Games Festival R&D Associate / Menteeship
Summary:
I’m looking for an early-career curator/producer to work, partly in London, for around 10 days over September and October on a feasibility study for Waltham Forest Council’s Culture Team. This person will work with me on investigating the possibilities for a games festival to run in 2021, and on producing a document that gives an overview of our research. Alongside collaborating on the R&D, they will gain experience in discussing and planning game events, and will be supported in deepening their skills and knowledge in this area. We particularly encourage member of groups underrepresented in games curation and events to apply.
Who I am:
My name’s Holly Gramazio. I’m a game designer and curator. I’ve been working on playful and game-related exhibitions, events and festivals for over a decade, including cofounding Now Play This (and directing it for its first five years). You can see more about me and my experience elsewhere on this website, or email me at holly@hollygramazio.net if you have any questions.
What this project is:
I’m about to start some R&D for Waltham Forest Council, exploring the feasibility of a games festival for the borough. We are looking for an early-career curator or producer who's interested in working with games, play and events. We’re particularly keen to see applications from groups underrepresented in this field (for example this could be someone who identifies as: Black, Asian, from a minority ethnic group in the UK, Eastern European, Refugee, D/deaf, disabled, LGBTQ+ and/or working class).
This person and I will work together on producing the R&D, and I will also support them in developing their skills, experience and understanding around games curation and events.
What the role will involve:
We’ll start by talking over your particular areas of experience and interest in order to work out the best focus and division of labour for the R&D, so to some extent this is flexible, but the role will definitely involve some—not all!—of the following:
Site visits
Research into local events, game designers and artists
Looking into the history and heritage of Waltham Forest
Working on cost estimates
Discussing concepts with the Waltham Forest Culture Team
Developing ideas for the festival
Scoping out tech setups
Documenting your research
Investigating possible sponsorship and funding opportunities
This will comprise about 10 days work during September and October 2020, paid at £150 per day (working remotely other than for site visits). You will be credited in the research document and in the full credits for the festival if it goes ahead. In addition, the skills development side of the project will involve:
Appropriate support and guidance in your work on the R&D
Discussions at the beginning, middle and end of the project around your aims and particular interests in this area
If it seems useful, calls with other people working in games curation and events to provide a wider sense of the landscape
Optionally, a catchup meeting (online or in person) every three months for the year following the conclusion of the project, to provide continued advice and support (this isn’t mandatory, but is an option if you feel at the end of the project that it would be useful)
Person Specification:
You don’t need to have done paid work in games/arts or put on events in the past to apply, but you must:
Have a demonstrable interest in games, curation, and/or playful events
Be confident to work on the tasks listed above, with appropriate support
Be at a point in your career where being involved in this project and learning more about games curation would be useful to you
Be based in or near London – ideally with a connection to or some knowledge of Waltham Forest, but we will consider applicants based outside of the borough
Have 10 days you can commit to working on this project in September and October 2020. This can be arranged flexibly, as a mixture of full and half days. Some hours can be worked in the evenings or at weekends.
Be available to work some mornings during this time
To apply:
Please email me by 12 noon BST, Wednesday 9 September at holly@hollygramazio.net with the subject line “R&D application: [your name]”, with:
A copy of (or link to) your CV
A link to your website if you have one
A supporting statement outlining how you meet the criteria outlined in the Person Specification (max. 400 words, or three minute audio or video recording)
If relevant, information about your connection to Waltham Forest
If you have any questions in advance, email me at the above address by 6 September with the subject line “R&D question” and I’ll get back to you ASAP. (Beyond 6 September I can’t guarantee I’ll get back to you in time, but I’ll try.)