How to become a media technical director
Official title: Media technical director
Also called: Technical director, Television floor manager, Technical producer, Lighting director, Production director, Studio director, Location director
Media technical directors oversee the technical aspects of radio, television and other media productions. They may supervise staff and make sure industry standards are met.
Main tasks
- Direct technical parts of broadcasts or shows
- Operate control consoles for sound, lighting or video
- Plan technical needs for projects
- Manage content for broadcasts or shows
- Lead work of production team
- Create graphics and animations for media
- Monitor broadcasts
- Inspect and test recording equipment
How to become one
You usually need experience and a qualification to become a media technical director. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a relevant tertiary qualification in communication and media or similar area; to complete a course related to technical production.
Ways in
- University: Communications & Media degrees, Offered by 4 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $77,000 to $190,000 a year (median $113,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $56,000 a year · Upper: $256,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
- People employed in the group Film, Television, Radio and Stage Directors: 2,496 at the 2018 Census and 4,503 at the 2023 Census (+80.4%). Past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 1,100 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Film, Television, Radio and Stage Directors, 38% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Film, Television, Radio and Stage Directors work (2023 Census): Auckland 44.5%, Wellington 15.5%, and Canterbury 10.7%.
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a media technical director?
You usually need experience and a qualification to become a media technical director. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a relevant tertiary qualification in communication and media or similar area; to complete a course related to technical production.
How much does a media technical director earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $113,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $77,000 to $190,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a media technical director grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Will AI change the work of a media technical director?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026