Cultural communication agencies are among the most sought-after organizations for graduates in communication and/or arts and culture because they offer motivating and exciting professional opportunities. Agency work touches on many aspects of communication: writing, relationship management and events, and allows you to grow in a creative and ever-changing environment.
By communication agency in the cultural sector, two things can be meant: communication agencies for art, specialized in promoting artistic projects, and communication agencies through art, which use culture and art to promote various brands or organizations.
These agencies can be characterized by different areas of expertise:
- expertise in the field of institutions, and in regulations on communication, advertising, patronage, sponsorship and tax exemption,
- expertise in cultural advertising sales: space buying, creation of materials,
- expertise in setting up cultural projects and in events in order to create public or private events tied to communication objectives,
- a network of artists to bring in for various events: product customization for a brand, happenings, organizing art workshops, producing artworks for a brand, artistic performances, art installations, etc.
The Skills Required to Work in a Communications Agency in the Cultural Sector
To work in a communications agency in the cultural sector, the most valued and sought-after skills are:
- knowledge of the cultural sector and its specificities: institutions, funding, partnerships, order of magnitude of budgets.
- mastery of communication tools and techniques: articles, press releases, photography, graphic workflow, video editing.
- mastery of social media to run targeted communication campaigns and monitor results
- knowledge of different artistic fields or specialization in one field: street art, dance, design.
- mastery of project management and tracking methods.
- the ability to adapt communication actions to audiences and to the project.
- the ability to understand the brief and build relationships of trust with clients.
The Qualities Required to Work in a Cultural Communications Agency
In a cultural communications agency, the most sought-after qualities relate to teamwork, organizational skills and initiative:
- good interpersonal skills for working in a team but also with clients and artists,
- organizational skills and the ability to prioritize
- adaptability and flexibility
- stress management
- creativity and fresh ideas
- the ability to adopt the audience’s point of view and understand the client’s expectations
- sense of responsibility and professional commitment
Who Are the Clients of a Cultural Communication Agency?
The clients who turn to cultural communication agencies are very varied; they can be:
- Public institutions (museums, municipalities, public bodies) in the context of calls for projects, event organization, public cultural communication, artistic and cultural programming (art workshops, city promotion, creating a festival, mural)
- Large companies that want to communicate from a cultural angle to develop their brand image: event organization, temporary exhibitions, artist residencies.
- Companies that build their communication approach on advertising through art: collaborations to customize their products, special editions, sets, building wraps, boutique scenography.
- Associations, funds, and personal or corporate foundations as part of their various efforts to raise awareness of art or of causes of general interest: exhibition venues, events such as Pink October, Dry January, etc.
- Companies and organizations in the art world that need to communicate: galleries, private museums, labels, publishing houses, productions, etc.
- Other communication agencies not specialized in art and culture, which have a particular need.
What is the salary at a cultural communication agency?
Salaries and pay vary because they depend on the agency, its location, its clients, etc., but also on the job and the employee’s profile.
Across all roles, an average income can be considered (source: talent.com):
- €27 120 to €31 500 per year for a beginner profile
- from €55 000 to €60 450 per year for an experienced profile (and much more for directors or agency founders)
- a median salary of €40 000 to €41 000 per year, or about €21 to €23 per hour.
It is also possible to work as a freelancer for various agencies.
What jobs are there at a cultural communication agency?
Jobs and duties at an agency depend on the agency’s field of specialty. In general, press officers are central, supported by the various project managers and project officers, who work across teams or are assigned to one or more clients.
We can distinguish:
- Press Officer: they link with the public through communication channels, namely the various media, by building relationships of trust and exchange with journalists.
- Digital Project Manager: the digital presence of cultural and artistic activities is essential for sharing information, raising awareness among audiences and engaging with one’s community. Web marketing specialties such as community management are increasingly sought after.
- Communications Officer: this is a broad, versatile role in which understanding clients' needs and challenges comes first. The communications officer takes the brief and draws up an action plan, advising the client and ensuring regular relationship follow-up.
- Event Manager: they take on event projects from design to delivery. It is a specialization of project management that requires organizational skills and a passion for the field as well as a strong ability to manage people and constraints responsively.
What training is needed to work at a cultural communication agency?
The best way to get into a communication agency through art is to choose a professional program specialized in the field that allows internships or work-study during the program.
In the agency world, this first contact lets students prove themselves and gain experience that is almost mandatory when hiring. The agency must indeed make sure the person it hires already knows how it operates and is suited to it, so as not to make a casting mistake. This is true on both the employer and candidate sides, because the buzz of agency work may not suit certain personalities.
The best programs are therefore those at specialized schools that cover communication and its technical aspects together with the specifics of culture and the arts.
IESA is the leading school in the field, with a strong reputation in the professional world of cultural communication, thanks to its dedicated programs at the Bac+3 Bachelor and Bac+5 Master levels.
After the Bac, or after a bac+2 (university, BTS in communication for example), you can join a Bachelor in Cultural Communication at IESA. Art history and general culture, creating cultural projects, communication techniques applied to the world of culture, etc., you will train for 3 years in a school oriented toward the professional world and the development of concrete skills.
Discover the IESA Bachelor in Cultural Communication
Cultural communication program Bac+5
Open to holders of a bac+3 degree, the Master in Cultural Communication Strategy lets you develop in-depth knowledge and skills to manage every dimension of promoting various cultural and artistic projects. You will handle creating the communication strategy, as well as its development and monitoring: coordinating actions, hiring and working with service providers, analyzing results, etc.