Social Media & Content Manager

Location: Primarily remote, with regular time at our Forest of Dean workshop and in London
Remuneration: £25–£40/hour, depending on experience.
Commitment: Approximately 10–15 hours per week initially
Start: As soon as possible
Future opportunity: Potential to develop into a full-time, potentially live-in Brand, Content & Community role

The opportunity

Alf Studios is looking for someone to take the lead on our social media and help us tell our story to a much wider audience.

We are a family-run violin-making atelier centred around the work of Gregg T. Alf, one of the most recognised contemporary violin makers of his generation. Gregg has now been making instruments for more than fifty years, and the studio is entering a new chapter between London and the Forest of Dean.

There is an extraordinary amount to work with: instruments being made, musicians visiting the studio, fifty years of archive material, performances, travel, exhibitions, beautiful photography, workshop life - and Gregg himself.

We are looking for someone who knows how to turn that access into excellent media.

What we need now

Initially, this is a hands-on social media and content role.

You would take day-to-day ownership of our presence across:

• Instagram

• Facebook

• RedNote / Xiaohongshu

• and, over time, potentially other editorial channels

Our workshop team can capture much of the raw material. We need you to help direct what we should film and photograph, recognise the strongest stories within it, and turn that material into thoughtful, compelling content.

You would be responsible for:

• developing and managing our social-media strategy;

• planning the editorial calendar;

• editing Reels and short-form video;

• selecting and sequencing photography;

• writing captions in the Alf Studios voice;

• creating carousels and simple designed content;

• scheduling and publishing posts;

• giving us simple weekly filming and B-roll instructions;

• adapting content intelligently between Instagram, Facebook and RedNote;

• identifying collaboration opportunities with musicians and other relevant accounts;

• organising our content library and workflow;

• reviewing performance and using what we learn to improve the next month's content.

We are not looking for a high-volume content factory.

We would rather publish three excellent pieces of content in a week than ten forgettable ones.

What you would be working with

A typical week might include:

• A short film of Gregg carving or planing an instrument.

• A carousel following a viola from raw wood to finished surface.

• An archival photograph from Cremona accompanied by the story behind it.

• A visiting musician playing an Alf violin.

• A thirty-second conversation with Gregg about varnish, acoustics or a particular toolmark.

• A photograph from the new Forest of Dean workshop.

• A collaboration with an artist who performs on one of Gregg's instruments.

• Or something none of us planned - but which you notice is worth sharing.

The opportunity is to make following Alf Studios feel like being given access to the working life of an important living maker, rather than following another luxury brand.

Who we're looking for

We are looking first and foremost for someone who already understands social media and contemporary content.

You may have worked in social media, digital media, content creation, photography, film, communications, journalism or a related creative field.

You should ideally have:

• experience creating content for social platforms;

• a strong instinct for what makes people stop, watch, save or share;

• good short-form video editing skills;

• excellent written English;

• strong visual judgement;

• an understanding of Instagram in particular;

• an ability to work independently and actually ship things;

• enough organisational ability to maintain a reliable publishing rhythm;

• curiosity about people and the ability to recognise a good story;

• sensitivity to an established brand without making it feel over-marketed.

Photography, filmmaking, graphic design or editorial experience would all be valuable.

Experience with RedNote / Xiaohongshu would be particularly useful, and Mandarin language ability would be a significant advantage, though neither is essential.

Where this could lead

We see this initial role as a way of finding someone with whom we may want to build a much deeper creative relationship.

For the right person, the position could develop into a full-time Brand, Content & Community Manager role within Alf Studios.

That larger role could encompass our website, newsletter, photography, film, interviews, archive, longer-form editorial projects and potentially a podcast, as well as helping shape the broader voice and visual identity of Alf Studios.

It could also involve considerably more time embedded in the studio itself, international travel, and - if mutually attractive - the possibility of living within our wider community at the Rectory in the Forest of Dean.

There is no expectation that someone applying for the initial role must commit to that now.

We would rather begin by working together and see where the relationship naturally leads.

A little about the world around the work

Although social-media skill is important, we hope to find someone interested in more than simply growing an account.

Violin making is unusually slow work. It involves repetition, observation, listening and the development of judgement over many years.

The world surrounding Alf Studios includes music and craftsmanship, but also history, landscape, apprenticeship, science, beauty, artistic practice and the relationship between attention and making something well.

There is a contemplative dimension to that which matters to us.

Not every post needs to sell an instrument.

Some stories might be about a piece of maple that has waited a century to be used. Some might concern what fifty years at a workbench teaches a person. Others might simply capture the quiet of the workshop before the working day begins.

We want someone capable of noticing those things without making them sentimental or grandiose.

Someone with an interest in contemplative practice, traditional arts, music, craft, philosophy or a more attentive way of living may therefore find something particularly appealing here.

But first and foremost, we need someone who can turn good stories into excellent contemporary media.

Working together

The initial role can be largely remote, but regular time at the Forest of Dean workshop will be important so that you understand the people and work you are communicating.

There will also be opportunities to spend time with us in London and, where useful, join the studio for performances, exhibitions or travel.

Our intended workflow is simple:

We provide access, stories and raw material.

You help tell us what to capture.

You turn it into content and get it into the world.

If the relationship works exceptionally well, we would be excited to explore what the role might become.

Application Process:

To apply, please click on this link and tell us a little about yourself, your work and why this role interests you.

Formal qualifications matter less to us than seeing how you think, what you notice, what you care about and what you have made.

For any enquiries, feel free to contact us at apply@alfstudios.com

Alf Studios
London & Forest of Dean, UK