Key grip vs freight associate

The differences between key grips and freight associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a key grip has an average salary of $42,609, which is higher than the $32,103 average annual salary of a freight associate.

The top three skills for a key grip include gaffer, production equipment and music videos. The most important skills for a freight associate are sales floor, cleanliness, and customer service.

Key grip vs freight associate overview

	Key Grip	Freight Associate
Yearly salary	$42,609	$32,103
Hourly rate	$20.49	$15.43
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	9,300	6,477
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	High School Diploma, 40%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Key grip vs freight associate salary

Key grips and freight associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Key Grip	Freight Associate
Average salary	$42,609	$32,103
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $80,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between key grip and freight associate education

There are a few differences between a key grip and a freight associate in terms of educational background:

	Key Grip	Freight Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	High School Diploma, 40%
Most common major	Photography	Business
Most common college	-	-

Key grip vs freight associate demographics

Here are the differences between key grips' and freight associates' demographics:

	Key Grip	Freight Associate
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%	Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 5.5% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 13.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 54.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between key grip and freight associate duties and responsibilities

Key grip example responsibilities.

Work with the cinematographer to achieve the right look for the film in terms of lighting (ARRI, Kino).
Work on the UCLA student film as key grip and gaffer.
Implement the lighting setup design by the director of photography and gaffer.
Work with DP to create the aesthetic of the film using lighting.
Provide hands on assistance with jare Noe, a freelance video production specialist.
Support video production team by working as a grip requiring ability to set up shots, lighting, and audio.

Freight associate example responsibilities.

Operate a wide variety of lift equipment.
Work at the MSP airport sorting and loading air containers to assure proper delivery.
Job duties include receiving and unloading freight, pulling pallets to the floor after separating.
Specialize in use of RF equipment to determine sign needs by fixture for particular ad events.
Stack empty CHEP pallets in racks and regular pallets on dock floor at end of shift.
Perform inventory duties with the RF hand scanner, which include research, outs, and rigs.

Key grip vs freight associate skills

Common key grip skills

Gaffer, 29%
Production Equipment, 22%
Music Videos, 15%
DP, 8%
JIB, 6%
Arri, 6%

Common freight associate skills

Sales Floor, 42%
Cleanliness, 42%
Customer Service, 5%
Sort Merchandise, 3%
Store Merchandise, 2%
Math, 1%

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Transportation Industry
Key Grip
Key Grip vs Freight Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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