Creative Workforce Development
Designed to address inequities and personnel shortages in the local music industry, VERA’s Live Production Lab prepares our next generation of event production and cultural workers in Washington.
In partnership with Seattle’s Offices of Economic Development and Arts & Culture, King County Creative & Best Start for Kids, as well as local arts nonprofits, music venues, production companies, and major cultural festivals, we are investing in a stronger, more diverse creative economy. Youth program participants receive extensive technical training, sustained mentorship, and paid work opportunities in live sound production, house management, venue operations, festival support, booking, marketing, safety, and more.
People of all ages accepted into the program, which prioritizes BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ young adults, will receive over 40 hours of instruction, 40 hours of mentorship, 32 hours of on-the-job supervision, and guaranteed job placement at The Vera Project and/or our many partnered venues and community spaces. We generally accept 15-20 applicants per program cycle, training everyone to take on immediate work in either live sound production or event operations at both venues and cultural festivals. In order to adequately prepare program participants, experts from partnered organizations also act as guest educators and collaborate on workshops that teach to the standards of their respective event infrastructures. Each program cycle begins with core competency training, includes job shadowing and paid supervision hours, and concludes with organization-specific workshops, a community job fair, and a collaborative cohort production.
Keep an eye out for our next Live Production Lab Cohort application, coming Spring 2024.
