Description
Blowing Rock LIVE !
Summer Music at Appalachian Ski Mtn.
Blowing Rock, North Carolina
FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Position Start: July 2026 | Location: Blowing Rock / Boone, NC | Full-Time
The Opportunity
This is a rare invitation to build something that endures.
Backed by 65 years of organizational excellence and the full commitment of resort ownership and leadership, Blowing Rock Live ! is poised to become one of the Southeast's premier outdoor summer music series. Set against the breathtaking mountain landscape of Appalachian Ski Mtn. — one of the High Country's most celebrated venues — this inaugural concert series will bring world-class live music to one of the most storied and affluent resort communities in the region.
We are seeking an extraordinary individual to serve as its Founding Executive Director — a visionary creative, a seasoned business development professional, and an exceptional producer, all in one. This is not a position for an administrator. It is a position for a builder — someone who understands both the art of curating a memorable live music experience and the discipline of closing the sponsorship relationships that make it sustainable.
The person who steps into this role will have their name permanently attached to something meaningful. Twenty years from now, Blowing Rock Live ! will be an institution — and its Founding Executive Director will have been the one who made it so.
What You Are Building
Blowing Rock Live ! launches in the summer of 2027 with an inaugural season of four outdoor concerts at Appalachian Ski Mtn., with a planned trajectory of growth to eight concerts annually within three years. The series will draw audiences of up to 4,000 per concert — a carefully curated, affluent demographic that reflects the generations-long tradition of High Country summer culture in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
The resort's existing infrastructure offers a premium digital footprint: a website generating over one million annual views and a sophisticated, RFID-integrated online platform. Combined with the organizational credibility of a 65-year legacy institution, this gives the Founding Executive Director a powerful sponsorship story that most emerging festival organizers would spend years trying to build.
As Founding Executive Director, you will have a singular and important advantage: the opportunity to attend a 40-year legacy arts event at this same venue in the summer of 2026 — before your work formally begins — to study the audience, experience the setting, and envision what Blowing Rock Live ! will become.
A Unique Operational Rhythm & Work-Life Balance:
This role offers a distinct and highly desirable lifestyle cadence. The operational execution is focused entirely within a concentrated 2-month summer window of intense, high-energy event production. The remaining 10 months of the year are dedicated to strategic logistical preparation, programming, and sponsorship cultivation—allowing for a highly manageable, balanced, and collaborative work schedule outside of the active concert season.
Core Responsibilities
Concept Development & Series Identity
• Develop the creative vision, programming philosophy, and audience experience strategy for Blowing Rock Live !
• Curate a headline and supporting artist roster to create a multi-genre showcase that would include national touring acts that reflects the series' premium positioning and appeals to the High Country's discerning summer audience
• Establish the brand identity, voice, and market positioning of the series in collaboration with resort leadership
• Design the venue experience — seating architecture, hospitality tiers, assist with F&B strategy, and event flow — that defines Blowing Rock Live ! from its first night
Sponsorship Development & Corporate Partnerships
• Identify, cultivate, and close a portfolio of title, premier, supporting, and community sponsors targeting $200,000 in inaugural season revenue
• Develop and present a compelling sponsorship prospectus that communicates the combined value of live audience access, digital exposure, and premium brand association
• Manage sponsor relationships through the full lifecycle — from initial outreach through contract execution, event activation, and renewal
• Position the resort's one million annual website impressions and sophisticated e-commerce, RFID-integrated platform as a quantifiable media asset in all sponsorship conversations
Operations & Event Execution
• Manage all aspects of event production — artist contracting, permitting, vendor relationships, technical production, and staffing
• Oversee F&B program development in partnership with resort operations, targeting $55+ per capita across an audience with strong premium spending propensity
• Develop and manage the series budget with full accountability to organizational leadership
• Build the operational infrastructure — ticketing, marketing, communications, and volunteer coordination — that allows the series to scale efficiently from five to nine concerts over three years
What We Offer
Organizational Backing That Changes Everything
Blowing Rock LIVE ! is not a startup in the traditional sense. You will have the credibility of a 65-year institutional legacy behind every sponsorship conversation, the infrastructure and community relationships of an established resort operation behind every event, and the personal involvement and commitment of ownership behind every strategic decision. The risk profile of this role is fundamentally different from building a festival from scratch — and the opportunity to create something lasting within that structure is genuinely rare.
Legacy & Professional Credit
• Founding Executive Director title and credential — yours permanently, regardless of future title evolution
• Named program credit in all inaugural season materials
• Budget to attend comparable regional and national festivals for research, relationship development, and programming inspiration
• Formal paid attendance at this summer's 40-year legacy event at Appalachian Ski Mtn. as part of pre-launch onboarding
The Ideal Candidate
We are not describing a job title — we are describing a person. The right candidate for this role will recognize themselves in the following:
• You have built or significantly grown something in the live events, performing arts, or entertainment space — and you are proud of what it became
• You have closed major sponsorships — five and six-figure commitments — and you understand that this is a relationship business built on trust, storytelling, and persistence
• You have the creative vision to concept a series that stands apart in a crowded summer entertainment market
• You are a self-starter in the most literal sense — you do not wait to be told what to do next, and you thrive with autonomy and accountability in equal measure
• You are ready to call the High Country home. You are excited to relocate, establish permanent residency, and deeply immerse yourself in the Blowing Rock/ High Country community, enjoying the premium quality of life this region offers during the balanced 10-month planning season.
• You bring professional gravitas to every room — with sponsors, with artists, with community leaders, and with resort ownership
• You are energized by a performance incentive structure — because you believe in your own ability to deliver
Preferred Qualifications
• 7–10+ years of progressive experience in live event production, festival management, performing arts administration, or entertainment business development
• Demonstrated track record of sponsorship acquisition and corporate partnership management
• Experience managing event budgets of $500,000 or greater
• Existing relationships within the regional and national live entertainment community a strong advantage
About Blowing Rock LIVE ! & Appalachian Ski Mtn
Blowing Rock Live ! — Summer Music at Appalachian Ski Mtn — is an inaugural outdoor concert series launching in the summer of 2027 in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Presented by Appalachian Ski Mtn, one of the High Country's most beloved and enduring resort destinations, the series is designed to celebrate the rich cultural tradition of summer in Blowing Rock while bringing world-class live music to one of the Southeast's most distinctive outdoor settings.
Blowing Rock has been a destination of choice for discerning travelers and second-home owners from across the United States for generations — a community with a long and proud tradition of arts, culture, and seasonal excellence. Blowing Rock Live ! is built to become a defining part of that tradition.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMPENSATION
This is a full-time year-round position that will begin in July 2026 to prepare for Summer 2027 launch. Position with full benefits, starting salary $80-90k with tiered incentives for sponsorships sales and separate incentives for ticket sales and sponsor retention that could scale compensation to $120-130,000 in year one. Moving assistance and significant housing assistance for the right candidate, would bring total compensation to $150-160k in the first year. This position will collaborate closely with Resort President/ownership and key Resort leadership team.
To Apply:
Submit cover letter and resume in pdf format to:
FoundingDirectorSearch@appskimtn.com
Blowing Rock LIVE !
Summer Music at Appalachian Ski Mtn | Blowing Rock, NC
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Requirements
• 7–10+ years of progressive experience in live event production, festival management, performing arts administration, or entertainment business development
• Demonstrated track record of sponsorship acquisition and corporate partnership management
• Experience managing event budgets of $500,000 or greater
• Existing relationships within the regional and national live entertainment community a strong advantage
• Have researched and booked national touring acts
