Unscripted television: reality competitions, docuseries, game shows, and talk shows, where producers find the story in real people instead of a script.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Executive Producer (Unscripted TV): Leads a reality show, docuseries, or competition show from pitch through final episode. Typical pay $180k.
Supervising Story Editor (Unscripted): Leads the editors and story producers who turn hundreds of hours of reality footage into episodes. Typical pay $125k.
Reality TV Psychologist: Screens reality show contestants and supports their mental health during and after filming. Typical pay $120k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Story Producer: Finds the storylines in reality footage and writes scripts and interview questions to shape each episode. Typical pay $90k.
Field Producer: Directs filming on location for reality shows, documentaries, and news, guiding cast and crew. Typical pay $75k.
Casting Producer (Reality): Finds real people to star in reality shows and competitions. Typical pay $72k.
Segment Producer (Talk Show): Plans and produces individual segments on talk shows and morning shows. Typical pay $75k.
Challenge Producer: Invents and tests the challenges, games, and puzzles on competition and game shows. Typical pay $85k.
Game Show Producer: Produces quiz and game shows: questions, contestants, prizes, and taping days. Typical pay $90k.
Game Show Writer: Writes the questions, clues, and categories for quiz shows and game shows. Typical pay $80k.
Game Show Researcher: Checks every question and answer on quiz shows against trusted sources so no wrong answer ever airs, and helps judge disputed responses. Typical pay $72k.
Infomercial Producer: Produces those 'But wait, there's more!' TV ads and online product demos, testing versions to see which ones actually sell. Typical pay $80k.
Starter: fastest way in
Contestant Coordinator: Takes care of game show and competition contestants from audition through taping. Typical pay $48k.
Media Logger: Watches raw reality footage and writes detailed notes on what happens so story producers can find it. Typical pay $42k.
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.