IRL Experiential Producer

About Gradient

Gradient is a future-forward experiential marketing agency that designs and produces brand activations, product launches, retail experiences, immersive programs, and large-scale events that bring brands to life in the physical world. We create experiences that spark emotion, build meaningful connections, and deliver measurable impact for global brands.

Our work lives at the intersection of strategy, creativity, storytelling, and precision execution. In a world saturated with content, Gradient creates brand experiences people engage with, remember, and measure. We believe experiential marketing is more than telling a brand story. It is about inviting people to live it.

About the Role

Gradient is looking for an IRL Experiential Producer to lead the planning, management, and execution of in-real-life brand experiences, activations, events, and integrated production work.

The IRL Experiential Producer is responsible for driving the production process from kickoff through planning, onsite execution, wrap, and reconciliation. This role is highly cross-functional and works closely with Account Management, Creative, Strategy, Content, Digital, Live Video, and other internal teams to ensure that creative ideas are translated into clear, executable production plans.

The ideal candidate is organized, self-motivated, solutions-oriented, creative under pressure, and able to approach unique production challenges with clarity and confidence.

What You’ll Do

Production Leadership & Project Execution

• Lead the production of IRL experiential events, activations, installations, and brand experiences.
• Own the production process from kickoff through planning, pre-production, onsite execution, strike, wrap, and reconciliation.
• Develop detailed production plans, timelines, staffing plans, production schedules, run of show documents, vendor timelines, deliverable trackers, and other critical production documentation.
• Translate creative concepts into actionable production plans, scopes, budgets, vendor needs, staffing plans, and executional deliverables.
• Ensure projects move smoothly through all production phases while proactively identifying risks, solving problems, and escalating issues when needed.
• Track project status, deliverables, approvals, dependencies, timelines, and production milestones day to day.
• Balance creative ambition with operational feasibility, budget realities, timelines, site limitations, and onsite execution needs.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Account Management, Creative, Strategy, Content, Digital, Live Video, and other internal teams to bring integrated experiences to life.
• Work with Account Management to ensure production needs, timelines, risks, and decisions are clearly communicated internally and externally.
• Provide production expertise during internal planning, creative development, project scoping, and execution.
• Collaborate with Creative to understand the vision and determine the production approach needed to bring it to life.
• Keep internal stakeholders informed of production status, key changes, risks, decisions, and next steps.

Team Leadership & Management

• Manage project production teams, including freelance producers, associate producers, production coordinators, interns, vendors, contractors, and onsite staff.
• Delegate responsibilities clearly and set deadlines for team members.
• Provide direction, oversight, mentorship, and support to junior production team members.
• Ensure production teams are aligned, organised, and clear on ownership, timing, and expectations.
• Foster a collaborative, respectful, accountable, and solution-oriented team environment.
• Support consistent production processes, documentation standards, and workflows across projects.

Budgeting, Vendors & Operations

• Develop, manage, track, and reconcile project budgets up to $750,000.
• Source, vet, contract, and manage vendors, venues, fabricators, staffing partners, technical partners, production resources, and freelance support.
• Negotiate vendor contracts, fees, scopes, estimates, billing terms, and invoicing processes.
• Build and maintain a strong network of trusted vendor partners and local production resources across the country.
• Monitor project scope and flag out-of-scope requests, additional costs, or approvals needed in partnership with Account Management.
• Ensure project financials are tracked accurately throughout pre-production, live execution, and wrap.

Onsite Production

• Lead onsite production teams to ensure seamless load-in, installation, event execution, guest experience, and strike.
• Manage vendors, staff, production partners, freelance resources, and internal team members onsite.
• Troubleshoot in real time and remain calm, professional, and solutions-driven under pressure.
• Ensure onsite execution aligns with the creative vision, production plan, safety requirements, brand standards, and project goals.
• Travel as needed for projects and events across the country.

Permits, Compliance & Production Feasibility

• Manage or support city permits, licenses, approvals, and other compliance needs as required.
• Maintain knowledge of permitting procedures across key markets.
• Identify risks related to site logistics, permitting, technical needs, staffing, budget, schedule, vendors, weather, safety, and execution.
• Ensure production plans are realistic, compliant, safe, and executable.

Who You Are

The ideal candidate:

• Has experience managing multiple IRL production projects simultaneously.
• Is proactive, thoughtful, strategic, and solutions-oriented.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, creative agency environment.
• Is resourceful, self-motivated, highly organized, and detail-oriented.
• Has excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Can clearly communicate production needs, risks, solutions, and recommendations to internal teams.
• Has strong prioritization skills and can shift focus quickly as project demands evolve.
• Thinks creatively and practically, with the ability to turn ambitious ideas into executable plans.
• Has experience working on high-touch, detail-heavy, premium, or luxury brand experiences.
• Has worked across categories such as luxury, travel, hospitality, lifestyle, beauty, tech, spirits, entertainment, or culture.
• Has a broad network of contacts in experiential marketing, production, fabrication, staffing, venues, technical production, and local markets.
• Leads with clarity, calm, accountability, and collaboration.

Requirements

• Minimum 2+ years of experience as a lead Producer on experiential marketing events, activations, or campaigns.
• Experience in an IRL production role within an agency environment.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects, timelines, budgets, teams, vendors, and deliverables.
• Experience developing and managing budgets up to $750,000.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical, organisational, and interpersonal skills.
• Experience working across internal teams, partners, vendors, and freelance resources.
• Experience with city permits and production logistics preferred.
• Experience with luxury, premium, or high-touch brand experiences preferred.
• Fluent in Google Suite and Excel.
• Experience with Asana is a plus, but not required.
• Positive team player and leader with a collaborative, solution-oriented mindset.
• New York, LA or Miami based.
• Ability to travel for onsite events and activations.

What We Offer

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• 401(k).
• Parental leave for new parents
• Citi Bike membership wellness perk.
• Talkspace membership wellness perk.
• Opportunity for career growth and development.
• A dynamic, creative, and collaborative work environment.
• The opportunity to produce exciting, high-impact IRL brand experiences with a talented and passionate team.