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Studio director vs creative director

The differences between studio directors and creative directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a studio director and a creative director. Additionally, a creative director has an average salary of $137,779, which is higher than the $99,189 average annual salary of a studio director.

The top three skills for a studio director include business development, studio operations and video production. The most important skills for a creative director are graphic design, creative concepts, and creative direction.

Studio director vs creative director overview

Studio DirectorCreative Director
Yearly salary$99,189$137,779
Hourly rate$47.69$66.24
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs9,27711,610
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age4040
Years of experience66

What does a studio director do?

A studio director is a multi-disciplined leader with a depth of experience and pragmatic skills. They are responsible for running the studio and work in a team.

What does a creative director do?

A creative director is an individual who creates and maintains a vision for a company's products and branding through digital, print, and film installations. Creative directors supervise and innovative staff team such as graphic designers and artists to discuss and plan the vision's layout and visuals. They also meet with clients or marketing and advertising departments to create designs and make the necessary changes to the systems. Most creative directors must have a bachelor's degree in fine arts and should build work portfolios while starting their careers as graphic designers or photographers.

Studio director vs creative director salary

Studio directors and creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Studio DirectorCreative Director
Average salary$99,189$137,779
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $211,000Between $82,000 And $228,000
Highest paying CityPortland, ORMenlo Park, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaCalifornia
Best paying companySaks Fifth AvenueApple
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between studio director and creative director education

There are a few differences between a studio director and a creative director in terms of educational background:

Studio DirectorCreative Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 78%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorCommunicationGraphic Design
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Studio director vs creative director demographics

Here are the differences between studio directors' and creative directors' demographics:

Studio DirectorCreative Director
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 52.0% Female, 48.0%Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 7.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between studio director and creative director duties and responsibilities

Studio director example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage business-to-business PowerPoint presentation service that create new business opportunities and increase revenue for the company.
  • Retouch photos using Photoshop and Lightroom creating special effects in post-production.
  • Provide technical support towards the creation of corporate presentations for conference room environments using Microsoft PowerPoint and digital projection systems.
  • Provide creative copy direction and copywriting for pharmaceutical clients' internal corporate communications programs, training programs and sales force meetings.
  • Collaborate with executive staff to develop content and produce photographic editorials.

Creative director example responsibilities.

  • Manage designers and lead entire in-house healthcare creative department.
  • Manage all social media outlets and create Youtube channel.
  • Create, direct, and produce engaging videos and manage Instagram page.
  • Manage staff including designers, producers, HTML designers, creative writers, and developers; interview and select candidates.
  • Manage multiple social media profiles (corporate twitter accounts and blogs) to strategically increase readership and draw website traffic.
  • Develop and manage business-to-business PowerPoint presentation service that create new business opportunities and increase revenue for the company.
  • Show more

Studio director vs creative director skills

Common studio director skills
  • Business Development, 17%
  • Studio Operations, 13%
  • Video Production, 12%
  • Lead Generation, 9%
  • Design Studio, 6%
  • Graphic Design, 6%
Common creative director skills
  • Graphic Design, 6%
  • Creative Concepts, 6%
  • Creative Direction, 6%
  • Video Production, 5%
  • Photography, 5%
  • Digital Marketing, 4%

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