What Does A Talent Director Do (including Their Typical Day at Work)

Stan T.Career, OverviewLeave a Comment

Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Talent Directors

Talent Directors audition and interview performers to select most appropriate talent for parts in stage, television, radio, or motion picture productions.

Salary
$96690
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality


What they do

Talent Directors audition and interview performers to select most appropriate talent for parts in stage, television, radio, or motion picture productions.

  • Audition and interview performers to match their attributes to specific roles or to increase the pool of available acting talent.
  • Prepare actors for auditions by providing scripts and information about roles and casting requirements.
  • Select performers for roles or submit lists of suitable performers to producers or directors for final selection.
  • Contact agents and actors to provide notification of audition and performance opportunities and to set up audition times.

Typical day

On a daily basis, Talent Directors maintain talent files that include information such as performers’ specialties, past performances, and availability. They hire and supervise workers who help locate people with specified attributes and talents.

A typical day for a Talent Director will also include:

  • Review performer information, such as photos, resumes, voice tapes, videos, and union membership, to decide whom to audition for parts.
  • Contact agents and actors to provide notification of audition and performance opportunities and to set up audition times.
  • Select performers for roles or submit lists of suitable performers to producers or directors for final selection.
  • Audition and interview performers to match their attributes to specific roles or to increase the pool of available acting talent.
  • Arrange for or design screen tests or auditions for prospective performers.

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Talent Directors also attend or view productions to maintain knowledge of available actors. They may also locate performers or extras for the crowd and background scenes, and stand-ins or photo doubles for actors, by direct contact or through agents.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Talent Directors negotiate contract agreements with performers, with agents, or between performers and agents or production companies. They might also audition and interview performers to match their attributes to specific roles or to increase the pool of available acting talent.

In addition, they select performers for roles or submit lists of suitable performers to producers or directors for final selection.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them serve as liaisons between directors, actors, and agents.

To some Talent Directors, it is also their responsibility to read scripts and confer with producers to determine the types and numbers of performers required for a given production.

What is the job like

Job satisfaction

Average

Is this job meaningful

Average

68% said they were satisfied with their job and 49% said they found their job meaningful.


Casting Buffalo LLC

If I’m casting a job it’s a lot of correspondence and looking at faces to put together, I look at my work in casting as being a sort of “art director of people”. My duties as a casting director really depend on the particular job. Many variables factor into the work on any given project, … Read More


The Animal Talent, a casting agency supplying ethically trained animals to film, TV, and creative media productions.

I’m Paula Stewart, director of The Animal Talent; a casting agency supplying ethically trained animals to film, TV, and creative media productions. I’ve been working in the entertainment industry for 20 years and my career has spanned music, TV, celebrity, and film. Although my job title and name of the business don’t sound particularly filmic. … Read More


Pros

Suitable for people who like to start and carry out projects.

Suitable for people who value achievements and are results-oriented.

This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.

Very high salary (top 25% highest paid careers).

Cons

Not suitable for people who like to solve problems mentally.

It is hard to get into this career. A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.

Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).

How much do they make

Average salary

$96690 per year

Average hourly wage

$46 per hour

Entry-level Talent Directors with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $36,070 to $51,760 per year or $17 to $25 per hour.

Salary by experience Annual Hourly
Highest (Top 10%) $184,660 $89
Senior (Top 25%) $118,020 $57
Median $76,400 $37
Junior (Bottom 25%) $51,760 $25
No experience (Bottom 10%) $36,070 $17

What is the work day like

Working hours

Less than 40 hours
16%

40 hours
59%

More than 40 hours
25%

Working schedule

60%

30%

10%

Email

How often do you use email in this job?

Once a week
6%

Every day
93%

Telephone

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Once a week
21%

Every day
79%

Group discussions

How often do you have group discussions in this job?

Once a week
15%

Every day
71%

Public speaking

How often does this job require you to do public speaking?

Never
32%

Once a year
15%

Once a month
32%

Once a week
18%

Every day
4%

Level of competition

How much competitive pressure is in this job?

Not competitive at all
25%

Slightly competitive
2%

Moderately competitive
10%

Highly competitive
43%

Extremely competitive
20%

What is the work environment like

Office-style environment

Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition

Never
8%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
2%

Once a week or more
19%

Every day
71%

Warehouse-style environment

Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse

Never
68%

Once a year or more
6%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
26%

Every day
0%

Outdoors

Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions

Never
60%

Once a year or more
33%

Once a month or more
1%

Once a week or more
6%

Every day
0%

Outdoors – Under Cover

Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)

Never
85%

Once a year or more
8%

Once a month or more
1%

Once a week or more
6%

Every day
0%

How to become one

Difficulty to become one

Hard
You will need a considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience. Careers in this difficulty category usually require a Bachelor’s degree and several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. Similar careers include Database Administrators, Chemists, Art Directors, and Accountants.

Required level of education

What level of education do you need to perform the job?

Less than a High School Diploma
0%

High School Diploma or equivalent
1%

Post-Secondary Certificate
0%

Some College Courses
10%

Associate’s Degree or similar
19%

Bachelor’s Degree
42%

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
9%

Master’s Degree
11%

Post-Master’s Certificate
0%

First Professional Degree
7%

Doctoral Degree
0%

Post-Doctoral Training
0%

Relevant majors

No majors found

Relevant work experience

How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?

None
0%

1 month
0%

1 to 3 months
9%

3 to 6 months
0%

6 months to 1 year
4%

1 to 2 years
20%

2 to 4 years
21%

4 to 6 years
32%

6 to 8 years
7%

8 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
7%

On The Job Training

How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?

None or short demonstration
1%

1 month
10%

1 to 3 months
23%

3 to 6 months
9%

6 months to 1 year
31%

1 to 2 years
16%

2 to 4 years
10%

4 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Leader

People with this personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.

The Builder
24%

People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


The Thinker
19%

People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.


The Artist
81%

People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.


The Helper
48%

People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.


The Leader
100%

People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.


The Organizer
52%

People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.


You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tend to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk-taking and often deal with business.

They also like working with forms, designs, and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.

Work Values

Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?

Achievement
76%

You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Working Conditions
71%

You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.

Recognition
71%

You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.

Relationships
76%

You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support
43%

You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.

Independence
67%

You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.

FAQ


Don’t know which career to pursue?

Take the career quiz to find careers that match your personality type.

Take The Career Quiz

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.