How To Become A Writer/Director: What It Is and Career Path

What is a writer/director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted Expert

Whitney Adams

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a writer/director. For example, did you know that they make an average of $28.26 an hour? That's $58,777 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 5,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a Writer/Director?

Whitney Adams

Visiting Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, Berry College

An individual entering the writing field may do the following tasks daily:
1. Researching and brainstorming ideas for new articles, stories, or projects
2. Writing and editing content for various platforms, including websites, blogs,
newspapers, magazines, or social media
3. Pitching ideas and articles to editors or clients
4. Conducting interviews with sources for articles or stories
5. Collaborating with other writers, editors, and team members
6. Reviewing and editing drafts of their work
7. Engaging with readers and followers on social media
8. Marketing and promoting their work
9. Attending writing workshops, events, or networking opportunities
10.Keeping up to date with industry trends and news in the writing field

ScoreWriter/DirectorUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $58,777

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

3.4

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.36%

Asian 5.01%

Black or African American 6.09%

Hispanic or Latino 7.82%

Unknown 5.63%

White 75.08%

Gender

female 27.78%

male 72.22%

Age - 41

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 - 41

Stress Level

3.4

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.4

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a writer/director

Explore writer/director education requirements

Most common writer/director degrees

Bachelor's

75.5 %

Master's

10.5 %

Associate

9.2 %

Start to develop specific writer/director skills

Skills	Percentages
Music Videos	18.95%
Film Festival	11.75%
Comedy	6.20%
Adobe Premiere	6.08%
Sketch	4.45%

Research writer/director duties and responsibilities

Manage social media (Instagram, Facebook, etc . )
Manage projects diligently under aggressive deadlines while maintaining editorial integrity and ensuring stories have entertainment and/or educational value.
Work closely with sketch artist to plan the cinematography.
Create an ongoing animation series, host on YouTube

Get writer/director experience

Prepare your writer/director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your writer/director 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 writer/director resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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Apply for writer/director jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a writer/director 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 writer/directors rate their job?