Volunteer Manager Open House: Wednesday, June 24

The Traverse City Film Festival is seeking awesome, fun-loving people to join our team as Volunteer  Managers for the 2015 festival! Please stop by our Volunteer Manager Open House on Wednesday, June 24 at 6 pm in the Basement Conference Rooms of the Park Place Hotel (300 E. State Street). We would love to meet you! If you can’t make it, please call 231-392-1134 or email volunteer@tcff.org. Interested parties should also feel free to email volunteer@tcff.org in advance of the Open House. We would love to get you on board now! 

Why Be a Manager?

TCFF volunteer managers are the core of our amazingly talented, incredibly devoted, and super fun festival family. The festival couldn’t run without the many managers who spend part of their summer in the most beautiful place on earth working with the best team on planet. Friendships forged under fire last forever! Create something meaningful for the community, meet new people, spend time with friends and family, and gain invaluable experience. Help us put on the best festival in the world and have tons of fun along the way! For more information, please visit TCFF Volunteer Managers.

Open Positions:

We have roles and venues available to meet almost any interest and commitment level.

Volunteer Coordinator

Help us manage the 100s of incredible volunteers who come together each summer to create the ultimate celebration of cinema. In this position, you’ll get to know the amazing volunteers from around the area and world who make this all possible. Key duties include sending out mass communications to volunteers regarding upcoming events and shift/signup available and responding to volunteer email inquires with the assistance of an office intern. You’ll also be involved in helping place volunteers and managers in specific roles while keeping an eye on how shifts are filling up. Responsibility, organization,  great social skills, fantastic communication, a sense of adventure, and a commitment to your community are desired. 

Green Room Manager

Go behind-the-scenes and join our amazing hospitality team. Provide festival guests and visiting filmmakers with a comfortable and well-stocked green room for them to relax in before, during, and after their screenings. The Green Room manager is responsible for helping schedule green room volunteer attendants and coordinating the pickup and delivery of food and beverage across venues. Organization, friendliness, ability to read a situation, an eye for styling a space, and professionalism are key. 

Videography Manager

Filming at a film festival. What could be more important? An ideal role for people looking to strut their filmmaking know-how and organizational prowess, the videography manager coordinates our videography volunteers that film a broad range of festival events including our panels, Q&As, parties, and general festival atmosphere. They are also involved in the production of festival promotional videos. Capture festival moments for posterity and use the power of the film to showcase the festival. 

Movies on a Boat Manager

Ever wanted to be a venue manager, but craved a little more high sea adventure? This role combines leadership and organizational excellence with the saltiness of a sea captain. Comfort with boats and water as well as operations training is required, as is the ability and commitment to ensure a great moviegoing experience in one of our most magical most unorthodox venues. 

Libations Manager

What’s a party without some potent potables? The Libations Manager will have the chance go onsite at all of our highly-anticipated festival parties and play an utterly crucial role ensuring their success. Interested parties should be TIPS trained (or willing to go through the course), responsible, professional, organized, and sociable. Working directly with our events manager, responsibilities include recruiting and organizing volunteer servers, directing bar setup and layout, working with the warehouse on delivery of procured libations, tracking supply, monitoring volunteers, and securely return alcohol to storage at end of the night.

Assistant Venue Managers

Be at the center of the behind-the-scenes action by assisting the venue manager with any and all tasks necessary for the successful operation of the theater. Monitor loads and procedures, direct other assistant managers, provide instruction to volunteers, and much more! Responsible, quick thinking problem solvers who thrive in high-energy situations wanted.

Sales Managers

Oversee the selling and inventory of TCFF merchandise and/or concessions. Instruct volunteers in the art of popcorn popping, soda, candy, and tshirt hawking, and merchandise display. Flair for retail sales, basic bookkeeping ability, and experience handling money desired.

Hospitality Managers

Handle reserved and special seating for filmmakers, guests, sponsors, and people with disabilities. Consolidate information received via text, email, and radio for a seamless seating experience by monitoring and anticipating needs. Organization, communication skills, focus, patience, and speed are key.

Stage Managers

Oversee pre-show music performance setup and take-down, the monitoring of film presentation quality, and filmmaker question and answer sessions. Work with the projection booth, green room, and special guests to execute the best possible entertainment display. Requires excellent communication skills, steady focus, physical ability, and special pre-festival training.

Front of House Managers

If there’s something going on in the front of the house, you’re probably helping manage it. Work with TCFF volunteers to handle ticket and ballot collection, counting, reporting, and more. Interact with patrons, sponsors, and guests and be an important point of contact as you help usher the festival on the path to success.

Venue Volunteer Manager

Be the welcoming face for volunteers as they report for their shifts and supervise volunteer operations at the venue. Deliver a brief orientation, assign volunteers tasks, and direct them to the specific assistant managers they will be working with. Work with the festival office to monitor holes and needs. The success of the festival starts with our volunteers. Happy volunteers = happy patrons = happy festival.

Line Manager

Everyone knows that the real fun of the festival occurs not in the auditorium, but in the lines as people mix, mingle, and get to know one another. Help this community spirit flourish as you make sure people are in the correct line, check for anyone needing assistance, and keep everyone apprised of any information they may need to have an enjoyable experience.