JobAfterNext

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.

Wages

Median annual wage, U.S.$90,360
Employment, U.S.143,120
Median hourly wage$43.44
Annual wage percentiles, U.S., May 2025
10th25thMedian75th90th
$45,780$62,670$90,360$134,800$198,540
By state (51)
StateEmploymentMedian annualLocation quotient
Alabama1,040$63,3400.53
Alaska160$54,0600.54
Arizona1,720$67,3200.58
Arkansas700$38,8200.58
California34,110$129,7902.03
Colorado1,960$78,0600.74
Connecticut2,200$88,2601.41
Delaware150$72,6500.33
District of Columbia2,640$104,2704.09
Florida7,160$79,9200.78
Georgia5,010$79,9501.11
Hawaii510$66,1900.88
Idaho380$61,1500.48
Illinois3,170$81,0800.56
Indiana1,480$59,8700.50
Iowa720$58,5500.50
Kansas420$60,6000.31
Kentucky950$54,5500.52
Louisiana880$62,9200.49
Maine400$71,3200.67
Maryland1,610$79,3500.63
Massachusetts3,440$80,9701.03
Michigan2,310$65,7200.57
Minnesota1,390$76,3600.51
Mississippi390$48,1000.36
Missouri1,630$66,4600.60
Montana390$52,5800.83
Nebraska470$52,5800.49
Nevada1,630$78,4801.14
New Hampshire300$61,5600.48
New Jersey2,970$119,8400.75
New Mexico520Not available0.65
New York27,990$107,5503.14
North Carolina3,500$63,7000.77
North Dakota170$57,8700.43
Ohio1,610$69,3500.31
Oklahoma770$61,6000.49
Oregon1,640$87,4600.91
Pennsylvania4,200$75,4600.75
Rhode Island560$84,2501.20
South Carolina1,190$56,0300.56
South Dakota170$60,2600.39
Tennessee2,920$73,0200.97
Texas6,610$71,7100.51
Utah1,670$76,3501.04
Vermont290$55,6601.04
Virginia2,820$65,9000.75
Washington2,270$81,5500.69
West Virginia230$46,6600.35
Wisconsin1,600$66,3900.59
Wyoming130$60,4200.49

Similar occupations

Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.

#OccupationJob ZoneSimilarity
1Media Technical Directors/Managers40.965
2Media Programming Directors40.955
3Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners40.949
4News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists40.946
5Project Management Specialists40.943
6Desktop Publishers30.942
7Art Directors40.938
8Business Continuity Planners40.936
9Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys40.934
10Talent Directors40.933

One skill away

Among the 50 occupations most similar to Producers and Directors, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.

OccupationSkill to buildLevel gapSimilarity
Media Programming DirectorsOperations Analysis1.120.955
Meeting, Convention, and Event PlannersService Orientation1.000.949
Art DirectorsOperations Analysis1.500.938
Fashion DesignersOperations Analysis1.250.929
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolInstructing1.000.929
EditorsReading Comprehension1.000.928
Computer and Information Systems ManagersOperations Analysis1.380.925
Marketing ManagersOperations Analysis1.620.923
Information Security AnalystsOperations Monitoring1.000.919
Intelligence AnalystsReading Comprehension0.880.919

All 14

Software to learn next

Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Producers and Directors, excluding software Producers and Directors already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.

SoftwareSimilar jobs using itLift
QuarkXPress6 of 2013.2x
Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML6 of 208.9x
Apple macOS7 of 205.7x
Edulastic3 of 2046.2x
jQuery5 of 208.5x
Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML5 of 208.2x
Microsoft SharePoint10 of 202.8x
Adobe Director3 of 2023.1x
Trimble SketchUp Pro5 of 206.2x
UNIX7 of 203.6x

Skills

From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.

SkillTypeImportanceLevel
Active ListeningEssential skill 4.38 4.38
MonitoringEssential skill 4.00 4.25
SpeakingEssential skill 4.00 4.25
Critical ThinkingEssential skill 4.00 4.12
Reading ComprehensionEssential skill 4.00 4.00
CoordinationTransferable skill 3.88 4.50
Social PerceptivenessTransferable skill 3.88 3.88
WritingEssential skill 3.75 4.25
Time ManagementTransferable skill 3.62 4.12
Management of Personnel ResourcesTransferable skill 3.62 4.00
Judgment and Decision MakingTransferable skill 3.50 3.62
Systems AnalysisTransferable skill 3.50 3.50
Complex Problem SolvingTransferable skill 3.38 3.50
Active LearningEssential skill 3.25 3.50
NegotiationTransferable skill 3.25 3.38
Systems EvaluationTransferable skill 3.25 3.25
Learning StrategiesEssential skill 3.12 3.50
Management of Financial ResourcesTransferable skill 3.00 3.62
PersuasionTransferable skill 3.00 3.50
Service OrientationTransferable skill 3.00 2.88
InstructingTransferable skill 2.88 3.25
Management of Material ResourcesTransferable skill 2.75 3.25
MathematicsEssential skill 2.50 2.62
Quality Control AnalysisTransferable skill 2.50 2.50
Operations MonitoringTransferable skill 2.25 2.12
Operations AnalysisTransferable skill 2.12 2.00
Technology DesignTransferable skill 2.00 1.62
Operation and ControlTransferable skill 1.88 1.75
Equipment SelectionTransferable skill 1.75 1.12
TroubleshootingTransferable skill 1.75 1.00
ProgrammingTransferable skill 1.75 0.88
ScienceEssential skill 1.12not rated
Equipment MaintenanceTransferable skill 1.00not rated
InstallationTransferable skill 1.00not rated
RepairingTransferable skill 1.00not rated
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
Knowledge
NameImportanceLevel
Communications and Media 4.72 4.96
English Language 3.86 3.97
Telecommunications 3.74 3.50
Computers and Electronics 3.57 3.95
Administration and Management 3.35 3.19
Customer and Personal Service 3.17 2.84
Fine Arts 2.81 2.97
Engineering and Technology 2.71 2.53
Sales and Marketing 2.52 2.36
Administrative 2.47 3.09
Education and Training 2.41 2.48
Production and Processing 2.24 1.89
Law and Government 2.22 2.10
Geography 2.17 2.40
Personnel and Human Resources 2.14 1.99
Design 2.13 1.73
Mathematics 2.12 2.00
Sociology and Anthropology 2.09 2.28
Foreign Language 2.07 1.55
Psychology 2.01 2.06
Philosophy and Theology 2.00 2.25
History and Archeology 1.87 1.61
Economics and Accounting 1.79 1.24
Public Safety and Security 1.64 0.86
Transportation 1.60 1.23
Mechanical 1.53 0.94
Therapy and Counseling 1.34 0.85
Physics 1.31 0.64
Building and Construction 1.17not rated
Food Production 1.14not rated
Medicine and Dentistry 1.14not rated
Biology 1.10not rated
Chemistry 1.02not rated
Abilities
NameImportanceLevel
Oral Expression 4.50 4.62
Deductive Reasoning 4.12 4.38
Oral Comprehension 4.12 4.25
Speech Clarity 4.00 4.25
Problem Sensitivity 4.00 4.00
Written Comprehension 3.88 4.25
Originality 3.75 4.25
Written Expression 3.75 4.25
Speech Recognition 3.75 4.00
Near Vision 3.75 3.88
Information Ordering 3.75 3.75
Fluency of Ideas 3.62 4.12
Visualization 3.62 4.00
Far Vision 3.62 3.88
Category Flexibility 3.62 3.75
Inductive Reasoning 3.62 3.62
Flexibility of Closure 3.38 3.38
Speed of Closure 3.12 3.12
Time Sharing 3.12 3.12
Selective Attention 3.12 3.00
Perceptual Speed 3.00 3.00
Memorization 2.88 2.88
Auditory Attention 2.75 2.75
Visual Color Discrimination 2.75 2.62
Mathematical Reasoning 2.62 2.88
Number Facility 2.50 2.75
Hearing Sensitivity 2.50 2.62
Arm-Hand Steadiness 2.25 2.12
Trunk Strength 2.25 2.00
Wrist-Finger Speed 2.25 1.75
Finger Dexterity 2.12 2.12
Manual Dexterity 2.12 2.00
Depth Perception 2.12 1.88
Control Precision 2.00 1.88
Spatial Orientation 1.88 1.50
Multilimb Coordination 1.88 1.38
Rate Control 1.88 1.38
Static Strength 1.75 1.25
Reaction Time 1.75 1.12
Extent Flexibility 1.75 1.00
Dynamic Strength 1.50 0.62
Response Orientation 1.38 0.75
Sound Localization 1.38 0.75
Explosive Strength 1.25not rated
Glare Sensitivity 1.25not rated
Night Vision 1.12not rated
Dynamic Flexibility 1.00not rated
Gross Body Coordination 1.00not rated
Gross Body Equilibrium 1.00not rated
Peripheral Vision 1.00not rated
Speed of Limb Movement 1.00not rated
Stamina 1.00not rated

Software used

Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.

All 75
  • Slack hot
  • TikTok hot
  • WordPress hot
  • Zoom hot
  • AP ENPS
  • Adobe ActionScript
  • Adobe Audition
  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Airtable
  • Apple Final Cut Pro
  • Avid Digidesign Pro Tools
  • Avid Technology Media Composer
  • Avid Technology NewsCutter
  • Avid Technology Pro Tools
  • Avid Technology iNEWS
  • Blogging software
  • Broadcast Electronics AudioVAULT FleX
  • Chyron CAMIO
  • Content management systems CMS
  • Drupal
  • Eko
  • Email software
  • FaceTime
  • Google Ads
  • Google Drive
  • Google Gmail
  • Graphics creation software
  • Grass Valley EDIUS
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Live streaming software
  • MAGIX Software Sound Forge
  • Magix Vegas Pro
  • Microsoft Publisher
  • Pinterest
  • Ross Video Xpression
  • Screencastify
  • Scripting software
  • Snapchat
  • Social media sites
  • Twitter
  • Video editing software
  • Web content management system CMS software
  • WideOrbit
  • YouTube

Where it concentrates

Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.

Metro areaEmploymentLocation quotientMedian annual
Waterbury-Shelton, CT8605.80$102,340
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA21,9103.80$131,600
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ27,0203.09$108,460
Glens Falls, NY1302.78Not available
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA5,0302.30$130,640
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN1,8301.81$79,590
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT6201.68$100,060
Missoula, MT1001.67$51,970
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA1,5801.51Not available
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV4,2301.47$100,270

More metros, other thresholds