Screen Producer

A Screen Producer oversees the development, financing, and production of film, television, or digital content projects from conception through completion. They manage budgets, coordinate creative teams, secure funding and distribution, and ensure projects are delivered on schedule and within financial parameters. Working in production companies, broadcasters, or as independent producers, they balance artistic vision with commercial viability and regulatory compliance.

Develop and pitch original concepts or acquire rights to existing intellectual property for screen projects. Prepare production budgets, financial forecasts, and secure funding through investors, broadcasters, or grants from Screen Australia or state film agencies. Negotiate contracts with writers, directors, cast, crew, and post-production vendors. Recruit and hire key creative personnel including directors of photography, production designers, and editors. Manage production schedules and timelines, coordinating pre-production, principal photography, and post-production phases. Monitor expenditure against budget and authorise payments to production suppliers and crew. Ensure compliance with Australian Screen Production Incentive schemes, tax offset requirements, and QAPE (Qualified Australian Production Expenditure) obligations. Coordinate with distributors and broadcasters regarding delivery specifications, classification requirements (Australian Classification Board), and broadcast standards.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

Income is unpredictable and often low, especially starting out. You'll chase funding constantly, projects fall through at the last moment, and you might go months without pay between productions. Most work is contract-based with no job security, and you're competing for limited screen funding in Australia. Many people need a second income or wealthy backing to survive the early years.

Regional areas rarely have ongoing production work. Production is heavily concentrated in major cities where studios, post-production facilities, and broadcaster offices operate. Remote work is minimal: you need to be on set or in offices where deals happen.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 2121, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Active Listeningcore
• Adaptability and Flexibilitycore
• Attention to Detailcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskillingcore
• Cultural Awareness and Sensitivitycore
• Digital Literacycore
• Empathy and Emotional Intelligencecore
• Goal Setting and Planningcore
• Inclusive Practicecore
• Multitaskingcore
• Negotiationcore
• Project managementcore
• Research and Analysiscore
• Risk managementcore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workload Self-Managementcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Check correctness of information
• Conflict De-escalation

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Screen Producer workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026