved in radio for many years. After cutting his teeth on London’s pirate stations in the late nineties, he now hosts a regular show on Soho Radio. He is frequent guest on London’s Rinse FM and has recently contributed to both BBC Radio One, NTS and BBC 6 Music.
Gideon curates Block9’s festival nightlife institutions NYC Downlow, Genosys, Maceo’s and IICON and is also resident and co-booker at London’s hottest queer club night Adonis. He is a resident DJ at NYC Downlow and The Blessed Madonna’s “We Still Believe” and is regular at Berghain’s Panorama Bar, Lab.Oratory & Garten. He was also often invited to play at Kyiv’s ∄ club before the Russian invasion.
As an activist, he has been involved with charitable work and political action for over three decades and is increasingly organising his own hybrid projects primarily partnering music and protest. Under the banner of R3 Soundsystem, Gideon, alongside Love Music Hate Racism has organised major sound system interventions at many national demonstrations including the Stop Brexit, Stop Trump, and Anti-Fascist protests. He is actively involved with fundraising for several LGBTQ+, human rights and social justice organisations including AllOut, Prepster, Human Dignity Trust and Refugee Community Kitchen. Gideon sits on the advisory committee of The Right To Dance, part of War Child’s NGO Network.