Considering a career as a producer or director? These professionals create motion pictures, television shows, theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions for the purpose of entertaining or informing an audience. This guide provides all the necessary information and resources to get started. Find out everything you need to know about this occupation, including qualifications, pay and standard duties.

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Producers and Directors
Table of Contents
04 Summary
07 What Producers and Directors Do
12 How to Become a Producer and Director
13 Important Qualities
15 Pay
17 Job Outlook
19 State & Area Data
20 Similar Occupations
22 Contacts for More Information

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Producers and Directors
Summary
Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, and
other performing arts productions.
Quick Facts: Producers and Directors
2014 Median Pay $69,100 per year
$33.22 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Bachelor's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation Less than 5 years
On-the-job Training None
Number of Jobs, 2014 122,600
Job Outlook, 2014-24 9% (Faster than average)
Employment Change, 2014-24 11,100

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What Producers and Directors Do
Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater,
commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s
script to entertain or inform an audience.
Work Environment
Producers and directors work under a lot of pressure, and many are under
stress to finish their work on time.
How to become a Producer and Director
Most producers and directors have a bachelor’s degree and several years of ex-
perience in motion picture, TV, or theater production, working as an actor, film
and video editor, cinematographer, or another related occupation.
Pay
The median annual wage for producers and directors was $69,100 in May 2014.
Job Outlook
Employment of producers and directors is projected to grow 9 percent from
2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Job growth in the
motion picture and video industry is expected to stem from strong demand
from the public for more movies and television shows, as well as an increased
demand from foreign audiences for U.S.-produced films.
State & Area Data
Explore resources for employment and wages by state and area for producers
and directors.

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Similar Occupations
Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of producers and direc-
tors with similar occupations.
More Information, Including Links to O*NET
Learn more about producers and directors by visiting additional resources, in-
cluding O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.

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What Producers and Directors Do
Stage directors make sure the cast and crew give a consistently strong live per-
formance.
Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater,
commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s
script to entertain or inform an audience.
Duties
Producers and directors typically do the following:
• Select scripts or topics for a film, show, commercial, or play
• Audition and select cast members and the film or stage crew
• Approve the design and financial aspects of a production
• Oversee the production process, including performances, lighting, and cho-
reography

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• Oversee the postproduction process, including editing, special effects, mu-
sic selection, and a performance’s overall tone
• Ensure that a project stays on schedule and within budget
• Promote finished works or productions through interviews, advertise-
ments, and film festivals
Large productions often have associate, assistant, and line producers who
share responsibilities. For example, on a large movie set an executive produc-
er is in charge of the entire production, and a line producer runs the day-to-
day operations. A TV show may employ several assistant producers to whom
the head or executive producer gives certain duties, such as supervising the
costume and makeup team.
Similarly, large productions usually employ several assistant directors, who
help the director with tasks such as making set changes or notifying the per-
formers when it is their time to go onstage. The specific responsibilities of
assistant producers or directors vary with the size and type of production they
work on.
Producers make the business and financial decisions for a motion picture, TV
show, commercial, or stage production. They raise money for the project and
hire the director and crew. The crew may include set and costume designers,
film and video editors, a musical director, a choreographer, and other workers.
Some producers may assist in the selection of cast members. Producers set
the budget and approve any major changes to the project. They make sure
that the production is completed on time, and they are ultimately responsible
for the final product.
Directors are responsible for the creative decisions of a production. They
select cast members, conduct rehearsals, and direct the work of the cast and

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crew. During rehearsals, they work with the actors to help them more accu-
rately portray their characters. For nonfiction video, such as documentaries
or live broadcasts, directors choose topics or subjects to film. They investi-
gate the topic and may interview relevant participants or experts on camera.
Directors also work with cinematographers and other crew members to
ensure the final product matches the overall vision.
Directors work with set designers, costume designers, location scouts, and
art directors to build a project’s set. During a film’s postproduction phase,
they work closely with film editors and music supervisors to make sure that
the final product comes out the way the producer and director envisioned.
Stage directors, unlike television or film directors who document their prod-
uct with cameras, make sure the cast and crew give a consistently strong live
performance. For more information, see the profiles on actors, writers and
authors, film and video editors and camera operators, dancers and choreog-
raphers, and multimedia artists and animators.
Although directors are in charge of the creative aspects of a show, they ulti-
mately answer to producers. Some directors also share producing duties for
their own films.

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Work Environment
Producers and directors audition and select cast members.
Producers and directors held about 122,600 jobs in 2014. The industries that
employed the most producers and directors were as follows:
Motion picture and video industries 26%
Radio and television broadcasting 20
Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries 8
Advertising, public relations, and related services 6
Cable and other subscription programming 3
Producers and directors work under a lot of pressure, and many are under
constant stress to finish their work on time. Work assignments may be short,
ranging from 1 day to a few months. They sometimes must work in unpleasant
conditions, such as bad weather.

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About 1 of 5 producers and directors were self-employed in 2014.
Work Schedules
Work hours for producers and directors can be long and irregular. Evening,
weekend, and holiday work is common. About 1 out of 3 worked more than
40 hours per week in 2014. Many producers and directors do not work a stan-
dard workweek because their schedules may change with each assignment
or project. Theater directors and producers may travel with a touring show
across the country, while those in film and television may work on location (a
site away from the studio where all or part of the filming occurs).

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How to Become a Producer and Director
Producers and directors ensure that a project stays on schedule and within
budget.
Most producers and directors have a bachelor’s degree and several years of
work experience in an occupation related to motion picture, TV, or theater
production, such as an actor, film and video editor, or cinematographer.
Education
Producers and directors usually have a bachelor’s degree. Many students
study film or cinema at colleges and universities. In these programs, students
learn about film history, editing, screenwriting, cinematography, and the
filmmaking process. Others major in writing, acting, journalism, or commu-

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nication. Some producers earn a degree in business, arts management, or
nonprofit management.
Many stage directors complete a degree in theater and some go on to
receive a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. Classes may include directing,
playwriting, set design, and acting. As of May 2015, the National Association
of Schools of Theatre accredited more than 180 programs in theater arts.
Work Experience in a Related Occupation
Producers and directors might start out working in a theatrical management
office as a business or company manager. In television or film, they might
start out as an assistant or another low-profile studio job.
Advancement
As a producer’s or director’s reputation grows, he or she may work on larger
projects that attract more attention or publicity.
Important Qualities
Communication skills. Producers and directors must coordinate the work
of many different people to finish a production on time and within budget.
Creativity. Because a script can be interpreted in different ways, directors
must decide how they want to interpret it and then how to represent the
script’s ideas on the screen or stage.
Leadership skills. A director instructs actors and helps them portray their
characters in a believable manner. They also supervise the crew, who are
responsible for the behind the scenes work.

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Time-management skills. Producers must find and hire the best director
and crew for the production. They make sure that all involved do their jobs
effectively, keeping within a production schedule and a budget.

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Pay
Producers and Directors
Median annual wages, May 2014
Producers and Directors
$69,100
Entertainers and performers, sports and
related workers
$39,700
Total, all occupations
$35,540
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics
The median annual wage for producers and directors was $69,100 in May
2014. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occu-
pation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10
percent earned less than $31,380, and the highest 10 percent earned more
than $187,200.
In May 2014, the median annual wages for producers and directors in the
top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Advertising, public relations, and related services $90,690
Motion picture and video industries 77,330
Cable and other subscription programming 66,790
Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries 60,110
Radio and television broadcasting 57,280

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Some producers and directors earn a percentage of ticket sales. A few of the
most successful producers and directors have extraordinarily high earnings,
but most do not.
Work hours for producers and directors can be long and irregular. Evening,
weekend, and holiday work is common. About 1 out of 3 worked more than
40 hours per week in 2014. Many producers and directors do not work a stan-
dard workweek because they have variable schedules. Theater directors and
producers may travel with a touring show across the country, while those in
film and television may work on location (a site away from the studio where
all or part of the filming occurs).

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Job Outlook
Producers and Directors
Percent change in employment, projected 2014-24
Producers and Directors
9%
Total, all occupations
7%
Entertainers and performers, sports and related
workers
6%
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program
Employment of producers and directors is projected to grow 9 percent from 2014
to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Some job growth in the motion
picture and video industry is expected to stem from strong demand from the public
for more movies and television shows, as well as an increased demand from for-
eign audiences for U.S.-produced films. Also, consumer demand for reality shows
on television is expected to increase, so more producers and directors will be need-
ed to create and oversee editing of these programs.
In addition, production companies are experimenting with new content delivery
methods, such as watching TV on mobile devices and online, which may lead to
more work opportunities for producers and directors in the future. These delivery
methods are still in their early stages, however, and their potential for success is
not entirely known.
Theater producers and directors who work in small- and medium-sized theaters
may see slower job growth because many of those theaters have difficulty finding
funding as the fewer tickets are sold. Large theaters in big cities, such as New York
and Los Angeles, which usually have more stable sources of funding, should pro-
vide more opportunities.

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Job Prospects
Producers and directors face intense competition for jobs because there are
many more people who want to work in this field than there are jobs available.
In film, directors who have experience on film sets should have the best job
prospects. Producers who have good business skills will likely have the best
prospects.
Employment projections data for Producers and Directors, 2014-24
Occupa-
tional Title
SOC
Code
Employ-
ment,
2014
Projected
Employ-
ment,
2024
Change, 2014-24 Employ-
ment by
Industry
Percent
Numeric
Producers
and directors
27-2012 122,600 133,800 9 11,100 [XLSX]
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program

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State & Area Data
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)
The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program produces employment and
wage estimates annually for over 800 occupations. These estimates are available
for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmet-
ropolitan areas. The link(s) below go to OES data maps for employment and wages
by state and area.
• Producers and directors
Projections Central
Occupational employment projections are developed for all states by Labor
Market Information (LMI) or individual state Employment Projections offices. All
state projections data are available at www.projectionscentral.com.
Information on this site allows projected employment growth for an
occupation to be compared among states or to be compared within one state. In
addition, states may produce projections for areas; there are links to each state’s
websites where these data may be retrieved.
Career InfoNet
America’s Career InfoNet includes hundreds of occupational profiles with d
ata available by state and metro area. There are links in the left-hand side menu to
compare occupational employment by state and occupational wages by local area
or metro area. There is also a salary info tool to search for wages by zip code.

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Similar Occupations
This table shows a list of occupations with job duties that are similar to those
of Producers and Directors.
Occupation Job Duties
ENTRY-LEVEL
EDUCATION
2014
MEDIAN
PAY
Actors Actors express ideas and por-
tray characters in theater, film,
television, and other perform-
ing arts media. They interpret
a writer’s script to entertain or
inform an audience.
Some college, no
degree
The annual
wage is not
available.
Art Directors Art directors are responsible
for the visual style and images
in magazines, newspapers,
product packaging, and movie
and television productions.
They create the overall design
of a project and direct others
who develop artwork and
layouts.
Bachelor's
degree
$85,610
Dancers and Choreog-
raphers
Dancers and choreographers
use dance performances to ex-
press ideas and stories. There
are many types of dance,
such as ballet, tango, modern
dance, tap, and jazz.
See How to Be-
come One
The annual
wage is not
available.
Film and Video Editors
and Camera Operators
Film and video editors and
camera operators manipulate
moving images that entertain
or inform an audience.
Bachelor's
degree
$52,470
Multimedia Artists
and Animators
Multimedia artists and ani-
mators create animation and
visual effects for television,
movies, video games, and oth-
er forms of media.
Bachelor's
degree
$63,630
Top Executives Top executives devise strat-
egies and policies to ensure
that an organization meets its
goals. They plan, direct, and
coordinate operational activi-
ties of companies and organi-
zations.
Bachelor's
degree
$102,750

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Writers and Authors Writers and authors develop
written content for advertise-
ments, books, magazines, mov-
ie and television scripts, songs,
blogs, or other types of media.
Bachelor's
degree
$58,850

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Contacts for More Information
For more information about producers and directors, visit
Directors Guild of America
Producers Guild of America
National Association of Schools of Theater
National Endowment for the Arts
O*NET
Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio
Producers
Producers and Directors
Program Directors
Talent Directors
Technical Directors/Managers