Producers and Directors
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.
- Median pay
- $90,360
- Doing it now
- 181,000
- By 2035
- Up 4%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
12,100 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- 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.
- Coordinate the activities of writers, directors, managers, and other personnel throughout the production process.
- 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.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftSee 880 colleges that teach it
- Film/Video and Photographic ArtsSee 425 colleges that teach it
- Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationSee 405 colleges that teach it
- Arts, Entertainment, and Media ManagementSee 239 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Leading and persuading
Creative and expressive
Organised and precise
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $90,360 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.