The Role
Freelance Curator plans and executes local live events: curating artists and venues, marketing and ticket sales, managing event finances and staffing, building sponsorships and community partnerships, and ensuring high-quality event operations.
Summary Generated by Built In
Note: While this is a freelance role, candidates must be local to the market in which they are applying.
About Us
Born in a London flat in 2009, Sofar began as an answer to a growing problem: live music had lost its magic. It blossomed into a global movement that kept music at its heart while expanding to comedy, singles, dance, and more — all connected by Sofar's renowned track record for discovering rising talent.
Countless mainstage performers like Billie Eilish, Jack Harlow, Chappell Roan, Leon Bridges, Olivia Dean, YEBBA, Teddy Swims, Remi Wolf, Hozier, and Lola Young have played Sofar shows early in their careers. More than just a gig, Sofar empowers artists by providing a professional platform that spans both the physical and digital worlds, handling everything from booking and promotion to filling the room, while granting artists access to an ecosystem of opportunities including brand partnerships, a powerful content engine, and global media placements.
No two Sofar shows are the same, but each pairs world-class live experience with beautiful and unique spaces — from a ski jump, cave, boat, or hidden museum room, to private living rooms, gardens, and rooftops. Regardless of the setting, each Sofar experience is an invitation to be truly present. Audiences fully immerse themselves in the performance, using their devices not as an escape, but as a tool to support the artist and stay connected to the community.
Those of us who work at Sofar are deeply passionate about what we do. When we’re not working, you can probably find us at a live show or telling anyone in earshot about the new song we can’t stop listening to. Discovering and supporting artists gets us out of bed every morning – and knowing that we’re creating memorable, intimate fan experiences worldwide drives our work forward.
The Role
As a Freelance Curator, you’ll join a global network of entrepreneurial community builders and tastemakers, collaborating and learning from peers around the world while shaping the cultural landscape in your city. Our Curators have strong business instincts, cultural fluency, and deep local networks they can activate - from artists and venues to brands and community partners. They’re natural promoters who are passionate about creating impactful and memorable pop-up experiences that provide opportunities for real-life, meaningful engagement. Curators are resourceful, proactive, and driven; whether it’s figuring out how to creatively sell tickets or dealing with a live event curveball, they know how to get things done and thrive on the challenge.
This is an entrepreneurial, independent role designed for self-starters who want meaningful ownership over how Sofar shows up in their local community. This role encompasses all aspects of event planning and curation, marketing and promotion, and overall event execution. You’ll be supported by Sofar’s Global Communities team and have access to training, resources, and opportunities to connect with other creators around the world.
If this sounds like it’s up your alley, we can’t wait to meet you!
*Please note that this is a freelance, commission-based partnership, not a traditional employment role, offering flexibility and ownership in exchange for accountability and initiative. While the schedule is self-directed, much of the work naturally happens during evenings and weekends, when live events and community engagement come to life.
What You'll Do:
- Strengthen Sofar’s brand in your local community, promoting and selling tickets in your city with self-directed local marketing tactics.
- Create a vision to build and execute your city’s strategy - number of monthly shows, neighborhoods, show theme ideas, etc.
- Lead curation and booking for experiences in your city with the highest-quality, diverse set of artists and venues, continuing to grow our networks, as needed
- Own the staffing and quality of shows in your local market, working to ensure magical experiences that are rooted in hospitality
- Manage your city’s financial performance, ensuring financial success and health of every event
- Build relationships with local businesses to drive sales of sponsorships and private events
- Identify and build relationships with local organizations with like-minded audiences to build community, broaden our reach, and co-promote shows.
- Build relationships with local businesses to drive sales of sponsorships and private events
- Collaborate with other local leaders to grow your city through diverse experiences that generate buzz and amplify Sofar’s brand awareness
- Support Sofar’s Business Partnerships and Global Communities teams by ensuring high-quality curation and seamless event operations for inbound partnership opportunities that elevate the Sofar brand
Who You Are:
- You have deep connections to your local scene and play an active role in building community around it
- You have 3-5 years of experience in live event curation, production, and promotions
- You have experience selling event sponsorships or marketing activations, preferably in the live events or experiential marketing space
- You’re confident pitching ideas and event concepts to potential sponsors and have a track record of closing partnership deals
- You have a strong pulse on your city, the unique nature of each neighborhood, and where people like to spend their free time
- You’re a natural connector and excel at building relationships with diverse community-driven organizations, media partners, or local businesses that would add strategic and financial value to your vertical's growth
- You understand how to promote and build strategic alliances that will ultimately sell more tickets at our shows
- You take pride in your work and approach every opportunity with professionalism and ownership, ensuring the best experience for artists, venues, partners, and guests
- You have exceptional time management skills and are a clear communicator
- You can work autonomously, but understand the importance of remaining connected to the broader organization
Compensation:
This Freelance Curator role is compensated through a revenue share model based on event performance. Earnings are directly tied to revenue, which is distributed to cover artist payments, gig insurance, and the Curator payments. Actual earnings may vary depending on factors such as show volume and total revenue.
Curators are also eligible for sponsorship commissions for any sponsorships they sell, and may receive coordination fees for their assistance executing any partnerships sold by the global team.
Curators are expected to maintain profitability across all events. If an event incurs a loss, that amount will be recouped from a future profit-share payment.
Other Details:
Some cities may already have active Curators or multiple roles available. You must be comfortable working alongside other Curators and collaborating as part of a shared market, particularly in larger cities with multiple neighborhoods or vertical expansion opportunities.
Autonomy and support: You will lead locally while accessing global resources, training, and support from the Sofar team.
Flexible schedule: Events often take place on evenings and weekends.
If our mission and job opening resonates, you're encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn't precisely match the job description. We are committed to creating a culture of belonging and building a diverse team that reflects a variety of lived experiences, perspectives, and skills.
Skills Required
- Must be local to the market in which they are applying
- 3-5 years of experience in live event curation, production, and promotions
- Experience selling event sponsorships or marketing activations
- Track record of pitching and closing partnership or sponsorship deals
- Deep connections to the local music/arts scene and community networks
- Ability to manage event financial performance and maintain profitability
- Strong marketing and ticket-selling skills, with local promotion tactics
- Exceptional time management and clear communication skills
- Ability to work autonomously while collaborating with a global team and other local Curators
- Experience in live events or experiential marketing (preferred)
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The Company
What We Do
Sofar Sounds reimagines the live event experience through curated, secret performances in more than 400 cities around the world. Cofounded in London in 2009 by Rafe Offer and Rocky Start, Sofar brings guests and artists together in unique locations, without the distractions that plague other live events. Sofar shows begin as a secret: guests sign on for three unnamed performances at undisclosed locations, hosted by community members in everyday spaces — from living rooms and rooftops, to retail stores. Through the transformation of these spaces into captivating venues, Sofar serves as a platform for artists to connect with engaged audiences in cities around the world. Sofar invites guests to discover new artists, spaces, people, neighborhoods and cities, whether at home or abroad, creating an inclusive and accessible global community where people make genuine connections. To learn more about Sofar Sounds check us out at www.sofarsounds.com or follow the conversation on social media at @sofarsounds or using #sofarsounds. Need a little more? Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnjsN2NOl3k
