What does a television director do?
Television director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real television director resumes:
- Coordinate and manage show production, including budget creation, scriptwriting and booking guest for on camera interviews.
- Execute integrated advertising campaigns across multiple media channels including television, radio, and newspapers.
- Spearhead a move to a non-linear, SAN base, HD exclusive edit system.
- Execute integrated advertising campaigns across multiple media channels including television, radio, and newspapers.
Television director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 53% of Television Directors are proficient in Video Production, Live Broadcasts, and Control Room. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Communication skills, and Leadership skills.
We break down the percentage of Television Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Video Production, 53%
Owner/operated independent television production company providing full-service video productions.
- Live Broadcasts, 13%
Managed and assigned editors for editing videotapes prior to broadcast coordinated videotapes and remotes for live broadcast.
- Control Room, 12%
Lead the production crew in the control room to make sure the newscast was executed cleanly on air.
- Camera Operators, 5%
Trained volunteer camera operators, editing, and production techniques.
- Audio Tech, 5%
Promoted from Audio Tech to Assistant Director to Director within three years.
- Video Equipment, 5%
Trained personnel in camera operations, production procedures, proper video equipment usage, and camera composition.
Most television directors use their skills in "video production," "live broadcasts," and "control room" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential television director responsibilities here:
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a television director to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "because a script may be interpreted in different ways, directors must decide on their approach and on how to represent the script’s ideas for the production." Additionally, a television director resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "oversee creative and technical decisions of live broadcast. "
Communication skills. Many television director duties rely on communication skills. "producers and directors must convey information and ideas clearly in order to coordinate many people to finish a production on time and within budget.," so a television director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways television director responsibilities rely on communication skills: "produced educational videos for children's national medical center and the cellular telecommunications industry association. "
Leadership skills. This is an important skill for television directors to perform their duties. For an example of how television director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "directors instruct actors and help them portray their characters in a believable manner." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a television director: "awarded the carole kneeland broadcast news director leadership fellowship, 2005. ".
Compare different television directors
Television director vs. Assistant technical manager
A technical account manager is primarily responsible for providing technical support to clients through calls and correspondence, securing sales and ensuring customer satisfaction. Aside from assisting clients, a technical account manager may conduct an assessment to determine the needs of a client, perform follow up calls, offer upgrades and add-ons, answer inquiries, troubleshoot, and even provide extensive and detailed instructions to customers on using their products or services. Furthermore, a technical account manager must monitor the delivery of services and report progress to managers or supervisors.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between television directors and assistant technical manager. For instance, television director responsibilities require skills such as "video production," "live broadcasts," "control room," and "live television production." Whereas a assistant technical manager is skilled in "customer service," "technical support," "air filters," and "customer vehicles." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Assistant technical managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $86,130. In contrast, television directors make the biggest average salary, $53,250, in the media industry.assistant technical managers tend to reach lower levels of education than television directors. In fact, assistant technical managers are 5.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Television director vs. Technical account manager
A member, technical staff's role will vary depending on the organization or company. Most of the responsibilities may revolve around developing new applications or systems, conducting research and analysis, performing numerous testing activities, and designing strategic methods to improve technical aspects of a particular project. Furthermore, they can take charge of a team and oversee operations, ensuring that all processes are efficient and running smoothly. Most of the work will be in a group setting with time-sensitive tasks; therefore, it is crucial to coordinate at all times.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real television director resumes. While television director responsibilities can utilize skills like "video production," "live broadcasts," "control room," and "live television production," technical account managers use skills like "cloud," "database," "project management," and "technical support."
On average, technical account managers earn a higher salary than television directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, technical account managers earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $105,616. Whereas television directors have higher pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $53,250.In general, technical account managers achieve similar levels of education than television directors. They're 1.1% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Television director vs. Member, technical staff
The video production manager is tasked with overseeing the processes of video production. They provide the needs of production staff, oversee the project budget, prepare permits and documents, and ensure all production schedules are met. They are tasked with hiring people and assigning them to specific tasks. They ensure that all equipment is set up properly and is in good working condition. Furthermore, they may be expected to oversee the video editing process.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from television director resumes include skills like "video production," "live broadcasts," "control room," and "live television production," whereas a member, technical staff is more likely to list skills in "java," "python," "debugging," and "tcp ip. "
Members, technical staff earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $114,493. Television directors earn the highest pay from the media industry, with an average salary of $53,250.When it comes to education, members, technical staff tend to earn similar degree levels compared to television directors. In fact, they're 2.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Television director vs. Video production manager
Types of television director
Updated January 8, 2025
