Jobs

Position Title: Researcher 

Reports To: Walking Cinema Director 

Pay Rate: $30/hr 

Deadline to Apply: June 10,  

Time Commitment: June 2026 - August 2026, Average 15 hr/wk 

Position Type: Part-time, non-exempt employee 

Walking Cinema (www.walkingcinema.org)  is an innovative storytelling studio working on experimental audio and theatrical projects. We focus on immersive stories related to urban history, social justice, and the humanities. For the past five years, we have been working within San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood on diverse, immersive storytelling projects that relate to the area’s rich history and evolving future.  This research position will involve looking deeper into the history of a particular section of the Fillmore District to inform a new script being created for the immersive theater show, “The Fillmore Eclipse.”   The project is underwritten through grants from the San Francisco Foundation and is fiscally sponsored by Z Space. 

We are looking to hire an individual with a background in journalism to examine archives, conduct interviews, perform on-site investigations, and dig deeper into the background of a specific area of the Fillmore where an African American Mall was to be built in the 1970’s.  Similar to the Japantown Mall, this Black-themed mall was designed to celebrate culture and attract tourists to the area.  The Mall was never built and we want to research why this happened and, generally, what happened in the neighborhood over the past 50 years with respect to rebuilding the Black-owned businesses and African American culture that was lost due to Redevelopment.  This research will inform the writing of a new script for the immersive theater show “The Fillmore Eclipse” which ran in the neighborhood in 2024 through 14 sold-out performances.  It’s an opportunity to look deeper into San Francisco’s complicated housing and race history, potentially gathering new insights into the intersection of real estate, cultural preservation, and city policy.  This job will allow you to work closely with Michael Epstein, founder of Walking Cinema, and co-director of the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism’s Experiential Journalism Lab.  You will also be meeting with theatrical director Michael French to discuss findings and relate them to the overall story.  

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