Magazine – Chicago Theater Content Curator – VOLUNTEER
10+ hours/week
Picture This Post magazine, www.picturethispost.com, alerts time-strapped readers to cultural offerings that are the best match for their interests in art, books, dance, film, museums, music, theater, as well as travel with a focus on culture. We not only cover culture creators and venues with high name recognition, but also delight in helping to showcase bold, creative strokes by fledgling artists in all genres.
As a Chicago theater content curator, you will learn the skills involved in creating previews, interview articles, and updated listings of Chicago theater events in the Picture This Post READERS’ CALENDAR.
YOU ARE A KEY PART OF THE EDITORIAL TEAM— YOUR BEAT IS CHICAGO THEATER
Here is a link to the Picture This Post Theater Section—where you click a picture to read a story. Keep clicking “Read More” to find earlier reviews, previews and interviews in our magazine. (To zero in on Chicago Theater—first select the Chicago edition.)
https://www.picturethispost.com/category/culture/theater/
Please also spend some time exploring the pre-pandemic videos on the Best Plays in Chicago Playlist of the Picture This Post YouTube Channel –
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcM-1fSIyLHGLZIWHdTy3iOsyZj71dwpw
You will be tasked with keeping our Chicago Theater section content FRESH and INTRIGUING (previews, interviews, event listings of particular interest to the theater enthusiasts in our readership).
This job involves developing a working knowledge of multiple types of content on the magazine--- calendar entries, previews, interviews and roundup articles.
Your first job/s will be to attend training sessions and self-study guides that will allow you to master the prerequisite skills to fulfilling this role: editing press releases to previews; conducting email interviews; editorial correspondence to line-up interviews, secure images required for our picture-rich format, etc.; layout; social media; uploading theater news events in Chicago to the READERS’ CALENDAR; and networking via social media with actors, directors, and others in the theater world.
This student volunteer position is designed to immerse you in the processes of online publication. While not listed as an “internship” position, most of our past and current student volunteers concur that the training and educational opportunities in this and other Picture This Post volunteer positions far exceeds that of most internship jobs. The more time you put into this experience the more you will get out of it. Many volunteers take on multiple roles and more responsibilities that give them more to show at the end of their time at Picture This Post – a fat portfolio of published articles among other lists of accomplishments.
Requirements:
- Commitment to fulfill tasks for all Picture This Post staff members—to remain in good standing (estimated time commitment of 30 – 60 minutes/week.) See EXPECTATIONS/REQUIREMENTS ALL STUDENT VOLUNTEERS
--Commitment to study and adhere to the Picture This Post Guidelines for Preview Editors, Interview Editors and other guidelines relevant to your role.
-Minimal time commitment of 10 hours/week--- except during exam and other highly demanding school schedules- which we EXPECT you to prioritize over your volunteer work.
What You Will Do:
-You will write Chicago theater previews – of plays and related events in the Chicago area.
-You will be responsible for all steps of email interviews with actors and other theater notables—from identifying intriguing content, to logistically arranging interviews, developing an interview frame and related questions, light touch editing of answers, procuring images sufficient for a picture-rich layout, completing layouts
-You will upload events to the Picture This Post Readers’ Calendar
-You will use our Blog2Social automation to promote the stories you create; you will use private messages in social media to network with the various people showcased in Picture This Post Theater stories.
- You will contribute to the Chicago Theater Roundup – a curated collection of Chicago Theater stories in Picture This Post
-Student volunteers in this position, once trained, are expected to consistently have 3+ previews-in-progress, 3+ interviews in progress, and to keep up with upload of theater events to the Reader Calendar within one week of receipt (or sooner if time sensitive.)
-You will share in shared staff duties outlined in Expectations/Requirements of All Student Volunteers tasks: completing social media posts; keeping up with the writer/editor feedback system ( a key Picture This Post editor/writer training tool); joining writer/editor rotations for shared tasks such as sending newsletter opt-in emails and uploading events to the Picture This Post Readers’ Calendar
Note: these miscellaneous tasks take about 30-60 minutes a week.
-You can add on to your Chicago Theater Content Curator role with other Picture This Post Jobs—your schedule permitting. **The top recommendation is to also get training to be a Review Writer.
