Building upon the success of the Cooper’s Alley Animation Grant program hosted by River City Company, the organization is announcing the launch of a new program to support individuals who have a desire to create unique and diverse event experiences in downtown Chattanooga.
The newly created Emerging Producers program seeks to support individuals, organizations and artists with two years or less of event management experience.
“We have a wide variety of spaces in our downtown that make the perfect backdrop for fun and different events. Places like Patten Square, Cooper’s Alley, and the Martin Amphitheater are just a few of the smaller, more intimate spaces that could be programmed on a regular basis,” said Emily Mack, President & CEO of River City Company.
From now until November 30th, applications will be accepted for the new program. Representatives of nonprofits, community groups, or an artist, creative, resident, event curator, or entrepreneur with two years or less of event management experience are eligible to apply.
Additional criteria along with the application can be found at www.rivercitycompany.com/producers. The top six candidates will be selected by the Emerging Producers Advisory Committee with notification of acceptance in December.
The program will run from January 2024 through October 2024 providing in-depth educational workshops, event shadowing experiences, field trips with partner organizations, and mentorship for the first four months. Topics that will be covered include:
- concept creation – taking an idea to reality;
- creating collaborations – partnership opportunities and alignment;
- fundraising – creating a budget, grant writing, proposal submissions;
- logistics 101 – permits, security and safety measures;
- marketing and public relations – traditional and grassroots methods to spread the word;
- vendor and contractor management – achieving a win/win for all;
- run of show – day of management and production;
- metrics and success measures – evaluation process;
- and learn from leaders – panel discussion of best practices and lessons learned over the years.
As the cohort size is smaller, specific times and dates of the meeting sessions will be determined by coordinating the schedule of the members.
For the second half of the program starting in May, each of the six-cohort members will lead and execute an event in downtown Chattanooga. The other cohort members will support the lead member in producing the event. The classes, mentorship and event management will be overseen by the staff of River City Company with the support of the Emerging Producers Advisory Committee.
Cohort members will receive a $2500 stipend for their participation in the program along with seed funding for their event concepts.
“We know very well how much time and energy goes into producing an event. The stipend is a way for us to provide some compensation for their work and the seed funding for the event is to help them get started. The cohort members will be expected to learn how to budget appropriately for an event and be provided the tools and support to fundraise for the remaining balance of their event,” said Dawn Hjelseth, Vice President of Marketing & Communication at River City Company. “We are beyond grateful for the support from the Lyndhurst Foundation in providing the grant funding for this program for the next three years! We believe this will be a catalyst for the creation of many more smaller, unique and attractive events in our downtown.”
Important Dates for the Program include:
- October 19, 2023 – Applications Open
- November 30, 2023 – Applications Close at 5pm
- December 19, 2023 – Program Selection Notice Released
- January 2024 – October 2024 – First Cohort Program
For more information about the program and to apply, please visit www.rivercitycompany.com/producers or email dawn@rivercitycompany.com with questions.