Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) marketing manager

By ANGELA MCCARTHY

Name: Helen Bartle

Age: 31

Role: Auckland Theatre Company (ATC) marketing manager

Working hours: 8.30am until the job is done (evening work involves opening night, sponsor functions, subscriber briefings, etc)

Average pay: Upwards of $50,000


Qualifications and institution: University of London, BA Joint Honours (Communication Studies and Sociology)

Career prospects: Senior management, associate director or producer, arts consultant

Q. Describe what you do?

A. My job is to get bums on seats for our [ATC] productions. Our marketing budget is incredibly tight, which makes it hard to compete with the marketing of major international shows so we have to be very resourceful.

I am constantly thinking of new ways to attract people to attend the theatre. We have started Sunday performances and now offer $20 standby tickets for under-25s. We're also about to launch txt 2 U to encourage 18 to 25-year-olds to theatre.

We want to break down misconceptions and barriers and show theatre doesn't have to be elitist, that cutting-edge stuff does happen.

Q. How did you get into this line of work?

A. I'm originally from Britain. While studying there I started working in theatre part time, doing ushering, box office, bar work, front of house then customer services. I realised I had a passion for the theatre and I was good at sales and convincing people to part with money.

So I joined the marketing department of the local theatre company in a temporary job. It was unglamorous but it gave me the practical experience I needed to apply for a marketing assistant job at the Oxford Playhouse.

Getting on that first rung of the ladder is important. Those first roles also gave me important insights into audience needs.

Q. How did you end up working in New Zealand?

A. I was working as marketing development officer at Lyric Theatre in London and wanted to do some work in Australasia, so made contact with everyone I knew and managed to get the contract to market the Laugh Fest in Auckland four years ago.

The ATC marketing manager job came up six months later.

Q. What training or experience do you need for the job?

A. A degree is important but so is marketing experience and practical experience in the arts, particularly theatre.

Q. What skills or qualities do you need?

A. A genuine passion is critical. There is a lot of mundane administrative work involved that isn't particularly glamorous.

You need to think on your feet, be a good problem solver and be innovative and creative in your approach to marketing. Time management, planning skills and organisational management are essential. It is also really important that you work well in a team.

There are only 12 of us at ATC and it is often all hands on deck to put up posters or do a mail out.

Q. Best part of the job?

A. Seeing all our hard work come to fruition with sell-out shows like The Bach. The development of audience initiatives, like txt 2 U, to bring in new people.

There is also the buzz of working in a young [theatre] industry that has a huge potential to show a variety of works, including works like Goldie and The Bach that are written for New Zealand audiences by New Zealand playwrights.

Q. Most challenging part?

A. There isn't enough time or money, both typical constraints in the arts. But the compensation is being able to work with fantastic, innovative, resourceful people.

Q. Advice to someone wanting to do the same?

A. Get practical experience as well as academic qualifications. Shadow someone for a couple of months if you can. Shadowing, part time work, shows initiative, drive and ambition. Show your passion for theatre.

However, I feel it is a mismatch to try to become a dedicated marketing person in the arts if you really want to be an actor.

Q. Career hopes for the future?

A. I'm about to move into a new role as ATC marketing and sponsorship manager. I'm really looking forward to developing the role and my skills. While New Zealand is my home now, I do want to gain more international experience.