Muthuveera Maraimalai

Research Assessment #1
Date: September 11, 2016
Job Title: Television Production
MLA Citations:
"Television Producer." Careers. Princeton Review, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2016.
http://www.princetonreview.com/careers/156/television-producer
Creative

Skillset. Chegg, 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 11 Sept. 2016.

http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/tv/job_roles/295_executive_producer
"Television Production Majors: Salary and Career Facts."
Learn.com. Learn. Com, 29
May 2015. Web. 11 Sept. 2016.
http://learn.org/articles/Television_Production_Majors_Your_Career_and_Salary_Questions_An
swered.html

Job Description: Television producers are in charge of supervising production of either a news
segment, television show, or other miscellaneous video projects from the beginning to the end,
either in the studio or on location. A producer is responsible for tasks such as organizing
shooting schedules, researching ideas, assessing scripts, supervising production progress of
production from preproduction to post, etc. Working hours can involve irregular hours and even
holidays.
Education, Training, and Certification: A bachelors degree in anything, from political
science to business, is helpful due to the variety of TV programs available, but a degree in TV
Production is the most sought out degree for recruiters, and some may require a masters degree
in Media Arts, which can lead to positions in primetime TV shows. It is expected to complete an
internship while completing their bachelors or masters to build their resume and credibility.

College, Post-High School Programs and Recommended High School Courses:

Recommended high school courses are video tech, video editing, joining the schools production
team and getting as much hands on experience as possible. A four year degree program is not
required for television productions because at the end, a persons success in the field depends on
the quality of the connections they have made and their work ethic, but a four year degree is

Muthuveera Maraimalai

recommended. Common undergraduate programs for television production includes Media Arts,
Media and Communications, or Film Production.
National and Local Professional Organizations:
Society for Cinema and Media Studies, American Film Institute, Political Film Society.
Related Areas:
Careers that are close to television production includes, but not limited to, television writing,
broadcast journalists, associate producing , and newsroom directors.
Salary: Television producers are expected to start at $18,000 in the Dallas- Fort Worth area and
can go up to an average salary of $65,000.
Career Outlook:
Television production is expected to increase 9% between the years 2015 to 2024, faster than the
average for other occupations.
Typical Terminology: There are many technical terms one should learn to get familiar with,
considering this is show business.
Analysis:
Overall, I am underwhelmed at the statistics and research I have done so far on
Television Production for a number of reasons. It isnt stable as I would prefer, considering more
than half of the people in the field are freelancers and end up doing part time jobs in other fields.
It does not pay well as other jobs since the pay depends solely on the success of the network, TV
segment, and what you are being asked to produce. And opportunities for internships and jobs
are incredibly slim due to the highly competitive nature of the job and popularity. All this
research could persuade someone to stop their ISM journey at this point, believing this field is
not worth pursuing, however this is not the case for me because it only made me realize how
much harder I have to work to be successful.
In the article Television Production Majors: Salary and Facts, it discusses the required
degrees you might need in order to major in Television Production. It seems the path one must
take to become a Television producer is a major in visual arts, whether its media, film, digital
graphics, or broadcast journalism (even though it might not be considered visual arts). These
majors will help a TV producer in the long run considering the main job of a producer is to put
together the main components of the TV program. You are expected to handle creative decisions
to business decisions, and majoring in these programs will definitely teach one how to multi-task

Muthuveera Maraimalai

and how to handle these decisions. This article gave me a clearer outlook on what majors I
should start focusing on and why these majors can help me in the long run.
In the second article, Creative Skillset: Executive Producer, the author provides a list of
the skills and personality traits you should learn or have in order to be successful as a producer. I
plan on printing this list and keeping it in my portfolio because this could be a clear indication of
what is expected from me by my mentors, and in the future, by my co-workers. This article also
helps give me an idea on what type of organizations television producers are apart of, even if
they are not from north Texas. These organizations include, but not limited to, The Production
Guild, Pact, UK MEDIA Team, and BBC Academy. Overall this article just helped me
understood what will be expected in the TV industry
And lastly, in the third article, A Day in the Life of the Television Producer, it gave
great insight as to what a day in the shoes of a successful producer will feel like. This article has
probably been the most personal and informational about the industry because it explains the
tasks behind the scenes and the toll this job can take on ones mindset. The article explains how
TV Production is a stressful job because of the constant time crunch they are under and the
amount of people they have to work with. It also demonstrates how your career will grow in ten
years, from starting out as an intern in a major TV network to an associate producer whose main
job is to proofread scripts to finally becoming and Executive Producer where you are given more
freedom with your creativity and you get to lead large groups of people.
All in all, the research confirmed my fears about the competitiveness of the field and how
long it may take to move up in positions, but it was great to learn how the field is not in decline
and it has a higher increase rate than the average for other jobs and I am more anxious to learn
and get hands on experience when I find a mentor and visit them on site, and it gave me a great
outlook on what my year in ISM will look like.