Public Relations Manager

Nashville Ballet

Nashville

Public Relations

Position Description / Responsibilities

Position Summary: The Public Relations Manager is a front-facing, key member of Nashville Ballet’s administrative staff. Responsible for overseeing the public presence of Nashville Ballet, The Public Relations Manager creates and maintains a visible and favorable public image of the organization through media relations and communications. This employee engages with all departments and requires a thorough understanding of all programs and facets of the organization.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Media Relations – Assess and respond reactively to media inquiries. Proactively seek out strategic media opportunities that further the strategic goals of Nashville Ballet and keep the organization in the public eye as much as possible. This includes award nominations, content submission, news releases, pitching, planning for editorial calendars, personnel announcements/profiles, event listings/calendars, advertorials, and other opportunities across media formats. This also includes direct coordination with the School of Nashville Ballet team to support School programming and initiatives as well as the Development team, Ballet Ball Co-Chairs, and Ballet Ball PR Committee to execute and oversee publicity efforts of Ballet Ball. Utilize Cision (Nashville Ballet’s PR software) to maintain up-to-date media contacts and manage relationships with members of local, national, and industry press.

• Writing/Editing for Internal and External Communication – Serve as editor-in-chief of the organization; prepare and/or edit written materials for all facets of the organization that maintain a consistent message and voice. Assure accuracy in all communications (including Nashville Ballet and School of Nashville Ballet collateral, performance programs, advertising copy, website content, internal and external newsletters, etc.). Directly assist all departments in achieving this goal in internal and external communications. Actively monitor communications from peer organizations to stay up to date on global current events and industry-specific trends.

• Maintain Brand Standards: Maintain company style guide and update annually to ensure brand consistency and management across the organization. Provide assets to outside organizations as requested.

• Strategic Communication – With the Director of Sales and Marketing, develop and execute the strategic communication plan and implementation timeline for each sector of Nashville Ballet’s organizational structure – performance season, School of Nashville Ballet, outreach initiatives, and Ballet Ball. Execute elements of strategic communications plan or oversee execution by staff members. Monitor media coverage and report on analytics in meetings.

• Email Marketing – Oversee all aspects of marketing plans that utilize direct email communication. Execute ticket sales and School of Nashville Ballet acquisition emails utilizing the email platform Wordfly. Work closely with the Sales and Marketing team and School Director to identify appropriate messaging and segment audiences for the most effective direct communications possible. Oversee all external email communications by managing the Communications calendar and leading monthly email marketing meetings to coordinate schedules across all departments. Train new employees on Wordfly and troubleshoot should issues arise.

• Utilization of Tessitura (Training Provided) – Collaborate with marketing team to generate targeted lists for Nashville Ballet email communications. Oversee list trades from outside organizations as needed.

• Media Training and Spokesperson – Train and prepare staff and dancers for potential and acquired media opportunities through media training, preparation of talking points, and rehearsal. When necessary, serve as a spokesperson for the organization in public forums.

• Crisis Communication – Support Nashville Ballet leadership in reaction to crisis situations.

• Publicity – Develop specific plans and execute in cooperation with the other members of the marketing department to secure positive publicity for Nashville Ballet in the community. Establish and maintain relationships with community organizations and individuals with whom Nashville Ballet shares a target audience or can collaborate on publicity opportunities. This may include events, promotions, contests, calendars, listings, etc.

• Customer Service, plus Event Management – Provide staff support at Nashville Ballet performances and events, in the form of media liaison, dancer manager, merchandise sales, customer service and patron engagement.

• Administrative Tasks – Under the oversight of the Director of Sales and Marketing, fulfill any other additional tasks as assigned.

General Responsibilities:

• Coordinate with other departments to identify communication needs and provide assistance when needed.
• Communicate with internal and external artists, staff, and contract employees to gather necessary publicity information and gather media statistics.
• Manage relationships with members of the media.
• Utilize Cision to maintain up-to-date media contact lists, deploy press releases, and track coverage.
• Monitor all media coverage and save relevant clips in physical and electronic forms for archiving and future reference.
• Maintain a proactive, solutions-oriented attitude.
• Work autonomously to execute daily tasks, and as a member of a group to achieve strategic goals.

Position Requirements

Work Requirements and Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism, communications, or similar field
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Experience: 3 to 5 years of experience in news, public relations, strategic communications, corporate communications or other relevant work experience.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Working knowledge of media industry, preferably local media outlets
• Proven ability to work autonomously
• Possess a desire and ability to actively engage with the artform of ballet
• Strong aptitude in presentation and public speaking
• Detail-oriented
• Adept at facilitating connections
• Ability to make decisions and solve problems
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills
• Willingness to learn new systems and technologies (training will be provided on specific systems)
• Word processing/spreadsheet/database skills
• Familiarity with Cision or PR software preferred
• Equipment: standard office equipment including computer and software, phone, copier, etc. Competency on both PC and MAC platform preferred.

Application Instructions

To Apply:

To be considered for this position, please email the items below in one PDF file with your name as the filename to careers@nashvilleballet.com. Include “Public Relations Manager” as the email’s subject line. No phone calls, please.

• A substantive cover letter

• A resume no longer than 2 pages

• 2 Professional References

• A writing sample of a written solicitation appeal

• Additional writing samples may be requested.