Producers and Directors: Career Profile
Produce or direct stage, television, radio, video, or film productions for entertainment, information, or instruction. Responsible for creative decisions, such as interpretation of script, choice of actors or guests, set design, sound, special effects, and choreography.
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What Do Producers and Directors Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of producers and directors include:
- Plan details such as framing, composition, camera movement, sound, and actor movement for each shot or scene.
- Communicate to actors the approach, characterization, and movement needed for each scene in such a way that rehearsals and takes are minimized.
- Direct live broadcasts, films and recordings, or non-broadcast programming for public entertainment or education.
- Research production topics using the internet, video archives, and other informational sources.
- Review film, recordings, or rehearsals to ensure conformance to production and broadcast standards.
- Study and research scripts to determine how they should be directed.
- Supervise and coordinate the work of camera, lighting, design, and sound crew members.
- Confer with technical directors, managers, crew members, and writers to discuss details of production, such as photography, script, music, sets, and costumes.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful producers and directors draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Other Producers and Directors Job Titles
Common job titles for this role include:
- Animation Director
- Animation Producer
- Art Framing Manager
- Artistic Director
- Broadcast News Producer
- Broadcast Producer
- Casting Director
- Commercial Director
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 369,898 producers and directors working in the United States today. Employment is projected to decline by -3.9% over the projection horizon.
Producers and Directors Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $90,515 |
| Hourly median | $43.52 |
| 10th percentile | $55,886 |
| 25th percentile | $73,201 |
| 75th percentile | $107,829 |
| 90th percentile | $125,144 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| California | $122,150 |
| New Jersey | $107,850 |
| New York | $104,010 |
| District of Columbia | $99,900 |
| Delaware | $93,930 |
| Connecticut | $85,710 |
| Florida | $81,240 |
| Oregon | $80,610 |
| Washington | $79,220 |
| Massachusetts | $79,100 |
| Nevada | $78,050 |
| Georgia | $76,800 |
| Rhode Island | $76,490 |
| Illinois | $76,370 |
| Maryland | $75,900 |
| Pennsylvania | $72,450 |
| Utah | $71,500 |
| Colorado | $71,480 |
| Virginia | $70,310 |
| Hawaii | $69,760 |
| Maine | $67,000 |
| North Carolina | $66,000 |
| New Mexico | $65,980 |
| Louisiana | $64,370 |
| Alabama | $63,920 |
| Tennessee | $63,410 |
| Texas | $63,400 |
| Wisconsin | $63,200 |
| Michigan | $62,710 |
| New Hampshire | $62,040 |
| Minnesota | $61,300 |
| Ohio | $61,260 |
| Wyoming | $60,260 |
| Arizona | $60,260 |
| Alaska | $58,240 |
| Puerto Rico | $57,770 |
| Missouri | $57,320 |
| Vermont | $56,650 |
| South Dakota | $56,340 |
| South Carolina | $54,870 |
| Kansas | $54,750 |
| Indiana | $54,600 |
| Nebraska | $53,220 |
| Idaho | $52,220 |
| Oklahoma | $51,180 |
| Kentucky | $50,610 |
| Iowa | $50,130 |
| Montana | $49,100 |
| North Dakota | $48,290 |
| Mississippi | $44,290 |
| Arkansas | $39,420 |
| West Virginia | $39,150 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for producers and directors vary by region. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $115,395 | 28.9% | 1.92 |
| Middle Atlantic | $99,368 | 28.9% | 2.79 |
| New England | $78,945 | 4.7% | 1.05 |
| Southeast | $70,450 | 17.0% | 0.73 |
| Rocky Mountains | $66,837 | 2.8% | 0.73 |
| Great Lakes | $65,682 | 7.1% | 0.51 |
| Southwest | $62,230 | 6.9% | 0.56 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $57,770 | 0.3% | 0.47 |
Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Producers and Directors
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | CA | $127,590 | 24,110 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $122,210 | 4,850 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $106,730 | 28,760 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | FL | $101,840 | 2,410 |
| Waterbury-Shelton, CT | CT | $98,920 | 790 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | DC | $96,530 | 4,610 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | CT | $95,540 | 660 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | CA | $88,090 | 1,040 |
Which Industries Hire Producers and Directors
The largest employers of producers and directors are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Information | 90,050 | $90,790 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 19,690 | $74,090 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 16,990 | $100,630 |
| Educational Services | 6,130 | $68,890 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 3,700 | $98,180 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2,100 | n/a |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,370 | $67,000 |
| Wholesale Trade | 430 | $112,330 |
Below are examples of industries where producers and directors work:
Tech Stack
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software: Asana (hot technology)
- Project management software: Atlassian Confluence (hot technology)
- Content workflow software: Atlassian JIRA (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Canva (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for producers and directors tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Frequency of Decision Making
Education and Training
Most producers and directors positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Considerable Preparation Needed (Job Zone 4), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Project Management Specialists (Supplemental)
- Video Game Designers (Supplemental)
- Art Directors (Primary-Short)
- Special Effects Artists and Animators (Supplemental)
- Graphic Designers (Supplemental)
- Actors (Supplemental)
- Media Programming Directors (Primary-Short)
- Talent Directors (Primary-Short)
Degree Programs
Students preparing for producers and directors often complete programs in:
Visual and Performing Arts
9 programs across 3 majors
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 27-2012.00 (Producers and Directors).
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