Artistic, literary and media occupations

How to become an arts officer, producer or director

Official title: Arts officers, producers and directors

Also called: Director, Producer, Art adviser, Tv director, Tv producer, Arts adviser, Arts officer, Film director, Film producer, Line producer, Art consultant, Stage director

Arts officers, producers and directors assume creative, financial and organisational responsibilities in the production and direction of television and radio programmes, films, stage presentations, content for other media, and the promotion and exhibition of other creative activities.

Main tasks

Chooses writers, scripts, technical staff and performers, and assumes overall responsibility for completion of project on time and within budget
Directs actors, designers, camera team, sound crew and other production and technical staff to achieve desired effects
Breaks script into scenes and formulates a shooting schedule that will be most economical in terms of time, location and sets
Prepares rehearsal and production schedule for main events, design of sets and costumes, technical rehearsals and dress rehearsals
Ensures necessary equipment, props, performers and technical staff are on set when required
Manages health and safety issues
Selects, contracts, markets and arranges for the presentation and/or distribution of performance, visual and heritage arts

How to become one

Entry can be via academic qualifications, BTEC/SQA awards, diplomas or degrees in sector-relevant subjects. Apprenticeships are available at NVQ levels 2 and 3 in some areas.

Ways in

Apprenticeship (England): Content creator (level 3). England. Typically 15 months. Skills England standard ST0105.
Apprenticeship (England): Junior production coordinator (level 4). England. Typically 18 months. Skills England standard ST0792.
Apprenticeship (England): Production assistant - screen and audio (level 3). England. Typically 9 months. Skills England standard ST0341.
University: Creative Arts & Design degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

Median full-time pay: £45,534 a year The middle half earn £35,078 to null.
About 122,100 people work in this job now, and about 135,700 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)

Questions people ask

How do I become an arts officer, producer or director?

Entry can be via academic qualifications, BTEC/SQA awards, diplomas or degrees in sector-relevant subjects. Apprenticeships are available at NVQ levels 2 and 3 in some areas.

How much does an arts officer, producer or director earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £45,534 a year (Office for National Statistics).

Is an arts officer, producer or director a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 122,100 to about 135,700 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become an arts officer, producer or director?

Usually. 80% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.