What does a television producer do?
Television producer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real television producer resumes:
- Manage day-to-day completion activities including project planning and QA testing.
- Research, write, produce, direct, and edit several acclaim documentaries.
- Produce editorial and commercial photography and digital videos from initial conceptual phase to delivery of final artwork execution.
- Edit all clips to ensure correct timeline.
- Organize the production of all segments or clips as well as advertisements.
- Handle all editorial information for the correspondent as they prepare to go live from a CNN flash studio.
- Interview both NHL and MLB players for pregame show sound
Television producer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 25% of Television Producers are proficient in Video Production, Television Production, and Adobe Premiere. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Leadership skills, and Time-management skills.
We break down the percentage of Television Producers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Video Production, 25%
Work with talent; coordinate shoots and other elements as needed for video productions.
- Television Production, 10%
Supervised and managed television production crew with directorial responsibilities for live news broadcasts.
- Adobe Premiere, 7%
Edited shows using Adobe Premiere Pro, then aired on Alerta TV network.
- Live Television, 6%
Produced and anchored weekly newscast Anchored and reported sportscast Covered the presidential election on live television
- PBS, 6%
Developed, wrote, produced, and directed Emmy-nominated documentary about wolverines for PBS and National Geographic Channel International.
- Television Show, 6%
Serve as show producer for regularly scheduled, long-format television shows for City of Tallahassee Government Access Channel.
Common skills that a television producer uses to do their job include "video production," "television production," and "adobe premiere." You can find details on the most important television producer responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a television producer to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what television producers do because "producers and directors must convey information and ideas clearly in order to coordinate many people to finish a production on time and within budget." Additionally, a television producer resume shows how television producers use communication skills: "produced documentaries and travel shows for discovery communications, learning channel and the travel channel. "
Leadership skills. Many television producer duties rely on leadership skills. "directors instruct actors and help them portray their characters in a believable manner," so a television producer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways television producer responsibilities rely on leadership skills: "maintained strong and stable client relationships and provided ongoing leadership to artists and production staff. "
Creativity. For certain television producer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "creativity." The day-to-day duties of a television producer rely on this skill, as "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." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what television producers do: "direct all aspects of the creative process from creative writing to video production to post production. "
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Compare different television producers
Television producer vs. Stage manager
A stage manager is someone who oversees theatrical performances and all practical and technical aspects of rehearsals and shows, such as lighting cues, sound, prop usage, and costume changes. The core skills that stage managers should possess to accomplish their responsibilities include excellent attention to detail, the ability to multi-task and work under pressure, and strong leadership and problem-solving skills. They should be able to delegate tasks to staff. The job requires no formal education.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a television producer are more likely to require skills like "video production," "television production," "adobe premiere," and "live television." On the other hand, a job as a stage manager requires skills like "stage management," "control room," "technical aspects," and "technical rehearsals." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Stage managers tend to reach similar levels of education than television producers. In fact, stage managers are 2.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Television producer vs. Assistant stage manager
Producer interns require strong analytical, delegation, planning, time management, and prioritization skills, in addition to flexibility and the ability to work in fast-paced environments. Interns will need to set up rehearsals, transport musicians and instruments, plan and assist with recreational activities, and perform various other production tasks.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real television producer resumes. While television producer responsibilities can utilize skills like "video production," "television production," "adobe premiere," and "live television," assistant stage managers use skills like "live performances," "technical aspects," "costumes," and "stage management."
In general, assistant stage managers achieve similar levels of education than television producers. They're 3.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for television producers in the next 3-5 years?
Johnathan Paul
Adjunct Professor, University of North Texas
Television producer vs. Producer internship
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.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a television producer is likely to be skilled in "television production," "live television," "television programs," and "adobe creative suite," while a typical producer internship is skilled in "audio clips," "video content," "instagram," and "b-roll."
When it comes to education, producer interns tend to earn similar degree levels compared to television producers. In fact, they're 3.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Television producer vs. Producer director
Types of television producer
Updated January 8, 2025
