Classified
To book your job adverts contact ads@list.co.uk 0131 550 3060 list.co.uk/ advertising Creative
Jobs * Arts * Media * Creative * Culture * Volunteering PLUS many, many more . . . .
How did you get that job? 126 THE LIST 21 Jun–19 Jul 2012
Name Helen Chalmers
Job title Festival Coordinator & Music Booker
Company The Wickerman Festival Limited When did you start your job? I’ve been working with Wickerman since 2003 but started my role as festival coordinator in September 2007. I began booking the acts for the Summerisle (main) Stage and Scooter Tent in February 2009; I also book the acts for the Ho Down Wendy House and the Greenman Inn.
So what does your job actually involve? Probably more elements than I can remember. I work all year round on the festival and liaise with pretty much anyone that has some involvement with it, from booking the toilets to irritating our PR team and web/artwork designer with endless emails. I book some of the acts that appear across the weekend and the stages or tents they perform in. I organise the caterers and traders you see on site, manage
the day to day accounts, update the website, photocopy anything that needs photocopying and sometimes I laminate those things. I’m also not averse to stuffing envelopes and can sometimes be found outside a gig or event handing out flyers. Best / Worst Aspects? The best is seeing everything come together on site and catching up with the full festival team when they arrive on site, many of whom you only get to see once a year. Walking through the site and hearing people talk about the fantastic time they are having, or indeed seeing them having a fantastic time, is also up there.
The worst part is not really getting to see much of what goes on. Having to say no to a lot of people can be disheartening, whether it’s acts looking for a slot or someone looking for a job, but unfortunately we only have a limited number of spots for both. Seeing the site clear, I always feel quite empty on the Sunday after Wickerman.
Looking back, what advice would you give to a young Helen at the start of her career? I didn’t really ever envisage that I would be doing what I do now so that’s quite a tricky one – I wanted to work on a farm, which I suppose in some ways I do, it’s just not quite in the way I imagined it. If I was asked to give advice to someone wanting to do something similar, I would say: don’t sneer at what you think are the menial jobs (photocopying, stuffing envelopes, laminating, etc), as these will always need to get done. Be prepared to work antisocial hours and be prepared for criticism – no matter what you do you can’t please everyone, especially as music is a very personal thing. and finally . . . what are you most looking forward to in 2012? The Wickerman Festival on Fri 20 & Sat 21 Jul, followed by a holiday!