Post job

Producer director vs freelance producer

The differences between producer directors and freelance producers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a producer director and a freelance producer. Additionally, a freelance producer has an average salary of $62,218, which is higher than the $54,924 average annual salary of a producer director.

The top three skills for a producer director include video production, photography and music videos. The most important skills for a freelance producer are music videos, news stories, and video content.

Producer director vs freelance producer overview

Producer DirectorFreelance Producer
Yearly salary$54,924$62,218
Hourly rate$26.41$29.91
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs13,9319,703
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age4040
Years of experience1212

What does a producer director do?

A producer-director is responsible for ensuring that the production operations run smoothly, both in the business and creative side. The producer-director monitors the production staff's performance, as well as reviewing the output of delegated tasks, and manages promotional and marketing events. They also coordinate closely with the creative team to meet deadlines and maintain project deliverables within the budget goals. A producer-director must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on negotiating with sponsors to create the best experience for the audience.

What does a freelance producer do?

The responsibilities of a freelance producer are so broad that they can be tricky to define. Broadly, a freelance producer is responsible for finding, launching, and completing a project. They primarily handle logistics pertaining to the creation of various pieces of content. This content may include television shows, advertisements, or audio/video presentations. They also manage finances, keep the production within the allocated budget, and hire all key staff, crew members, and post-production teams. They may also have to scout for shoot locations.

Producer director vs freelance producer salary

Producer directors and freelance producers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Producer DirectorFreelance Producer
Average salary$54,924$62,218
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $91,000Between $33,000 And $113,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyApple-
Best paying industryMedia-

Differences between producer director and freelance producer education

There are a few differences between a producer director and a freelance producer in terms of educational background:

Producer DirectorFreelance Producer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common majorPhotographyPhotography
Most common collegeStanford UniversityHarvard University

Producer director vs freelance producer demographics

Here are the differences between producer directors' and freelance producers' demographics:

Producer DirectorFreelance Producer
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 73.5% Female, 26.5%Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage14%14%

Differences between producer director and freelance producer duties and responsibilities

Producer director example responsibilities.

  • Manage day-to-day completion activities including project planning and QA testing.
  • Implement social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Design a DVD layout for the video and also edit a trailer of the video for YouTube.
  • Team with top female comedy stars to create and deliver popular original live shows, later release for DVD distribution.
  • Air nationally as part of the PBS prime-time schedule.
  • Develop video concepts and marketing strategies for small to mid size companies in NYC.
  • Show more

Freelance producer example 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.
  • Show more

Producer director vs freelance producer skills

Common producer director skills
  • Video Production, 10%
  • Photography, 8%
  • Music Videos, 5%
  • Instagram, 5%
  • Promotional Videos, 5%
  • Video Content, 4%
Common freelance producer skills
  • Music Videos, 20%
  • News Stories, 6%
  • Video Content, 5%
  • Video Production, 4%
  • Live Events, 4%
  • Photography, 4%

Browse arts, entertainment, sports, and media jobs