Media Strategist

ABOUT ARENA STAGE Arena Stage was founded August 16, 1950 in Washington, D.C. by Zelda Fichandler, Tom Fichandler and Edward Mangum. Over 65 years later, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Director Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. JOB DESCRIPTION Arena Stage is seeking a versatile Media Strategist, with deep experience in outcome-oriented earned media outreach that leverages data and analytics to support short- and long-term organizational objectives. In addition, she/he/they are well versed in integrating with shared, and owned media and advertising components in the legacy and digital/social media spaces. As directed by the Associate Director, Marketing & Media Strategy, and working closely with other team members, this position will play a pivotal role in identifying, creating, and managing integrated show and brand media strategies for Arena Stage which align with the overarching brand vision set by the Chief Marketing Officer. This position significantly contributes to growing Arena Stage’s brand, visibility and positioning through these combined efforts. The successful candidate will have a solid grounding in earned media and public relations and be a versatile writer and editor of short- and long-form copy. This position requires a solid understanding of how the social media-driven world we inhabit impacts organizational communication and outcomes; a strong grasp of earned media best practices; familiarity and ease with offline and online content creation and dissemination; proficiency in media research and analytics; and the ability to integrate with and leverage social media platforms for market research and audience development. This position works closely with multiple functional areas both within the department as well as across the organization, including Artistic, Content, Box Office, Development, and Analytics. The successful candidate will be nimble, resourceful, and creative; adept at developing and implementing data-driven integrated campaigns and initiatives; an excellent project manager; and highly collaborative. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:  Primary responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Under the supervision of the Associate Director, Marketing & Media Strategy, and as directed by the Chief Marketing Officer, lead and collaborate on show- and brand-specific integrated media strategies and campaigns for Arena Stage
• In conjunction with Artistic Development, Community Engagement, and/or others, regularly develop creative and effective story ideas, pitches and campaigns that grow Arena’s visibility through earned media outreach
• Contribute to the development and implementation of advertising strategies when requested, and as appropriate
• Collaborate on digital/social media buys as necessary
• Provide support for overall media monitoring, as needed
• Participate in Arena Stage’s social, digital media, and community outreach initiatives
• Regularly analyze, evaluate, and report on the effectiveness of media campaigns and initiatives, integrating with Google Analytics and/or other analytics tools for holistic reporting
• Contribute to the development, storyboarding, and management of institutional and production photo and video shoots
• Assist in the drafting of monthly reports, project summary reports, memos, agendas, minutes, PowerPoint presentations, and/or other business/technical documents
• Jointly supervise the Associate, Marketing & Media Strategy, in the implementation of day-to-day work, contributing to his/her/their professional development and growth
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule as needed, including evening and weekends on occasion
• Other duties as assigned

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, journalism, communications, writing, advertising, or a related field
• 4-6 years’ earned media/public relations experience; agency experience a plus
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Familiarity with AP Style
• Experience instituting and managing campaign-specific and ongoing media monitoring and intelligence programs and dashboards that incorporate best practices in public relations/communications measurement
• Working knowledge of MS Office Suites, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat
• Excellent budget and project management skills
• A gifted storyteller, who understands how to develop, implement, and leverage brand storytelling for awareness, visibility, audience engagement, and growth
• Excellent media relations skills, with a track record of targeted placements supporting organizational objectives
• Outstanding written and verbal communications skills, and strong inter-personal communications skills
• Outstanding time management and organizational skills, and the ability to prioritize and multi-task
• Ability to work rapidly and meet deadlines under pressure
• A solid understanding of how search engine optimization (SEO) can be applied to increase brand visibility and audience awareness via earned media, and the ability to apply it in the implementation of media strategy
• An understanding of how organic and paid influencer campaigns can support earned media
• Dexterity with commonly used digital marketing tools and platforms, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Canva, Asana, Basecamp, Wordpress, Sprout Social, Hootsuite, etc.
• Basic proficiency in photo and video editing using programs such as Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, Canva, etc.
• Ability to conduct photography and/or videography to provide multimedia support as needed
• A collaborative team player, with a problem-solving approach and an eye for detail