Work Environment

Producers and directors held about 131,000 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of producers and directors were as follows:

Motion picture and video industries - 25%
Radio and television broadcasting - 24%
Self-employed workers - 13%
Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries - 7%
Advertising, public relations, and related services - 6%

Producers and directors are often under pressure 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.

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 and where all or part of the filming occurs).

Work Schedules

Workdays for producers and directors may be long and irregular. Many do not have a standard workweek, because their schedules may change with each assignment or project. Evening, weekend, and holiday work is common. Most producers and directors work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week.

Job Outlook

Employment of producers and directors is projected to grow 24 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than the average for all occupations.

About 15,600 openings for producers and directors are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.

Employment

Much of the projected employment growth in this occupation is due to recovery from the COVID-19 recession that began in 2020 and is likely to occur early in the decade as operations resume.

Consumer demand for reality shows on television is likely to increase, so more producers and directors will be needed to create and oversee editing of these programs. In addition, the volume of TV shows is expected to grow as the number of online-only platforms, such as streaming services, increases along with the number of shows produced for these platforms. This growth should lead to more opportunities for producers and directors.

Theater producers and directors who work in small- and medium-sized theaters may see slower job growth due to limited funding. Large theaters in big cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, which usually have more stable sources of funding, should provide more opportunities.

Earnings

The median annual wage for producers and directors was $79,000 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $38,210, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $206,860.

In May 2021, 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 - $99,810
Motion picture and video industries - $98,680
Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries - $80,570
Radio and television broadcasting - $60,550

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.