Partnerships Manager

Company Description

The Hawai‘i International Film Festival (HIFF) is a leading platform for showcasing international cinematic achievements, focusing on emerging talent and stories from the Asia-Pacific region. Originating in 1981 as a project of the East-West Center, HIFF has grown from screening seven films for 5,000 attendees to hosting over 70,000 film enthusiasts annually. Celebrated for discovering films by Asian, Pacific, and Hawai‘i filmmakers, the festival curates a diverse selection of features, documentaries, and shorts, including premieres and experimental works. HIFF also conducts workshops, seminars, and award presentations with participation from renowned filmmakers worldwide. To date, over one million people have attended HIFF screenings and events globally.

Role Description

The Partnerships Manager is an essential member of the HIFF core team, as this position is the point of contact for HIFF sponsors. The position works closely with the team to identify, cultivate, and deepen relationships with various partners and sponsors for HIFF year-round and Festival efforts, manages contract and deliverables for sponsors, and supports marketing and PR efforts for the organization. This position reports to the Executive Director, but collaboratives significantly with all departments of the HIFF team. Evening/weekend and additional hours required during the film festival and special events. 

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

SPONSORSHIPS 

• Prospect new/previous sponsors, partners, and donors
• Develop relationships with local, national, and international brands & organizations and understand their objectives by learning through research and networking
• Prepare sponsorship proposals to match brand’s objectives to maximize benefits
• Provide metrics and relevant content to educate potential partners about sponsorship opportunities before & during festival events
• Produce and deliver final sponsorship agreement contracts
• Manage a portfolio of various current sponsors and partners and the fulfillment of respective cash and trade agreements
• Coordinate the activation of in-theater, online, and event marketing and branding per sponsors and partners agreements
• Logo placement
• Ad placement
• Trailers/Commercials placement 
• Ticketing and Passes distribution
• Event invitations
• Provide support to sponsors and partners as the primary liaison for requests 
• Produce branding content for HIFF and on behalf of sponsors
• Creating pre-show bumpers (Video & Still Image)
• Editing/converting trailers to appropriate length/format
• Promotional copy and images for eNews, Social Media, and festival promos
• HIFF Festival Ad Slide-show 
• Research and identify grant opportunities aligned with the organization's mission and funding priorities.
• Take the lead on select grant applications, including writing, budgeting, and submission, ensuring compliance with funder requirements
• Support other team members on additional grant applications by providing research, drafting content, and coordinating materials
• In conjunction with the Executive Director, serve as a HIFF representative at community events

MARKETING

• Manage the festival's branding and marketing campaigns in conjunction with the Executive Director and Marketing Manager
• Collaborate with media partners to promote the festival to the community through Radio, Television and Digital formats 
• Work with Middle Management (Branding Team) on creating HIFF Showcase and Fall Festival branding, marketing materials and other promotional items.
• Assist with management of HIFF.ORG Website and HIFILM Blog Website
• Creating graphics
• Uploading posts

EVENT SUPPORT

• Support year-round and Festival HIFF Events via 
• Assist in managing guest lists 
• Assist with set-up and breakdown needs when necessary
• Manage logistics and placement of PR/marketing materials at HIFF events including retractable signage, media walls (step and repeats), red carpets, marketing materials, etc
• General miscellaneous festival event support as needed

QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS:

• Strong connections with Hawaii’s business communities is essential 
• Knowledge and love of cinema, enthusiasm for HIFFs mission and vision. 
• Excellent presentation, written and verbal communication skills and capabilities and ability to successfully reach and communicate with a diverse range of individuals and organizations is required. 
• Detail-oriented, organized and independently motivated. Ability to multitask and prioritize when working with tight deadlines.
• Fluency in Mac-based applications including MS Office, Excel, and Powerpoint 
• Experience working with computer database systems and cloud-based applications including Airtable, Google Workspace, Sheets, Dropbox, Excel, and Slack
• Knowledge of international cinema, Hawaiian, Asian Pacific American communities, issues, and organizations preferred. 
• Experience with photo editing software such as Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop and Premiere Pro), Canva, etc preferred
• Ticketing Management experience preferred
• Able to lift 40 lbs+ 
• Must be based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi