Press Officer, International Gallery

An international gallery seeks a Press Officer to join its London team. The position is based in London and reports into the Global Director of Communication and Content. The ideal candidate will have a few years related experience in communications within the art world.

Press and Media Relations

• Work closely with the Global Director of Communications, along with international press colleague and marketing colleagues on global communication strategies.
• Plan and implement strategic international press campaigns with the Global Director of Communications to promote the gallery’s London exhibition programme, related events, artist and gallery announcements and involvement in international art fairs.
• A creative and informed approach to pitching for reviews, features and artist profiles, art market coverage and listings to support the London gallery’s exhibition programme. This includes media collaborations relating to gallery events, leveraging the gallery’s marketing assets with the media (videos, photography, live streams, artist interview content), and also news and profiling opportunities for the gallery’s artists unrelated to the London gallery’s exhibition programme.
• Nurturing and developing relationships with press contacts in local, national and international media, spanning print, online and broadcast, and including regular contact and meetings with media contacts.
• Contribute to communication materials related to the gallery, including writing media alerts, invites and gallery event texts.
• Respond to varied media requests including images, as well as monitoring media coverage, updating the team and managing press clippings database for London and updating the gallery’s website with press coverage in a timely manner.
• Respond to image requests from publishers.
• Work closely with artist studios via their gallery liaison to develop press material and content.
• Oversee and maintain the press database, including proactively gathering new press contacts and coordinating press mailing data.
• Source and clear images from artist studios and photographers for communications use across digital platforms including the website, e-news and social media.
• Manage journalist briefings, photo calls / press breakfasts, press trips and working with the Head of Events to support the galleries events programme, projects and dinners etc.
• Maintain communications planner/ event calendar updated with deadlines of materials to be issued and ensuring communications deadlines are met.
• Identify profiling opportunities for the gallery.
• Liaise with museum press offices and PR agencies as required.
• Coordinate press trips as required.
• Represent the gallery at UK and European events, as required.
• Liaise with the Communications Assistant to ensure the media subscriptions are up to date.

Digital Communications

• Update the website with the gallery and artist events, museum exhibitions and other artist news.
• Work closely with Head of Digital and Marketing for London to coordinate communications and social media efforts.
• Write and format press e-mail communications via Mailchimp (press releases, preview invitations, event invitations, general news announcements).
• Produce copy for the website, newsletter and social media for gallery announcements, artist representations, museum acquisitions and other artist news.
• Contribute to content strategies over the gallery’s platforms, including but not limited to the gallery website, social media channels (maintaining Facebook, Instagram, and re-starting Twitter), e-blasts and third-party partners (i.e. advertisers, distributors, Artsy, Artnet, etc.).
• Write advertorials tailored particularly to the gallery’s WeChat platform and other Chinese media outlets.

Publications

• Organise the mailout of publications. This includes liaising with assistants and the Directors to produce a list of recipients, drafting the letter accompanying the catalogues, and liaise with the Communications Assistant in London and the Editorial Assistant in Paris as well as the Registrar to stock the catalogues in the gallery or storage unity and organise the shipment.
• Liaise with artist liaisons, the Communications Assistant and Editorial Assistant in Paris to ensure key publications are available for consultation and/or sale at the gallery.

The successful candidate will have the following attributes:

• Educated to degree level, preferably in arts or humanities subject (BA required).
• Excellent written and communication skills, as well as analytical, organisational and interpersonal skills.
• Interest and excellent knowledge of the visual arts.
• Working knowledge of Mailchimp, Microsoft Office and Mac OS X.
• Ideally familiar with using website CMS for press and news updates to the gallery’s website, Photoshop and InDesign.