Careers / Producers and Directors
Producers and Directors — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$90,360
United States, 2025
Employment
143,120
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 27-2012.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- 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.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$45,780
25th percentile
$62,670
75th percentile
$134,800
90th percentile
$198,540
Most important skills
- Active Listening4.4
- Monitoring4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Coordination3.9
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Writing3.8
- Management of Personnel Resources3.6
- Time Management3.6
- Systems Analysis3.5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 20 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
20
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.4 | 4.4 | Not selected | 4.4 |
| Coordination | 3.9 | 4.5 | Not selected | 4.5 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Speaking | 4.0 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Writing | 3.8 | 4.3 | Not selected | 4.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.6 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.6 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.5 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.5 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Negotiation | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Management of Financial Resources | 3.0 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Persuasion | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Producers and DirectorsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | $131,600 | 21,910 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $130,640 | 5,030 | 2025 |
| CA | $129,790 | 34,110 | 2025 |
| NJ | $119,840 | 2,970 | 2025 |
| Trenton, NJ | $110,190 | 190 | 2025 |
| New York, NY | $108,460 | 27,020 | 2025 |
| NY | $107,550 | 27,990 | 2025 |
| DC | $104,270 | 2,640 | 2025 |
| Waterbury, CT | $102,340 | 860 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $100,270 | 4,230 | 2025 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $100,060 | 620 | 2025 |
| San Diego, CA | $99,520 | 990 | 2025 |
| Salem, OR | $98,900 | 50 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $97,360 | 470 | 2025 |
| Bakersfield, CA | $92,510 | 110 | 2025 |
| Bellingham, WA | $92,220 | 40 | 2025 |
| Provo, UT | $89,390 | 370 | 2025 |
| Portland, OR | $88,450 | 1,160 | 2025 |
| CT | $88,260 | 2,200 | 2025 |
| Miami, FL | $87,980 | 3,020 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Producers and Directors to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.