How to hire a freelance producer

How to hire a freelance producer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step freelance producer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a freelance producer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new freelance producer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The freelance producer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A freelance producer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, freelance producers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents freelance producer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Freelance Producer	Description	Hourly rate
   Freelance Producer	Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.	$15-54
   Camera Operator	A camera operator is responsible for operating various technical equipment to support technical operations, such as media productions and live events. Camera operators must have extensive knowledge of different camera features to select the appropriate device and manage the production's overall visual presentation... Show more	$12-35
   Photographer, Editor	A Photographer, Editor selects, edits, and positions photos in print and web publications. They work for newspapers, magazines, websites, or other publications.	$17-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Music Videos
   • News Stories
   • Video Content
   • Video Production
   • Live Events
   • Photography
   • Production Process
   • Web Series
   • Production Schedules
   • VFX
   • Digital Content
   • ABC
   • Develop Story Ideas
   • HD

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Drive engagement by managing the brand's YouTube channel, as well as all other social media outlets.
   • Manage production shoots for image campaigns and monthly communications meetings for CNN newsroom and internal in-house creative services department.
   • Manage creative release process working closely with site merchandising, content engineering, release engineering, QA, buyers and marketing.
   • Manage the QA process including test/debug cycles and platform compliance/compatibility testing.
   • Produce for Chubb s website, YouTube, Facebook and on DVD.
   • Help maintain social media presence on Facebook and Instagram.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your freelance producer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A freelance producer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, freelance producers' average salary in south carolina is 62% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level freelance producers earn 71% less than senior-level freelance producers.
   • Certifications. A freelance producer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a freelance producer's salary.

   Average freelance producer salary

   $62,218yearly

   $29.91 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level freelance producer salary

   $33,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

4. Writing a freelance producer job description

   A good freelance producer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a freelance producer job description:

   Freelance producer job description example

   We are Altice USA; a family of businesses that includes Optimum, Optimum Mobile, Optimum Business, A4 advertising, Cheddar, and News12. Our common goal is connecting our customers to friends and family, shows they love, advertising that resonates and news that matters. We're building a workforce that thrives on collaboration, inclusion, and innovation. We hope connecting you to a potential role is just the beginning.
   
   Cheddar is looking for a creative, driven, and experienced freelance Segment Producer to work on a variety of projects. This candidate's most consistent job will be to produce two daily news clip shows, pulling segments from live hours and stringing them together with editors to package as an hour-long show. In addition, this role might be asked to assist with scripting and producing quick news flash segments with anchors, researching and writing guest segments, and filling in when other show producers are out.
   
   The candidate will have experience working in live news, with expertise in writing scripts and building show rundowns. A sophisticated knowledge of general news is necessary, paired with a broad cultural awareness, and an instinct for what's trending. The ability to edit their own pieces and field produce is a plus.
   
   The candidate needs to be able to work in a high-pressure environment and produce under tight deadlines. The successful candidate must be a self-starter and an independent worker. At the same time, they must be adaptable and flexible, a team player who is able to mix easily into and work effectively in our small and highly collaborative team.
   Responsibilities:
   
   * Monitor live hours and clip together a visually pleasing, fast-paced news show that will air throughout the day and evening
   * Work with talent on quick news briefs
   * Generate exceptional story ideas and develop creative story angles
   * Ability to multitask on a few projects at once
   * Build show graphics and elements in rundown software
   * Write scripts for live programming
   * Be creative in new ways to produce and deliver content to viewers
   * Coordinate with multiple different departments to meet deliverable deadlines and expectations
   
   Qualifications
   
   * Experience in live production/newsroom environment,
   * 3+ years of live broadcast and control room experience.
   * Excellent research and writing skills.
   * Strong grammar, copy editing and communication skills.
   * Familiarity with ENPS or similar rundown program.
   * Working knowledge of production and post-production techniques.
   * Familiarity with SEO, RSS, Twitter, Facebook and other social media.
   * Organizational skills and ability to work under tight deadlines.
   
   Altice USA is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting, hiring and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds regardless of gender, race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.
   
   Altice USA, Inc. collects personal information about its applicants for employment that may include personal identifiers, professional or employment related information, photos, education information and/or protected classifications under federal and state law. This information is collected for employment purposes, including identification, work authorization, FCRA-compliant background screening, human resource administration and compliance with federal, state and local law.
   
   of all backgrounds regardless of gender, race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, marital s
   
   Applicants for employment with Altice will never be asked to provide money (even if reimbursable) as part of the job application or hiring process. Please review our Fraud FAQ for further details.
   
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5. Post your job

   To find freelance producers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any freelance producers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level freelance producers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your freelance producer job on Zippia to find and recruit freelance producer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with freelance producer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new freelance producer

   Once you've decided on a perfect freelance producer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new freelance producer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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