Wanted: Burning Man Camp Lead

Someone has posted a highly accurate Craigslist Job ad. Hat tip to @defango for this.

Burning Man Camp Lead (Black Rock Dessert) 

compensation: Varies depending on experience
employment type: full-time

Job Description
Responsible for all camp planning and logistics: camp member recruiting and ticket and vehicle pass purchasing, placement application (interactivity, acculturation, layout planning, camp gifting, camp events, etc.), Bureau of Land Management permit application, fundraising, accounting, vehicle purchasing or rental, vehicle maintenance, inventory, on-Playa leadership and crew coordination (including team creation, task assignment, motivation, scheduling, etc.), clean up, social media coordination, media liaison, website development, camp communications and training, storage, travel, food and water (including Nevada state certifications), services liaison (fuel, power, and potable water, gray water, black water), engineering certifications, etc. Expect to be on-Playa counselor for members with troubled relationships, overworked setup crew, picky eaters, and members of the public that would like to complain about your camp. You will also carry the legal liability for the camp (recommend procuring insurance).Passion for people a plus, but not required. In fact, that’s just for your benefit. Cranky as F*@! may actually make you a better fit for this position. Must be able to meet deadlines. Travel required. Must maintain high tolerance for drugs and alcohol (especially in others). Must love dust.

1800-2200 hours per year. Part time November through June (about 20 hrs/week), full time June and October (40 hrs/week), double time July-September (80 hrs/week). Burning Man time commitment (including setup and tear down) is two and a half time (100 hrs/week)*. No overtime compensation.

0-5 years experience (manage teams of 3-20 people)
Compensation: First several years requires you to pay approx. $15,000 annual out of pocket. Although this cost may decrease over time (or increase).

5-10 years experience (manage teams of 20-50 people)
Compensation: Unpaid. Profit (and loss) sharing (but probably loss).

10+ years experience (manage teams of 50-100 people)
Compensation: Minimum wage. Profit (and loss) sharing. No benefits.

*Decommodification Principle disallows financial compensation for responsibilities performed at Burning Man.

  • Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
  • do NOT contact us with unsolicited services or offers
  • OK to highlight this job opening for persons with disabilities

 

Image: Akufuncture

wanted poster

Meet The Glamcocks

A new 55-minute documentary about The Glamcocks, who claim to be the gayest “camp” of all the Queer Burners – quite a statement! The movie features Australian tranny drag performer Courtney Act of RuPaul’s Drag Race. You’ll have to tell me if it’s any good or not, I’m in a hotel room in the most remote city on earth right now and Vimeo ain’t going so great…

glamcocksHere’s their blurb:

The annual Burning Man festival is one of the most infamous gatherings in the world. The GlamCocks are one of 600 camps that form to run the city…and certainly one of the gayest. This heart-warming documentary follows the group setting up camp, building their structures and exploring the art (not to mention each other). From wild parties to life-affirming experiences, “Meet The GlamCocks” gives you an insiders view into a week at the world’s most epic festival.

600 camps? I think there were more than 1000 registered camps this year. There were probably 600 gay camps alone…

Kentucky Fried Camp’s Packed U-Haul Stolen in the East Bay

by Whatsblem the Pro

The missing truck bears this design, #107 in U-Haul's "Venture Across America" series

The missing truck bears this design, #107 in U-Haul’s “Venture Across America” series

Kentucky Fried Camp, a group of mostly Kentuckians and San Franciscans originally from Kentucky, is a breakfast camp on the 3:00 Plaza whose gingham-clad crew of sixty souls serves fried baloney sandwiches with shots of bourbon, accompanied by compliments delivered via megaphone. KFC also holds an annual race in high heels known as the Whoreshoe Derby, and is planning a cotillion this year featuring Southern belles in electrically-illuminated hoop skirts.

Early this morning, their packed U-Haul truck was stolen, depriving the entire camp of critical gear for their stay on the playa.

“There has been an incredible outpouring of community support,” says Guy Shochat, a representative of the camp. “We already have a free loan of a Mutant Vehicle trailer, which we’ll need, since ours was attached when the truck was stolen. We’re very happy that the art car itself wasn’t on it at the time. We’ve been given a dome, some shade, tents, serving tables, and the equipment we’ll need to run our baloney kitchen. Cool Neon has kindly offered us EL wire at-cost, and a few burners have volunteered cash donations. We are hemorrhaging money buying new shade, water containers, and other necessary supplies. Sadly, our epic outhouse shower is gone, and we still need bicycles, air mattresses, costumes — waaaahh, lost costumes! — and hugs.”

Kentucky Fried Camp hasn’t just been deprived of the things they’ll need to take care of themselves on the playa, continues Shochat. “We give away ridiculous amounts of food and booze every year, without any fundraising. It all comes out of our pockets as internal contributions. This is the first time we’ve ever felt any need to ask for any kind of outside help at all. . . and I must say, the burners are coming through big for us so far. We are being kept very busy with the emergency purchase of things we need, as the money becomes available. Simple contributions like bikes and costumes delivered on playa will really help, and we will return them to you happily after the burn. We are picking up our custom smoked baloney now and breakfast will still happen!”

Shochat goes on to say that the response of the burner community so far has renewed his faith in humanity in general. “I went today from despondent to realizing that there are many more good people out there than bad,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.

The truck, which was parked in the East Bay area near San Francisco before it was apparently hot-wired and stolen, is a 17-foot U-Haul with an auto-transport trailer attached. The design on the side of the truck is U-Haul’s “Venture Across America” #107, which is based on Mississippi wildlife and features a picture of a Mississippi Sandhill Crane, a long-billed bird with a bright red head and white neck feathers. The truck bears Arizona license plate AB-89694.

“We’re struggling right now,” says Mick Jeffries, a compatriot of Shochat’s. “But people are rising to the occasion. Our biggest camp ever, over sixty people coming from both Kentucky and California, has lost everything. Any help spreading the word is most gratefully appreciated.”

If you spot the stolen truck, do not attempt to confront the occupants; assume they are armed and dangerous. Contact local law enforcement! If you tweet, you can also hashtag #KFCtheft to let the Kentucky Fried crew know that you’re on the case.

You can donate to the camp’s relief and make sure they’re out there serving up baloney and booze by sending your PayPal contribution to the KFC general fund at skhendel@gmail.com.