Mint Plaza Music Curator 2025

Part Time / Contract

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About Make it Mariko

Make It Mariko is an award-winning creative events agency based in San Francisco, proudly led by women of color. We specialize in crafting magical, meaningful experiences designed to inspire, uplift, and connect communities.

We are committed to curating creative, inclusive, and diverse spaces in the events industry to challenge the status quo and pave the way for a new generation of event experience curators. Our company was founded in 2015 by Gina Mariko Rosales and we have a wide network of creative partners, vendors, and clients that we work with throughout the Bay Area and beyond.

Through our sister company, Weddings In Color, we also curate wedding experiences. Learn more about our company values and hear our origin store here: www.makeitmariko.com/about.

The Opportunity

Make It Mariko is seeking a dynamic and creative Music Curator to lead the curation and booking of talent for a new weekly event activation in San Francisco’s Mint Plaza (where we launched UNDISCOVERED SF in 2017!). This will be a weekly event series (aiming for Fridays from 5-9pm) featuring live music & DJs to help increase sales for local restaurants & businesses.

Event Goals:

Create a fun, engaging, and FREE all ages event to activate Mint Plaza on a regular basis.
Increase traffic to Mint Plaza to get more business and patrons to the local restaurants.
Support local artists & creatives
Invest in infrastructure that can help Mint Plaza continue to be utilized on a regular basis even after the event season ends.

This role is perfect for someone passionate about events, talent curation, community building, and the Bay Area’s vibrant music & nightlife culture. The Music Curator will play a pivotal role in growing a new event series, featuring amazing Bay Area talent, and ensuring our weekly events are successfully and well attended.

Key Responsibilities:

Event Season Dates:

Aiming for 18-25 total weeks of events
Season may start as early as April 2025, and may end as late as October 2025 depending on negotiations with partners and City funders
Every week there will be 1-3 featured organizations/crews featured which will include DJs and live music performances.

Talent Curation & Booking:

Book performance talent and coordinate performance time slots with performers based on allocated budget for the season.
Negotiate contract and tech rider for all performers based on our sound/stage capabilities and our overall budget.
Confirm budget and contract with Event Project Manager before sending contract to artist
Get artist to sign contract and W9, and store docs in Google Drive folder
Collect artist bio and high res headshots and store in Google Drive folder
Gather dietary restrictions & names for artist meals
Curate final schedule for each event
Coordinate final equipment needs with A/V Manager to ensure equipment is provided day of.
Keep Performer Tracking List up to date with performer contact info & status
Review Application Form submissions via our website form and curate in talent as needed
Schedule tech rehearsals for all performers who request one.

Curation: Prioritize booking local diverse talent as much as possible, while balancing headliners, local SoMa performers, and up and coming talent

Meetings:

Attend bi-weekly meetings starting January 2025 (initial meetings MUST be in person at our new studio in SoMa on either Tuesdays or Thursdays)
Weekly check-ins once the event series begins.

Liability:

Curator will not be liable for any monies owed to talent/vendors, etc. All monies owed to talent (deposit, travel expenses, back-line, etc.) based on what curators negotiated is the responsibility of Make It Mariko.

Day of Support

Onsite Day of Coordination & General Customer Service (onsite starting the first artist arrival/tech, and until event ends)
Manage artist performers onsite day of including load in and load out
General stage coordination and managing stage schedule in partnership with A/V Manager
Ensure safety of all performers
Ensure payment is paid out to all performers on time
Have follow up meeting with Make it Mariko to discuss event details and how we can improve
Final thank you email to all performers with links to photos & survey
Complete event debrief

General

Use @makeitmariko.com email for all client communications
Maintain and organize documents via Google Drive
Maintain our PRIMARY Performer Directory for all performers to track involvement.
Professionally represent Make It Mariko at all events
Attend all events and act as the main point of contact for talent. Position requires evening hours during events.
Help promote for the event via social media, email, and in person promotions as needed  
Provide data for grants as needed

Timeline:

January 2025	Interviews with candidates/agencies Event Concepting, Naming, and Ideation
February	Website Design & Graphic Design Talent Booking begins
March	Press Pitching & Video Production Talent Booking continues
April – June	Potential launch of the event. Exact date TBD depending on partnership discussions.
April – September	Potential for the event to happen weekly for a total of 18-22 weeks depending on budget.

Additional Details & How to Apply

Hours: Part Time Contract (1099 position)

Compensation: Please submit your required rate for this project scope of work.

How To Apply

To Apply: Please email jobs@makeitmariko.com with the subject line “Your Name / Mint Plaza Music Curator”, and include the following:

A Cover Letter or Proposal describing your interest, experience, and background. Please make sure to address the following:
- Why you want to be a part of this project
- Your relevant experience for this role based on this scope of work
Resume or Portfolio of past relevant work

Pro Tips

NO CALLS. Questions are encouraged during the interview process.
Please follow directions. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
We can spot a Chat GPT cover letter within seconds. We will spend just as much time reviewing your application as you spend writing it. So please make sure to personalize.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the right candidate is found. Interviews will begin immediately.