How To Become A Field Producer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a field producer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Johnathan Paul

Field producers are in charge of any aspect of a tv, radio broadcast, film, or commercial project, typically focusing on projects outside a studio. Often working in the broadcasting industry, they locate outlets, research leads, and produce material for a story. They work with other professionals on a production team, such as cameramen and photographers, to highlight an incident or story while at the same time ensuring time limits and mission guidelines are followed.

Field producers are responsible for researching, composing, and editing materials. They schedule interviews and location shots and deliver material under tight deadlines. Additionally, field producers are in charge of time sequences, editing videos, and reviewing broadcasts to track output against existing broadcast and performance requirements.

Most field producers hold a bachelor's degree, and typically specified candidates have production experience ranging from one to five years. Employers expect field producers to have production and post-production expertise in filming film, setting up lighting equipment, and using editing and graphics tools. Other critical skills include time management, as productions are always deadline-driven, and highly developed communication and writing skills.

What general advice would you give to a Field Producer?

Johnathan Paul

Adjunct Professor, University of North Texas

My number one piece of advice for soon-to-be or recent graduates is never to stop learning. I always strive to tell my students to be as diverse as possible. Don't just know one thing; in today's market, you need to know how to do several things. Diversify your tool palette. This will help you in the long run and may lead you to a career path you didn't realize existed.

ScoreField ProducerUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,364

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.2

Growth Rate 8%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 6.31%

Black or African American 7.77%

Hispanic or Latino 14.28%

Unknown 5.56%

White 65.91%

Gender

female 44.09%

male 55.91%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

2.8

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a field producer

Explore field producer education requirements

Most common field producer degrees

Bachelor's

85.5 %

Master's

6.6 %

Associate

5.3 %

Start to develop specific field producer skills

Skills	Percentages
Video Production	20.72%
Booking	8.84%
Reality	5.67%
Video Content	5.30%
B-Roll	4.77%

Complete relevant field producer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New field producers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a field producer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real field producer resumes.

Research field producer duties and responsibilities

Hire national and international crews, lead on-site location scouting, conduct on-site interviews and determine b-roll to be shoot.
Manage all production activities for fast-pace popular daytime reality series.
Manage the QA process including test/debug cycles and platform compliance/compatibility testing.
Hire nationally to cover NFL, MLB, NBA and NCAA breaking news.

Prepare your field producer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your field producer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a field producer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Field Producer Resume templates

Build a professional Field Producer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Field Producer resume.

Apply for field producer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a field producer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do field producers rate their job?