Key grip vs material handler

The differences between key grips and material handlers 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 $33,215 average annual salary of a material handler.

The top three skills for a key grip include gaffer, production equipment and music videos. The most important skills for a material handler are pallets, basic math, and forklifts.

Key grip vs material handler overview

	Key Grip	Material Handler
Yearly salary	$42,609	$33,215
Hourly rate	$20.49	$15.97
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	9,300	174,068
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Key grip vs material handler salary

Key grips and material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Key Grip	Material Handler
Average salary	$42,609	$33,215
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $80,000	Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	Minnesota
Best paying company	-	Battelle
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between key grip and material handler education

There are a few differences between a key grip and a material handler in terms of educational background:

	Key Grip	Material Handler
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Photography	Business
Most common college	-	-

Key grip vs material handler demographics

Here are the differences between key grips' and material handlers' demographics:

	Key Grip	Material Handler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1%	Male, 77.6% Female, 22.4%
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, 13.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 5.6% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between key grip and material handler 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.

Material handler example responsibilities.

Utilize a manufacturing cloud ERP system to accomplish tasks.
Operate forklift according to OSHA safety regulations.
Pull parts from stockroom using detail BOM's.
Perform daily transactions of materials and inventory movements in ERP system.
Help train in coming personnel on FedEx and LTL carriers shipping systems.
Move parts from CNC operators to stock area or to assemblers directly.

Key grip vs material handler skills

Common key grip skills

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

Common material handler skills

Pallets, 12%
Basic Math, 6%
Forklifts, 6%
Math, 5%
Customer Service, 4%
Hand Tools, 4%

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Key Grip
Key Grip vs Material Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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