State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Media Technical Directors/Manager Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Media Technical Directors/Managers earn a median of $90,360 per year ($43.44/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.9% through 2034, with about 12,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 27-2012Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and MediaLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $90,360
- Projected growth
- +4.9%
- Openings a year
- 12,800
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Broadcast Director, News Technical Director, Newscast Director, Operations Director, Production Director, Production Manager.
How much do Media Technical Directors/Managers make?
10th percentile$45,780
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$62,670
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$90,360
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$134,800
Upper quartile
90th percentile$198,540
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $90,360 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $43.44/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $113,300 |
| People employed | 143,120 |
Versus all US occupations
At $90,360, Media Technical Directors/Managers earn 77% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $39,380 a year.
Versus arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations
Inside the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media group, where the middle occupation pays $72,775, this is 24% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $198,540 or more while the bottom 10% earn $45,780, a gap of 4.3×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 72% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
California pays the most at $129,790, and still leads at $117,224 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Media Technical Directors/Managers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $129,790 | $117,224 | 34,110 |
| New Jersey | $119,840 | $110,142 | 2,970 |
| New York | $107,550 | $99,656 | 27,990 |
| District of Columbia | $104,270 | $94,876 | 2,640 |
| Connecticut | $88,260 | $85,185 | 2,200 |
| Oregon | $87,460 | $84,616 | 1,640 |
| Rhode Island | $84,250 | $82,372 | 560 |
| Washington | $81,550 | $76,206 | 2,270 |
| Illinois | $81,080 | $81,114 | 3,170 |
| Massachusetts | $80,970 | $76,562 | 3,440 |
Is Media Technical Directors/Manager a growing career?
Media Technical Directors/Managers4.9%
All US occupations3.1%
+4.9% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Media Technical Directors/Managers to change 4.9% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 8,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 12,800 openings are projected each year, 7.7% of the 167,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Strong demand for video advertising across platforms is projected to increase demand for these workers. Additionally, new TV shows and movies, especially on online and streaming platforms, are expected to continue to create some opportunities for producers and directors.
Demand for theater producers and directors will depend on funding availability. If there is a steady revenue stream, these workers may be in demand. However, opportunities for producers and directors may be limited in theaters with funding challenges.
How to become a Media Technical Directors/Manager
Producers and directors typically have a bachelor’s degree. They also typically need several years of experience working on set in film, TV, stage, or other productions in positions such as actors, cinematographers, or film and video editors or in related occupations, such as theater managers.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | Less than 5 years |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as media technical directors/managers.
- Bachelor's Degree92.1%
- High School Diploma4.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate1.5%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)1.4%
- Some College Courses0.4%
What does a Media Technical Directors/Manager do?
Coordinate activities of technical departments, such as taping, editing, engineering, and maintenance, to produce radio or television programs.
Producers and directors make business and creative decisions about, film, television, stage, and other productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain, inform, or instruct an audience.
Day-to-day tasks
- Supervise and assign duties to workers engaged in technical control and production of radio and television programs.
- Test equipment to ensure proper operation.
- Train workers in use of equipment, such as switchers, cameras, monitors, microphones, and lights.
- Act as liaisons between engineering and production departments.
- Operate equipment to produce programs or broadcast live programs from remote locations.
- Schedule use of studio and editing facilities for producers and engineering and maintenance staff.
- Confer with operations directors to formulate and maintain fair and attainable technical policies for programs.
- Switch between video sources in a studio or on multi-camera remotes, using equipment such as switchers, video slide projectors, and video effects generators.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where media technical directors/managers work
| Motion picture and video industries | 26% |
|---|---|
| Media streaming distribution services, social networks, and other media networks and content providers | 13% |
| Performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries | 11% |
| Television broadcasting stations | 9% |
| Self-employed workers | 8% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Monitoring4.0/5
- Critical Thinking3.9/5
- Reading Comprehension3.6/5
- Writing3.4/5
- Active Learning3.4/5
- Learning Strategies3.3/5
Transferable skills
- Coordination4.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.5/5
- Time Management3.5/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.4/5
- Persuasion3.4/5
- Operations Monitoring3.3/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.1/5
Tools and software
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Media Technical Directors/Manager?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary4.0
Investigative2.8
Artistic3.4
Social2.6
Enterprisingprimary5.2
Conventionalprimary4.5
Day to day this is work built around leading, persuading, selling and making decisions, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Media Technical Directors/Manager: frequently asked questions
How much do Media Technical Directors/Managers make?
Media Technical Directors/Managers earn a median of $90,360 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 77% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $43.44/hr. The middle half earn between $62,670 and $134,800. The top 10% earn $198,540 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Media Technical Directors/Manager?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Media Technical Directors/Managers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 92.1% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Media Technical Directors/Manager a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 4.9% over 2024–2034, faster than the 3.1% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 12,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Media Technical Directors/Manager do?
Producers and directors make business and creative decisions about, film, television, stage, and other productions. A core O*NET task: supervise and assign duties to workers engaged in technical control and production of radio and television programs. Employers most often ask for Customer relationship management CRM software, Data base management system software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Media Technical Directors/Managers the most?
The highest state medians for Media Technical Directors/Managers are California ($129,790), New Jersey ($119,840), New York ($107,550) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Media Technical Directors/Manager?
O*NET scores Media Technical Directors/Managers highest on the Enterprising, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes leading, persuading, selling and making decisions with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.