Producers and Directors
SOC Code: 27-2012 Job Zone 4: Considerable Preparation Needed
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.
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Prevailing Wage Levels (National)
DOL/OFLC prevailing wage thresholds for Producers and Directors. Hourly rates x 2,080 = annual.
FY2027 Weighted Lottery Impact
| Level | Lottery Entries | Est. Selection Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (Entry) | 1 entry | ~16% |
| Level II (Qualified) | 2 entries | ~31% |
| Level III (Experienced) | 3 entries | ~45% |
| Level IV (Expert) | 4 entries | ~61% |
Prevailing Wages by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merced, CA | $67,475 | $185,786 | $304,117 | $422,427 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $68,203 | $129,563 | $190,902 | $252,262 |
| Central East New York nonmetropolitan area | $50,690 | $115,794 | $180,877 | $245,981 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $66,394 | $113,214 | $160,035 | $206,856 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $65,894 | $112,798 | $159,682 | $206,586 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $69,742 | $111,550 | $153,358 | $195,166 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $67,829 | $103,210 | $138,611 | $173,992 |
| Utica-Rome, NY | $45,282 | $88,026 | $130,749 | $173,493 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $55,557 | $86,778 | $117,998 | $149,219 |
| Capital/Northern New York nonmetropolitan area | $46,405 | $80,309 | $114,234 | $148,138 |
H-1B Filing Data
Top H-1B Employers
| Employer | Filings | Avg Wage |
|---|---|---|
| BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC. | 13 | $109,719 |
| ACTIVISION PUBLISHING INC | 4 | $108,129 |
| Chachapoya Films, LLC | 1 | $72,800 |
Filing Trend
| Year | Filings | Avg Wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | $100,880 |
| 2024 | 6 | $103,889 |
| 2025 | 10 | $110,657 |
Key Skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.4 | |
| Monitoring | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Speaking | 4.0 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 | |
| Coordination | 3.9 | |
| Writing | 3.8 | |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.6 | |
| Time Management | 3.6 |
Knowledge Areas
| Knowledge | Importance |
|---|---|
| Communications and Media | 4.7 |
| English Language | 3.9 |
| Telecommunications | 3.7 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.6 |
| Administration and Management | 3.4 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.2 |
| Fine Arts | 2.8 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.7 |
Education Requirements
| Education Level | % of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 56.7% |
| High school diploma | 15.2% |
| Associate's degree | 12.9% |
| Some college | 10.6% |
| Post-secondary certificate | 4.6% |
Typical Tasks
- Plan details such as framing, composition, camera movement, sound, and actor movement for each shot or scene.
- Communicate to actors the approach, characterization, and movement needed for each scene in such a way that rehearsals and takes are minimized.
- Direct live broadcasts, films and recordings, or non-broadcast programming for public entertainment or education.
- Coordinate the activities of writers, directors, managers, and other personnel throughout the production process.
- Study and research scripts to determine how they should be directed.
- Supervise and coordinate the work of camera, lighting, design, and sound crew members.
- Confer with technical directors, managers, crew members, and writers to discuss details of production, such as photography, script, music, sets, and costumes.
- Research production topics using the internet, video archives, and other informational sources.
Technology Skills
Green = Hot Technology in demand
Adobe Acrobat Adobe After Effects Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Asana Atlassian Confluence Atlassian JIRA Canva Cascading style sheets CSS Extensible markup language XML Facebook Google Analytics Google Docs
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