Producers and Directors: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · SOC 27-2012 · O*NET 27-2012.00
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.
Producers and Directors fall under the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media category in the U.S. occupational classification. Producers and Directors earn a median salary of $83,480 per year, ranking in the top 21% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +4.9% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do producers and directors earn?
The median annual wage for producers and directors is $83,480. That puts producers and directors at #174 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is above the U.S. median for individual workers and reflects a stable, credentialed occupation. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $43,060 |
| 25th percentile | $59,810 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $83,480 |
| 75th percentile | $131,160 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $198,530 |
| Median hourly wage | $40.13/hr |
Is producers and directors a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for producers and directors is +4.9%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 167K positions in 2024 to 175K in 2034, a net change of 8K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do producers and directors do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working producers and directors, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Plan details such as framing, composition, camera movement, sound, and actor movement for each shot or scene.
- 2.Communicate to actors the approach, characterization, and movement needed for each scene in such a way that rehearsals and takes are minimized.
- 3.Direct live broadcasts, films and recordings, or non-broadcast programming for public entertainment or education.
- 4.Research production topics using the internet, video archives, and other informational sources.
- 5.Review film, recordings, or rehearsals to ensure conformance to production and broadcast standards.
- 6.Study and research scripts to determine how they should be directed.
- 7.Supervise and coordinate the work of camera, lighting, design, and sound crew members.
- 8.Confer with technical directors, managers, crew members, and writers to discuss details of production, such as photography, script, music, sets, and costumes.
Top skills for producers and directors
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become producers and director?
The standard path into producers and directors begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about producers and directors
What is the median salary for producers and directors?
The median annual salary for producers and directors is $83,480 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is producers and directors a growing career?
BLS projects +4.9% growth for producers and directors from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become producers and director?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to producers and directors?
Related occupations within the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.