About Breaking Barriers:
Breaking Barriers is a Rochdale-based, multidisciplinary production company whose work is rooted in amplifying unheard voices and bringing ambitious work to local streets and people.
The organisation works with communities, young people and artists from a rich diversity of backgrounds and lived experiences, and through co-creation like to tell stories in ambitious digital formats that open minds, elevate appetite, and transcend socio-economic barriers.
We are currently working on an exciting commission for Rochdale Town of Culture. Stories We Tell Rochdale will be an immersive guided audio tour through Rochdale Town Centre. Think of it like a roaming gallery or storybook, where the streets come to life with stories of the people who call Rochdale their home!
The streets become a canvas; using window fronts, video projections onto houses and binaural sound to create an immersive outdoor piece that brings magic and spectacle to local doorsteps. Breaking Barriers are working with local communities from across Rochdale to gather oral histories from neighbours and friends asking them what Rochdale means to them, capturing stories of belonging and hope.
After the success of the first edition of Stories We Tell in Deeplish in 2021, Breaking Barriers were invited into other communities such as Halifax, Nelson and Gosport to support them to create a similarly personalised and authentic view of their town and people’s stories.
Now, 5 years later, the original piece will be revisited in Rochdale to raise the questions of what has changed, what has remained and what stories hide between the walls.
You can find past examples of Stories We Tell on our Youtube channel.
Creative Team and Role
As part of ‘Stories We Tell’, Breaking Barriers are building 5 new roles for young adults (18-25) to become its Assistant Team, working alongside the core Creative Team to make, create and deliver the exciting Stories We Tell commission for Rochdale Town of Culture.
The Creative Team will be there to guide and support you within your role.
The Creative Team includes Andy Hough: Production Manager.
Responsibilities and Requirements
All candidates must be 18 - 25 and live, work or study in Rochdale Borough.
BB encourages applicants of all experience levels, including those without formal work experience or job titles, to apply.
This is an opportunity to build or develop skills in Directing and storytelling for an exciting creative project in Rochdale.
* Have a strong interest, education or experience in Producing, or just have a keen interest and some strong transferable skills.
* Have a passion/experience for working with underrepresented communities and with young people.
* Have excellent communication skills; written and verbal.
* Be excited by the prospect of exploring and creating a cultural project that uses digital technology and storytelling to engage communities and audiences.
* Have strong IT skills, organisational skills and time keeping.
Work Details
Location: The work will be taking place in Rochdale. Breaking Barriers is based at Richard Street Studios. This will be a hybrid role with a mixture of working at home, in the studios and on-location.
Fee: To include 10 days’ work between November 2025 - February 2026.
Terms: As this role is offered on a freelance basis you will be responsible for your own tax and national insurance contributions.
How to Apply
There are different ways to apply so that you can choose which one suits you best:
1. WRITTEN: Please send a CV and supporting statement (no longer than 1-page).
2. VIDEO OR AUDIO: If you’d prefer to send us a video or audio application, please send a clip no longer than 2-minutes.
Send all applications to ella@breakingbarriersrochdale.com with the subject line SWT Assistant Producer.
Deadline: Application Deadline is Monday 10th November.
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