Essence is hiring a Senior Communications Manager
Senior Manager, Communications – ESSENCE Festival of Culture
at ESSENCE Ventures (View all jobs)
Brooklyn, NY
About Essence Ventures: Essence Ventures was established with the goal to articulate through experiences, media, technology, and commerce, that Black is not a monolith. Its aim is to show the spectrum of Black existence, as it is lived every day, and use that to return value to the greatness of Blackness. We accomplish this mission and vision through four incredible and distinct brands: ESSENCE Communications, Inc. (ESSENCE, Girls’ United, Naturallycurly.com), Beautycon, AFROPUNK and ESSENCE Studios. With nearly three decades under its belt, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture is a key entity of Essence Communications, Inc and is the intersection of celebrating community and empowering equity across the global Black diaspora. As the nation’s largest festival by per day attendance, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, is a community and cultural staple, that takes place annually in the city of New Orleans. To maintain a keen focus to the festival, ESSENCE has created a newly formed dedicated, always-on festival team of cross-functional partners and disciplines working together on all aspects of pre, during and post festival activities, as well as planning ahead for future festivals.
About Essence Festival of Culture:
About the role: We are seeking an agile communications professional to manage and drive strategy and communications activation for the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, year-over-year, as an integral member of a cross-functional team dedicated to executing festival. We are looking for a motivated, results-driven professional to deliver press driving initiatives for the ESSENCE Communications, Inc brand, ESSENCE Festival of Culture, and related partners, sponsors, talent and other stakeholders for the annual festival. This person should be prepared to roll up their sleeves, be proactive, highly organized and focused on exceeding performance goals and delivering immense earned media coverage and press opportunities. At the center of the marketing organization is a shared mission of Black storytelling, Black celebration, and product innovation across a range of channels. Our communications team plays a critical role in brand stewardship and earned-media performance, with this team member connecting the dots between these focus areas through the ESSENCE Festival of Culture.
Reporting to Vice President of Communications, Essence Ventures, and overseeing PR related activities as a member of the Essence Ventures Communications team. This candidate will serve as primary lead on the newly created, always-on ESSENCE Festival of Culture team, managing PR strategy and communications responsibilities for ESSENCE Festival of Culture and also, related PR activities to support the business.
Core Job Responsibilities:
· Serve as the communications lead for the signature ESSENCE Festival of Culture managing all press related needs, planning, engagement and on-site execution and event reporting and recaps.
· Engage in daily interactions and communications with cross-functional disciplines (social, marketing, experiential activations, creative, etc)., as a core member of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture always-on core team.
· Lead PR strategy and storytelling heading into festival for secured opportunities with national broadcast, print and online publications, as well as press engagement in the festival’s hometown of New Orleans, LA.
· Manage and collaborate with agency partners for maximum press opportunities and engagement.
· Partner with communication teams across festival sponsors for mutually beneficial and collaborative press opportunities and amplification.
· Oversee creation of PR-related communications – including, but not limited to: always-on strategy, press releases, media alerts, press credentials, crisis communications, photography shot lists, etc.
· Maintain professionalism, quality and consistency across all communications related to the ESSENCE brand.
· Engage with and proactively pitch strategic media channels that cater to storytelling objectives and goals within entertainment, consumer, lifestyle, culture, fashion and business media segmentations.
· Work closely with Essence Ventures spokespeople, talent publicists and representatives for interview opportunities to amplify the Essence Festival of Culture messaging and news.
· Assess and barter partnerships along with the incoming Marketing & Promotions Director and develop new opportunities (e.g., press junket)to increase the value of the sponsor benefits and event amplification.
· Oversee and manage all on-site press activities at the Essence Festival of Culture in partnership with agency partners and Vice President of Communications.
· Own the communications calendar for all Essence Festival of Culture PR activities.
· Help manage budgets, timely billing and reporting and work with finance teams of agency partners for proper invoice processing.
Candidate Qualifications:
· Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations / Communications or related field.
· Minimum of 5-7 years of professional experience in communications roles requiring exceptional written and verbal communication in relation to working with brands and/or entertainment properties.
· Proven experience developing proactive, compelling, and creative communications plans and materials.
· Knowledge of U.S. print, digital/online and broadcast media with a deep understanding of the evolving media and content creator landscape.
· Strong base of media contacts and relationships with top-tier consumer, lifestyle, entertainment media.
· Must be highly collaborative, agile and have the ability to work within a cross-functional team, matrixed organization.
· Experience managing press credentials, engagement and relations at large-scale events and press days.
· Position is based in New York, with the option of remote for the right candidate.
Salary Range/ Benefits:
$100K - $115K, Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k and EAP.