There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a commercial production editor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.05 an hour? That's $52,114 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -3% and produce -3,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Commercial Production Editor Do

There are certain skills that many commercial production editors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed creativity, detail oriented and good judgment.

How To Become a Commercial Production Editor

If you're interested in becoming a commercial production editor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 74.1% of commercial production editors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.7% of commercial production editors have master's degrees. Even though most commercial production editors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Commercial Production Editor
Top Commercial Production Editor Jobs Near You

Commercial Production Editor Career Paths

Average Salary for a Commercial Production Editor

Commercial Production Editors in America make an average salary of $52,114 per year or $25 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $83,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $32,000 per year.
Average Commercial Production Editor Salary
$52,114 Yearly
$25.05 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Commercial Production Editor

There are several types of commercial production editor, including:

Managing Editor

Role:

A managing editor is a senior executive in a publications management team who reports directly to the editor-in-chief. They typically oversee the day-to-day operations of a publication or website. Their duties include curating content ideas, planning, assigning and editing content, planning production schedules, and ensuring that all activities are on track with the production schedules. You will also be required to supervise the editorial staff, including freelancers. You will typically be expected to edit and supervise everything that goes on in your publication except for advertisements and sponsorships in some instances. Your responsibilities also include the recruitment, promotion, and firing of staff members.

Your most important skills are majorly creativity, attention to detail, and good judgment. You are also expected to be skilled in editorial staffing, content marketing, web content, layout, SEO, and other skills. Managing editors commonly study journalism, English, or communication. The average annual salary is $72,000.

  • Average Salary: $89,060
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Copy Editor

Role:

A copy editor is a professional who evaluates written content to ensure it is grammatically correct and succinct in messaging. Copy editors spend much of their time proofreading and checking for typographical errors, such as invalid punctuation, misspelled words, or words written out of the proper context of their usage.

Other duties include fact-checking information, such as dates and statistics, rewriting copying to enhance readability and clarity, and collaborating with copywriters, content writers, authors, and other writing professionals.

Copy editors work in many different industries and can be hired on a freelance basis or for a permanent role at a company. They might work for specific enterprise companies, advertising agencies, news and entertainment companies, publishers, or other literary-related organizations.

Common skills associated with copy editors include strong written and verbal communication skills, creativity, attention to detail, strong judgment, collaborative skills, and critical thinking abilities. Many copy editors are also proficient in industry-standard software and style guides.

Many employers prefer candidates with at least a bachelor's degree in English, journalism, communications, creative writing, or another related area. Most copy editors have at least a bachelor's degree, if not a master's degree in one of these fields. It is possible to gain a career in this field without a college degree, though you still need an adequate amount of experience and a work portfolio for most positions.
  • Average Salary: $62,599
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Photo Editor

Role:

Photo editors are in charge of the photography that appears in a magazine. They review the photos, edit, and make necessary changes. They then decide on the image to publish while ensuring that all photo equipment is used properly. They also assign projects to other photographers and keep track of the deadlines. Photo editors earn a median sum of $56,000 annually or $27 per hour.

Photo editors work to create a full, rich experience for the reader or customer by ensuring all assignments are shot and edited on time for publication. They stay up to date with new image editing technologies and coordinate with the editor and the team members to identify photography needs.

Photo editors mostly hold a bachelor's degree in photography, visual arts, digital media, or other related fields. They have years of proven experience as a photo editor and with digital technology and photo editing software. Photo editors are highly creative professionals with an eye for detail and an excellent portfolio.

  • Average Salary: $63,168
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Commercial Production Editor Jobs

Number Of Commercial Production Editor Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California3,419$57,605
2Texas1,753$48,789
3Florida1,451$42,001
4Illinois1,427$53,272
5Ohio1,339$46,705
6New York1,303$58,186
7Pennsylvania1,178$50,453
8Georgia1,145$48,250
9Indiana909$37,706
10Michigan902$47,819
11Wisconsin895$41,069
12Virginia833$54,380
13North Carolina814$44,637
14Minnesota749$55,076
15Massachusetts726$54,486
16Washington663$53,432
17Tennessee653$46,349
18Arizona614$47,711
19Missouri599$33,831
20Iowa573$43,959
21New Jersey562$53,245
22Colorado536$47,814
23Alabama528$44,228
24Kentucky487$47,923
25Oregon454$40,550
26Maryland440$53,031
27South Carolina405$44,141
28Utah402$46,768
29Connecticut379$63,632
30Kansas324$35,493
31Arkansas283$46,781
32Mississippi254$31,872
33Louisiana221$36,755
34Oklahoma202$48,520
35Nebraska202$31,241
36Nevada185$49,334
37Idaho179$40,967
38New Hampshire170$60,445
39West Virginia145$51,160
40Maine137$47,838
41New Mexico113$49,796
42Delaware112$49,538
43South Dakota83$36,000
44Vermont82$49,110
45Rhode Island80$49,276
46North Dakota74$54,638
47Montana67$36,787
48Hawaii49$49,878
49Alaska47$36,148
50Wyoming41$47,110

Commercial Production Editor Education

Commercial Production Editor Majors

Commercial Production Editor Degrees

Bachelors

74.1 %

Associate

14.1 %

Masters

4.7 %

Top Colleges for Commercial Production Editors

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Electrical Engineering
Communication
Photography
Accounting

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Liberal Arts
Business
Photography
Digital Media
Political Science

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Journalism
Liberal Arts
Communication
Digital Media

4. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Electrical Engineering
Accounting
Liberal Arts
Political Science

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Political Science
Accounting
Fine Arts

6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Digital Media
Communication

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Computer Science
Political Science
Journalism
Electrical Engineering

8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Communication
Computer Science
Political Science
Accounting

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Electrical Engineering
Communication
Political Science
Accounting
Graphic Design

10. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Accounting
Journalism
Political Science
Communication
Business

Top Skills For a Commercial Production Editor

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 26.9% of commercial production editors listed television commercials on their resume, but soft skills such as creativity and detail oriented are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Commercial Production Editor Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Commercial Production Editor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Commercial Production Editor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Commercial Production Editor Resume
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Commercial Production Editor Resume
Commercial Production Editor Resume
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Commercial Production Editor Resume
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Commercial Production Editor Resume
Commercial Production Editor Resume

Commercial Production Editor Demographics

Commercial Production Editor Gender Distribution

Male
Male
66%
Female
Female
34%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among commercial production editors, 33.6% of them are women, while 66.4% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among commercial production editors is White, which makes up 76.2% of all commercial production editors.

  • The most common foreign language among commercial production editors is Spanish at 85.7%.

Online Courses For Commercial Production Editor That You May Like

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Top Commercial Production Editor Employers

Most Common Employers For Commercial Production Editor

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Green Dot$87,814$42.221
2Dahl Consulting$79,802$38.371
3Fox News$75,136$36.121
4CNN$58,911$28.322
5Summit Media$56,804$27.311
6WEVV 44News$53,721$25.831
7Charter Communications$50,640$24.351
8Hearst$49,938$24.012
9WBNG TV 12$49,685$23.892
10iHeartMedia$49,219$23.662