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Production assistant vs production coordinator

The differences between production assistants and production coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a production coordinator has an average salary of $49,366, which is higher than the $33,405 average annual salary of a production assistant.

The top three skills for a production assistant include video production, teleprompter and audio board. The most important skills for a production coordinator are customer service, logistics, and video production.

Production assistant vs production coordinator overview

Production AssistantProduction Coordinator
Yearly salary$33,405$49,366
Hourly rate$16.06$23.73
Growth rate-5%-3%
Number of jobs51,90568,532
Job satisfaction44
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age3846
Years of experience-2

What does a production assistant do?

Production assistants are employees in show business, working behind the scenes. They work in film, television, or even theatre sets primarily to provide support. They usually work directly under directors or producers. Production assistants are responsible for ensuring that the day will run smoothly, be it for a television or film shoot or a performance at the theatre. They should be familiar with all the scenes, ensure that the cast and crew are ready, and cue them when it is their time to go on. They should also be able to anticipate needs that may arise and should be able to quickly mitigate any challenges. Production assistants should be flexible and have quick decision-making skills.

What does a production coordinator do?

A production coordinator's role will vary depending on the industry or line of work. A production coordinator serves as the entire crew's primary point of contact on television and film sets. Among their primary responsibilities is to ensure that everyone gets to receive the necessary reports, daily schedule, and urgent reminders. Moreover, a production coordinator also has to manage the budget, reach out to food caterers, prepare the transportation and location, handle the accommodation and equipment rentals, process the billing, and even secure the necessary permits and documentation.

Production assistant vs production coordinator salary

Production assistants and production coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Production AssistantProduction Coordinator
Average salary$33,405$49,366
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $44,000Between $35,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CityBristol, CTWashington, DC
Highest paying stateHawaiiWyoming
Best paying companyNational Football LeagueMeta
Best paying industryManufacturingTechnology

Differences between production assistant and production coordinator education

There are a few differences between a production assistant and a production coordinator in terms of educational background:

Production AssistantProduction Coordinator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorCommunicationBusiness
Most common college-Stanford University

Production assistant vs production coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between production assistants' and production coordinators' demographics:

Production AssistantProduction Coordinator
Average age3846
Gender ratioMale, 53.4% Female, 46.6%Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 6.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 4.5% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%6%

Differences between production assistant and production coordinator duties and responsibilities

Production assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage customer accounts using Quickbooks.
  • Manage cross-departmental communication and collaboration to increase ESPN viewers.
  • Manage QA process including test/debug cycles and platform compliance/compatibility testing.
  • Manage all office aspects including general administrative duties and assisting with staff payroll.
  • Manage client photography house accounts and submissions, including calculating usage rights and licensing royalty-free and rights-manage images.
  • Manage and refine the metadata system for a photography database -communicate with customers over e-mail with regards to advertisement proofs
  • Show more

Production coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Manage the deployment communications for the Mid-Atlantic upgrade of ATM hardware.
  • Create social media campaigns on Facebook and help manage the AKAOKA blog.
  • Create UNIX shell scripts to automate the processes by avoiding manual process.
  • Utilize EDI communications to manage customer requirements and shipment coordination.
  • Participate and lead Kaizen improvement activities to assure optimum productivity and costs.
  • Manage FedEx shipment processing which includes receiving incoming shipments and keeping records concerning these transactions.
  • Show more

Production assistant vs production coordinator skills

Common production assistant skills
  • Video Production, 18%
  • Teleprompter, 7%
  • Audio Board, 7%
  • Purchase Orders, 4%
  • Production Equipment, 4%
  • Photography, 4%
Common production coordinator skills
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Logistics, 8%
  • Video Production, 6%
  • Production Process, 6%
  • Purchase Orders, 6%
  • Production Schedules, 5%

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