Director, Indiana University Cinema - Indiana University Cinema

Organization

One of the nation’s most prestigious movie houses, Indiana University Cinema (IU Cinema) presents and examines the world’s most entertaining, fascinating, and thought-provoking films and invites audiences to hear from the luminaries who created them. Its mission is to operate as a world-class venue and curatorial program dedicated to the highest standards of presentation of film in both traditional and modern forms. By providing unique and enriching cinematic experiences, IU Cinema advances Indiana University’s long-standing commitment to excellence, scholarship, and engagement in the arts across campus and the community. IU Cinema’s vision is to provide transformative cinematic experiences accessible for all. To ensure events are inclusive and accessible, nearly half of all events are free.



Since opening in 2011, IU Cinema has presented more than 2,500 public events, such as post-film discussions and private seminars with filmmakers. Its nearly 300 annual events feature movies of all kinds and provide many ways for individuals to engage more deeply with film. Audiences can hear from prominent filmmakers and scholars, see rarely shown titles, and enjoy one-of-a-kind programs such as premieres of newly commissioned scores for classic silent films. Guests spanning the cinema landscape and ranging from film legends to emerging talents come to IU Cinema to share their insights about film and their work. Their presence transforms the experience of the films for IU Cinema patrons, giving exclusive access and context.



IU Cinema is dedicated to representing Indiana University and its alumni on the national and international stage through its engagement with significant individuals in the industry and through active participation in events that reach beyond Indiana. In the last nine years more than 200 visiting filmmakers and scholars have participated in IU Cinema activities, including Werner Herzog, Mira Nair, Peter Weir, Ava DuVernay, Abbas Kiarostami, and Jim Jarmusch. IU Cinema is committed to diversity, including high levels of programming for international artists and women directors. In recent years IU Cinema has also been present at major film conferences and festivals and has hosted the Visible Evidence and Orphan Film Symposium conferences in Bloomington.



At IU Cinema, students have many opportunities to learn about the industry and put their talents and skills to use. Students can screen their films, participate in discussions with filmmakers, curate programs, have filmmakers critique their work in masterclasses, work as projectionists, write for IU Cinema’s blog, promote events, volunteer as ushers, and more. IU Cinema collaborates actively with many academic departments (in cinema/media and others) and with other prominent arts organizations on and off campus to ensure there are rigorous academic benefits to the film events and associated programming.



Located on the Indiana University Bloomington campus, the 260-seat venue features one screen, four projectors, and 14 surround sound speakers. IU Cinema is a THX Certified Cinema and an International Federation of Film Archives associate member. IU Cinema also has an orchestra pit, where live music accompanies silent films multiple times each year. IU Cinema collaborates with a broad-based volunteer Program Advisory Board to evaluate campus- and community-submitted proposals that account for approximately 35 percent of IU Cinema events. In addition, IU Cinema’s programming includes a number of endowed film series and events, including the President’s Choice Series curated by IU President Michael A. McRobbie.



IU Cinema is an academic support unit that provides public-facing collaboration with Indiana University’s academic units. The annual budget for 2019-2020 is approximately $1.2 million, with approximately 75 percent of revenue from direct Indiana University allocations. Earned revenue generates approximately 10 percent of income (reflective of IU Cinema’s commitment that at least 50 percent of all programming is free to attend) and the remaining 15 percent comes from donations and endowment draws.





Community

Bloomington

Nestled in the rolling hills 50 miles south of Indianapolis, Bloomington is an amazing mix of rural beauty and city amenities. Known as the Gateway to Scenic Southern Indiana, the city was established in 1818 and is now home to 85,000 residents and thousands of Indiana University students. Bloomington is a growing economic center with a burgeoning technology sector as well as dynamic education, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing opportunities. It is home to one of the nation’s largest 500 companies, a nationally ranked business school, and a historic limestone industry, which still thrives today and plays a major role in the town’s culture.



With low property and sales tax rates, Bloomington was ranked as the state’s most livable city in 2019 by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Short commutes and lower than average home prices led NerdWallet and Forbes to recently name Bloomington as the nation’s best city for work/life balance. Less than an hour south of Indianapolis, Bloomington’s central location provides access to many major metropolitan cities, including Chicago, Nashville, Columbus, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Louisville.



The city’s cultural vitality is fueled by Indiana University Jacobs School of Music—one of the nation’s premier music conservatories, a renowned world music festival, the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center, the 40,000-piece art collection of Indiana University’s Art Museum, and WonderLab, which combines science, health, and technology to create a one-of-a-kind experience. The city also boasts a thriving array of restaurants and breweries, with more than 110 restaurants downtown alone. Locals and tourists alike are drawn to Bloomington’s system of parks and trails with easy access to Monroe Lake and Hoosier National Forest for boating, fishing, and swimming.





Indiana University

Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington) is the flagship residential, doctoral-extensive research campus of Indiana University. A member of the Association of American Universities and one of the country’s leading research centers, the university attracts lifelong learners and offers unique lectures, films, performances, and Big Ten sporting events. The Bloomington campus is committed to excellence, global engagement, inclusion and diversity; academic freedom; and meeting the changing educational and research needs of the state, the nation, and the world.



IU Bloomington enrolls more than 33,000 undergraduate and more than 10,000 graduate students. The university offers 23 thematic and academic living-learning centers, more than 200 research centers and institutes, and more than 200 bachelors and graduate programs within its 17 schools and colleges. Diversity and inclusion are core values of Indiana University. It welcomes 7,000 international students from 144 countries, with one in four IU Bloomington undergraduate students participating in a study abroad experience before they graduate.



In addition to its world-renowned Jacobs School of Music, it has the number five ranked master of fine arts theater program. The campus and the town are lively, with more than 1,400 musical performances on the Indiana University campus each year. The Musical Arts Center, which is the primary performance home of the Jacobs School of Music, is regularly compared to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and is among the grandest collegiate performance venues in the United States.



Sources: edited from livability.com, bloomington.in.gov, indiana.edu, cinema.indiana.edu





Position Summary

The IU Cinema Director will be a bold, charismatic leader and strong advocate on and off campus for IU Cinema and Indiana University. The Director will be a conscientious administrator with managerial expertise, operational experience, demonstrated success in fundraising, and an ability to work effectively in a university setting, and who can operate comfortably in the dynamic world of film and media. The Director will lead a high-performing staff to build on the now-established identity and culture of IU Cinema with emphasis on growing the organization’s infrastructure, strengthening funding and strategic initiatives to advance IU Cinema’s mission, vision, and goals. The Director will be IU Cinema’s primary ambassador to other Indiana University departments and organizations, to the people of the City of Bloomington, the surrounding region, and the global film industry. Reporting to the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President, the Director will oversee six full-time employees, eight part-time employees, and a committed team of volunteers.





Roles and Responsibilities

Artistic and Organizational Vision

 Provide an inspired and clear vision for IU Cinema, engaging with its staff in the formation of long- and short-term strategic planning in alignment with the university’s strategic plans and IU Cinema’s mission and vision.

 Innovate ways of utilizing collaborative activity between IU Cinema and the university to provide unique opportunities for artistic creation and student advancement, such as IU Cinema’s current programs in commissioning film scores.

 Clearly articulate IU Cinema’s role as a university and community resource, assuring its active engagement with all current and future collaborators.

 Enhance and build IU Cinema’s brand as a visionary and innovative curatorial film program through effective promotional, media, and communication strategies that further elevate the organization locally, globally, and with industry partners.

 Apply personal experience and broad knowledge of the film industry (past and present) to infuse IU Cinema’s programming with perspective, relevance, and discovery, including the dynamic and fast-changing methods of distribution, streaming, technologies, and audience engagement.





Financial Stability and Growth

 Serve as lead fundraiser for IU Cinema, acting as the primary major gifts officer and participating in the execution of fundraising plans for annual fund and institutional funding initiatives.

 Develop, oversee, and implement IU Cinema’s annual budget and its short- and long-term financial goals, with direct accountability for financial performance.

 Strategically grow philanthropic support for IU Cinema through major gifts by working collaboratively and proactively with the Provost, the Office of Strategic Campus Advancement, current IU Cinema donors, and IU Foundation development officers.

 Strengthen IU Cinema’s ongoing support through the detailed oversight of and investment in annual fund and grant writing efforts managed directly by the Director and IU Cinema staff.





Partnerships and Collaborations

 Be visible and articulate as the primary spokesperson and champion for IU Cinema in its official business with the university and community.

 Foster existing and new relationships to reinforce IU Cinema’s role as cultural center and hub for intellectual discourse on campus and in the community.

 Provide leadership in further developing IU Cinema’s role in supporting film and media across disciplines on the Bloomington campus, in the region, nationally, and internationally.

 Strategize with university leadership and faculty to integrate IU Cinema’s programming with university goals and academic curriculum to further the development of the university’s student population.

 Establish and maintain relationships with all IU Cinema stakeholders, including students, faculty, administrators, trustees, alumni, donors, parents, filmmakers, industry leaders, archivists, legislators, and international constituents.

 Foster collaboration to engage and align diverse constituents while being decisive and able to communicate decisions with diplomacy, empathy, and respect.

 Work effectively and collaboratively with faculty and academic administrators on effective daily functioning of the university environment.

 Actively engage with the film and media industry network to build program and networking opportunities.





Management and Team Development

 Supervise the Associate Director in the planning of innovative, relevant, collaborative, and engaging public programs that are inclusive and appeal to diverse university and community audiences.

 Direct and support staff, manage budgets, establish priorities, and organize operations to ensure timely and smooth delivery of external programs and internal activities.

 Develop and maintain a sustainable staffing model to fulfill IU Cinema’s ambitious mission and vision while supporting a healthy and balanced internal structure rooted in IU Cinema’s guiding principles and commitments.

 Inspire and lead a long-serving and dedicated staff by fostering collaboration and teamwork, empowering each member to fulfill their roles and maintain high professional standards for IU Cinema in all areas.





Traits and Characteristics

The Director will be a thoughtful provocateur with an intellectually curious and rigorous approach to planning and executing public film and education programs. The Director will have a passion for IU Cinema’s mission, a commitment to strategy, and a dedication to continuous, iterative improvements to both programming and processes. This individual will have a history of building and nurturing relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including artists, partners, and donors, and will be energized by broadly sharing their vision for IU Cinema to people of all kinds. The Director will be a results-oriented leader who succeeds by building their team and partner relationships, creating welcoming and inclusive environments, and seeking new ways for the IU Cinema mission to benefit a variety of constituents throughout the region.



Other key competencies include:

 Collaboration and Teamwork – The ability to lead by understanding, incorporating, and prioritizing the needs and interests of many constituents and partners to fuel the execution of an organizational vision that engages a diverse and expanding network of people and organizations.

 Planning, Organizing, and Resource Management – The experience and thoughtfulness to establish strategic goals and accomplish them in a well-thought-out manner through the use of limited time, money, and other resources.

 Customer Focus and Accountability – The capacity to anticipate and exceed customer needs, wants, and expectations and to conduct decision making with honesty, professionalism, and transparent accountability standards.

 Self-Starting and Resilient – The patience and dedication to overcome obstacles and the drive to advance IU Cinema’s mission on a daily basis with energy and creativity and without significant external direction, fully appreciating short-, medium-, and long-term efforts.





Qualifications

Experience equivalent to a master’s degree and significant senior leadership positions in a cultural or higher education setting are required (advanced degree preferred). A track record of results-oriented success in overseeing dynamic and multifaceted artistic planning, building donor relationships, securing public and private funding, and navigating multilevel bureaucracies is necessary. Qualified candidates will have experience managing and leading collaborative public programming in a university (or comparable) environment with a vision toward internally and externally continuing IU Cinema’s momentum. Thorough knowledge of cinema and access to networks in the professional film industry are essential. Nonprofit governance expertise and university academic experience are greatly appreciated.





Compensation and Benefits

IU Cinema offers very competitive compensation with employee benefits that include an excellent individual health insurance plan, dental benefits, retirement benefits, paid parental and bereavement leave, and vacation and sick paid time off, among others. Tenure-track classification is possible based on the experience and educational background of the selected candidate.





Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments, please click here or visit artsconsulting.com/employment. For questions or general inquiries about this job opportunity, please contact us at:



Douglas R. Clayton

Senior Vice President

Arts Consulting Group

201 West Lake Street, Suite 133

Chicago, IL 60606-1803

Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 202

Email IUCinema@ArtsConsulting.com





Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, national origin, disability status, or protected veteran status.



Indiana University is committed to excellence through diversity. Indiana University has a strong commitment to principles of diversity and, in that spirit, seeks a broad spectrum of candidates, including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities. Indiana University encourages applications from candidates with diverse cultural backgrounds.