Also called: TV Commercial Director, Ad Director
Directs TV and online commercials for brands, pitching visual ideas to ad agencies, running the shoot, and shaping the final edit.
A commercial director pitches a visual "treatment" to an ad agency, casts actors, and directs a two-day shoot for a car or sneaker ad. Then they work with the editor so the 30-second spot lands perfectly.
Very variable; top commercial directors earn big day rates.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Film school or a strong reel.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Film Production.
Growing about average. Steady with advertising.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI video and image tools now make many ads cheaply, cutting low and mid-budget shoots; big brand campaigns still hire directors.
Classes: Film/video production CTE, Art, Marketing, Photography.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.