We’re Hiring a Communications Director
We are looking for a Communications Director to join us as our primary outreach and media relations anchor!
Reporting directly to the Creative Director, you will be a key leadership partner in guiding the publication’s public relations and community engagement strategy. You'll work closely with the Creative Director and Editor-in-Chief to expand our external reach while maintaining, protecting, and executing the signature tone and voice of Forget The Box(.ca). On a day-to-day level, you’ll handle hands-on media relations, press distribution, community outreach, and promotional strategy, working alongside our leadership team to keep our organizational footprint growing.
This is a 6-month volunteer contract to start. We are all volunteers right now, working hard to build out these operations so they are fully prepared for core funding. Following a successful 6-month review, the role transitions to a monthly honorarium model, with the ultimate goal of becoming a fully salaried staff position once our upcoming core operational grants are secured.
What You’ll Be Doing
Strategic & Communications Collaboration: Work directly alongside our Creative Director to refine and execute our long-term public relations strategy, identifying cross-promotional partnerships, institutional connections, and community engagement tactics aligned with our mission.
Media & Press Relations: Serve as primary contact for press and external media inquiries, drafting and distributing time-sensitive press releases for major organizational milestones, ongoing series like Feature Friday, and special initiatives (such as our annual FringeMTL coverage).
Community & Artist Outreach: Serve as a point of contact for local artists, venues, and grassroots promoters looking to connect, pitch, or submit to Forget The Box(.ca), building authentic, lasting relationships across the city.
Audience Growth & Promotion: Partner with the leadership team to refine our reader outreach, promotional campaigns, and newsletter strategies to build and retain an active, engaged readership for our Wires and Features.
Who You Are
You live on the Island of Montreal: You currently reside on-island for easy access to local events, community spaces, and in-person coordination.
You are a motivated, career-focused communications specialist: You view public relations, community engagement, and strategic media outreach as your core professional path—someone genuinely motivated by building organizational infrastructure in independent media.
You live and breathe the Montreal arts scene: You have a deep, active connection to Montreal’s underground, independent, and marginalized arts communities.
You have a sharp eye for authentic messaging: You possess an exceptional command of written English with the ability to write clear, punchy, press-ready copy that is strictly free of corporate buzzwords or PR fluff. Bilingualism in French is a strong asset for institutional and venue outreach.
You value ethical, community-first journalism: You hold an unwavering commitment to our mission of amplifying ground-level creators and operating with total transparency within the local arts ecosystem.
How to Apply
To apply, please send your CV, a cover letter explaining your background and why you want to lead communications at Forget The Box(.ca), and relevant PR samples, press releases, or portfolio work.
Please send your application to our Creative Director, Andrew Jamieson, at andrew@forgetthebox.ca.
We’re Recruiting: BOARD MEMBER & FUTURE VICE PRESIDENT
Forget The Box Media is looking for a Board Member with a background in Arts Administration to join our team, with the specific goal of stepping into the Vice President role following a 3-month integration period.
We are a collection of artists, organizers, and creators dedicated to direct community impact, supporting ground-level, underground, and marginalized art in Montreal.
We are recruiting a new Board Member with a background in arts administration to join our team, with the specific intent of elevating them to Vice President following a 3-month integration period.
As Vice President, you will guide the administrative and operational work of the non-profit. Working alongside our President (who also serves as Creative Director for Forget The Box Media, as well as the magazine), Treasurer, and Secretary, you will oversee administrative logistics, support governance workflows, and keep our organizational structure solid so our creative team can stay focused.
Qualifications
Arts Administration Background: Practical experience in non-profit operations, event administration, artist-run centers, or cultural project management.
Organizational Execution: Direct experience with record-keeping, workflow management, and internal coordination.
Community Roots: An active connection to Montreal’s independent, underground, or marginalized arts communities.
Accessibility Mindset: A commitment to physical and digital accessibility across all organizational operations.
Capacity: Ability to dedicate a few hours a week to meetings, administrative syncs, and operational oversight.
How to Apply
Send a short note & your CV/summary to info@forgetthebox.ca. Tell us about your arts admin background and why you want to get involved!
Write for Forget The Box(.ca)
Forget The Box(.ca), the flagship digital magazine of the federal not-for-profit Forget The Box Media, is actively expanding its contributor pool. We are seeking passionate cultural journalists, critics, and writers to help us document Montreal’s ground-level, underground, and marginalized art scenes.
We operate as a hyper-local, community-focused publication dedicated to English-language arts journalism. Our contributors cover everything from DIY music events and independent theatre productions to grassroots festivals and underground gallery openings across the city.
How We Work: The Contributor Pool & Freelance Structure
Accepted writers join our active internal contributor pool. On an ongoing basis through our Google Space, our editorial team distributes a curated list of upcoming assignments, press previews, and review tickets. Additionally, the pool serves as a direct pipeline for writers to pitch their own immediate ideas. There are no caps on how frequently contributors can pitch or claim assignments from the pool, offering writers a consistent, reliable volume of work.
Please note: Writers interested specifically in long-form Features are not required to join the ongoing contributor pool or the Google Space; we accept and publish long-form Feature work on a purely independent, project-by-project freelance basis.
Our Editorial Formats & Honorarium Structure
We operate on a structured freelance honorarium system. Writers are commissioned under two distinct editorial formats:
Wires (5 cents per word): These are our sharp, time-sensitive, and reactive "live transmissions" from the front lines of the local scene. Typically ranging from 800 to 1,200 words (with a strict maximum cap of 1,500 words), Wires are tasked with documenting the heartbeat of Montreal's art scene—the here and now. They are the home for immediate theatre reviews, album critiques, gallery openings, and festival coverage, prioritizing visceral, real-time reporting and the writer's unique creative perspective over dense historical context.
Features (10 cents per word): These are our long-form, intensive cornerstones of arts journalism. Features are deep dives that typically clock in at 2,500+ words. This is where we want complex essays, historical excavations, hot takes, commentaries, artist portraits, and philosophical meditations on the creative process. Features are our deep-dive narratives that document the "why" and "how" of a Montreal artist or movement, alongside extensive contributions to our ongoing Venue Series (documenting the history and survival of physical underground spaces). Whether you're tracking a massive movement or writing an exhaustive cultural analysis on the literal graffiti in Montreal venue bathrooms, we want to read it.
Who We Are Looking For
We want writers who are deeply embedded in, or curious about, Montreal's diverse creative fabric. Whether you are an experienced journalist or an emerging writer looking to build a portfolio of verified, hands-on arts criticism, we provide an editing process that respects your voice and sharpens your craft.
How to Apply
Please review the options below and contact the appropriate editor based on your writing interests. For all submissions, please include a current CV (or a summary of relevant writing experience) and two or three writing samples (links or PDFs) that showcase your voice and critical perspective. Forget The Box(.ca) is deeply committed to mentorship, and we absolutely welcome applications from emerging voices. If you don't have published writing samples yet, that’s okay! Just use your introduction to explain why you are passionate about the Montreal art scene and what you want to cover.
To Pitch a Feature: If you are interested in pitching a Feature, please reach out to our Creative Director, Andrew Jamieson, at andrew@forgetthebox.ca. Include a brief introduction explaining your concept and your connection to the subject.
To Join the Contributor Pool (Wires): Please reach out to our Creative Director, Andrew Jameison, at andrew@forgetthebox.ca. Include a brief introduction detailing what specific disciplines you are most passionate about covering.