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Television Production Majors: Salary and Career Facts
Television Production Majors: Salary and Career Facts
Find out about the types of jobs you could pursue in television production. Read on to learn more about career options along with education and potential salary information.
What Does a Television Producer Do?
Television producers work with directors and are responsible for choosing scripts, hiring actors and overseeing visual effects creators, sound technicians, cameramen, editors and other production crew members. Executive producers have their fingers on the pulse of the entire production and are in charge of funding the project, while line producers and assistant producers oversee daily functions or specific departments, respectively.
An aspiring television producer can find a television production degree as an option within a media major. With a degree in television production, you may have opportunities to work on TV shows, film and news production. Check out degree and career information along with typical job duties and salary potential for this field in the chart below.
<table border="1"><tr><td> <b>Degree Required</b></td><td>Bachelor's degree</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Education Field of Study</b></td><td>Media arts, television production, multimedia, broadcasting, communications</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Key Responsibilities</b></td><td>Write scripts, put together TV shows and hire directors, actors and crews</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Job Growth (2020-2030)</b></td><td>24% growth*</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Median Wage (2020)</b></td><td>$76,400*</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i>
</p><h3 id="section---CanIMajorInTelevisionProduction">Can I Major in Television Production?</h3><p>If you want a career in television production, there are many bachelor's degree programs that may be right for you. In some instances, a television production degree program is part of a broader degree encompassing television, film and other media production. The degree program you choose will depend on your career interests. For example, if you plan to go into news production you may want to choose a dual degree in TV production and mass communication or if you want to produce the weather on a TV program, you may want to take courses in, or double major in, meteorology.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatCoursesWillITake">What Courses Will I Take?</h3><p>Television production degree programs can be found as Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs. Most programs consist of courses that can include:
</p><ul><li>Multi-camera productions
</li><li>Writing for television
</li><li>TV equipment operations
</li><li>Video production
</li><li>Business skills for producers
</li><li>Video editing for television
</li><li>Directing a TV production
</li><li>Cinematography
</li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatWillIDoAsATVProducer">What Will I Do As a TV Producer?</h3><p>As a producer in television, you'll work behind the camera putting together all the pieces that make a television show. You'll handle both the creative and business decisions for a TV program. You'll hire the director, actors and film crew and, in some cases, you'll help write or edit the script for the show. You'll also ensure that everyone is paid and that the production is on budget and on time. Establishing a production schedule and coordinating actors and production crews will also be part of your job.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatKindsOfJobsAreThereForTVProducers">What Kinds of Jobs Are There for TV Producers?</h3><p>As a television producer you can work for television stations, cable networks and independent production companies. You can take on an entire production as an executive producer or perform a few of the production jobs as an associate producer. Working in a particular subject matter, such as news, game shows, sports programs, children's programs, situation comedies, reality television, soap operas or made-for-TV movies is also an option.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatCanIEarn">What Can I Earn?</h3><p>Your salary as a producer in television will vary greatly based on the location of your job, the type of television you are producing and whether you work for a local TV station, a TV network or a cable network. A producer's earnings are often tied to the earnings of the television show.
</p><p>In 2020, the median average wage of producers and directors working in the television industry was $76,400, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). Those working in the motion picture and video industry earned significantly more at $113,860 a year during the same time period.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreSomeRelatedAlternativeCareers">What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?</h3><p>The entertainment industry offers many related career fields that need bachelor's degrees to start. Directors have many of the same job responsibilities as producers, but they focus on the creative and artistic aspects of a television show or film. If you're interested in working exclusively on the cinematography a project, you could become a film and video editor. Film and video editors cut, polish and organize footage recorded on a camera.</p>
