Runs a television series day to day, leading the writers' room and making final creative and production decisions. BLS does not publish separate figures for producers and directors; it counts them within producer and director (SOC 27-2012), whose median pay is $90,360 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 27-2012
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Showrunner in four numbers
- Median pay
- $90,360a year, or $43.44/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $46KTop 10% $199K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +4.0%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 12,100181,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025181K
- Projected 2035188.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 181K Projected 2035 188.3K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school15.2%
- Certificate10.6%
- Some college4.6%
- Associate's12.9%
- Bachelor's56.7%
Highest education held by producers and directors Segment Value High school 15.2% Certificate 10.6% Some college 4.6% Associate's 12.9% Bachelor's 56.7%
Also advertised as: Executive Producer (Television), TV Showrunner, Head Writer, Series Creator, Co-Showrunner.
Pay
How much do Producers and Directors make?
Every showrunner in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$90,360
Middle half earn $62,670 to $134,800
- 10th
- $45,780
- 25th
- $62,670
- 75th
- $134,800
- 90th
- $198,540
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $45,780 |
| 25th | $62,670 |
| Median | $90,360 |
| 75th | $134,800 |
| 90th | $198,540 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 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, Producers and Directors 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 $68,060, this is 33% 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 66% of the 1,741 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.
Pay by state
Which states pay Producers and Directors the most?
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.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $129,790 | $117,224 | 34,110 |
| 2New Jersey | $119,840 | $110,142 | 2,970 |
| 3New York | $107,550 | $99,656 | 27,990 |
| 4District of Columbia | $104,270 | $94,876 | 2,640 |
| 5Connecticut | $88,260 | $85,185 | 2,200 |
| 6Oregon | $87,460 | $84,616 | 1,640 |
| 7Rhode Island | $84,250 | $82,372 | 560 |
| 8Washington | $81,550 | $76,206 | 2,270 |
| 9Illinois | $81,080 | $81,114 | 3,170 |
| 10Massachusetts | $80,970 | $76,562 | 3,440 |
Job outlook
Is Showrunner a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +4.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Producers and Directors | +4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Producers and Directors to change 4.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 7,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 12,100 openings are projected each year, 6.7% of the 181,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Showrunner
Nearly all showrunners begin as television writers, working up through staff writer, story editor, producer and co-executive producer roles over many years. Some create a series and are paired with an experienced co-showrunner for their first show.
Television writers in the United States are typically members of the Writers Guild of America, and the WGA West runs a Showrunner Training Program for experienced writer-producers. Many writers start as writers' assistants or script coordinators, and degrees in film, English or screenwriting are common but not required.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
Less than 5 years
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as producers and directors.
- Bachelor's Degree56.7%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)15.2%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree12.9%
- Post-Secondary Certificate10.6%
- Some College Courses4.6%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 56.7% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 15.2% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 12.9% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 10.6% |
| Some College Courses | 4.6% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Showrunner do?
The showrunner is the person ultimately responsible for a TV series. Usually credited as an executive producer and often the show's creator, they lead the writers' room, break stories for the season, rewrite scripts, and keep the show's voice consistent.
Showrunners also manage production. They hire writers, directors and department heads, approve casting, sets and costumes, oversee editing and sound, and manage the budget with the studio and network. They are the main point of contact for network and streaming executives, giving and receiving notes, and they balance creative goals with schedules that require episodes to be written, shot and finished at the same time.
Day-to-day tasks
- Lead the writers' room and break season story arcs
- Rewrite scripts to maintain the show's voice
- Hire writers, directors and department heads
- Approve casting, design and production decisions
- Supervise editing, music and final cuts of episodes
- Manage budgets and schedules with the studio
- Present notes and plans to network executives
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Showrunners work in production offices, writers' rooms, on set and in editing suites, often all in the same week. The job involves long hours during production, heavy meetings and travel between locations. Pressure is high, since the showrunner answers for every episode.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening4.4
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Monitoring4.0
- Writing3.8
- Active Learning3.3
- Learning Strategies3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 4.4 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 4.0 |
| Writing | 3.8 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness3.9
- Coordination3.9
- Time Management3.6
- Management of Personnel Resources3.6
- Judgment and Decision Making3.5
- Systems Analysis3.5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Negotiation3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.6 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 3.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.5 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.5 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 |
| Negotiation | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Content workflow software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Data mining software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise application integration software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Showrunner?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code EAS) built on O*NET's Producer and Director profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Showrunner |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 2 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 6 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 6 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Artistic6.1
- Enterprising5.9
- Social3.7
- Conventional3.6
- Investigative2.2
- Realistic2.1
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.
Explore further
Careers related to Showrunner
O*NET related occupations
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
More arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media careers
Median annual pay, with producers and directors highlighted
- Art Director$114,850
- Technical Writer$90,390
- Showrunner$90,360
- Editor$77,920
- Writer and Author$76,910
- Public Relations Specialist$74,750
- Interior Designer$67,190
- Graphic Designer$62,960
- Photographer$44,660
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Art Director | $114,850 |
| Technical Writer | $90,390 |
| Showrunner | $90,360 |
| Editor | $77,920 |
| Writer and Author | $76,910 |
| Public Relations Specialist | $74,750 |
| Interior Designer | $67,190 |
| Graphic Designer | $62,960 |
| Photographer | $44,660 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Showrunner appears on
Questions
Showrunner: frequently asked questions
How much do Producers and Directors make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for producers and directors. It counts them within producer and director, whose median pay is $90,360 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $62,670 and $134,800, and the top 10% earn $198,540 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Showrunner?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Producers and Directors, 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, 56.7% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Showrunner a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 4.0% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 12,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Showrunner do?
The showrunner is the person ultimately responsible for a TV series. A typical task: lead the writers' room and break season story arcs. Employers most often ask for Cloud-based data access and sharing software, Content workflow software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Producers and Directors the most?
The highest state medians for Producers and Directors are California ($129,790), New Jersey ($119,840), New York ($107,550) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Showrunner?
O*NET scores Producers and Directors highest on the Artistic, Enterprising and Social interest areas, so the work mixes creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ENFP, ENFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.