The NoCo Producer Landscape Study
A comprehensive, industry-wide study of Producers and all related roles.
PRODUCERS ARE THE SPARK
Inside this report:
-
Titles
Levels, experience, industry
Demographics -
Responsibilities
Primary Focus
Account Size
Involvement -
Client Relationships
Business-Critical Matters
Decision Making -
Pay and Value
Mentorship
Role Clarity
Involvement -
Quantitative data
Qualitative data
Survey dates
Recruitment methods
The NoCo Producer Landscape Study aims to document the current state of Producers in the creative and innovation industries and to identify the critical opportunities for this potent discipline.
The Producer—a role as difficult to define as it is essential—functions at the center of creative and innovation workflows, leading projects and teams, connecting execution to strategy, and fostering relationships inside and outside of companies to galvanize business success. While there are numerous functioning Producer-empowered org models to reference, the Producer role has yet to be fully understood or properly employed industry-wide.
Change starts with an understanding of the problem. The data from the NoCo Producer Landscape Study has been distilled in this full report to reveal the true state of the discipline and unveil opportunities for leveraging Producers for the best outcomes.
Insights Report
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WHO IS THE PRODUCER?
The Producer is an archetype that manifests in many different titles and roles across a wide range of companies and orgs. Being a Producer means facilitating, shepherding, managing, directing, and guiding a crew through a body of work, from the scale of a single small project to an entire organization.
Producers operate in integrated roles that connect client partnership more to the delivery of the work, leadership of the team, and core of business intelligence. However, they are not being fully conceptualized, recognized, mentored, empowered, valued, and retained. Producers could and should be driving the modern model of creative, innovative delivery because of their unique ability to strategically connect projects, clients, team, and business.
DATA: THE PRODUCER
Titles
The role may be titled differently across the industry and within various orgs, but the term “Producer” is a widely used and relevant title.
NOTE: Examples of other titles for this role include variations of: Project Manager, Product Manager, Program Manager, Account Manager, Group Director, and Managing Director.
42%
41%
of Producers surveyed selected “Producer” as the role title that best matches the primary focus of their job duties (the highest percentage among all results)
out of 282 Producers surveyed (119 individuals) include the term “producer” in their title
Levels
Producers surveyed show up almost equally across all levels, from the most junior of individual contributors to executives and business owners, indicating the role is relevant at all altitudes of business.
Years of Experience
Producers comprise a seasoned, experienced discipline, with the majority of respondents being very experienced in the role: 80% of Producers surveyed have been in the discipline 8 years or more. Yet, 63% of Producers surveyed have been at their current or most recent employer for 3 years or less.
NOTE: Statistical methods indicate these percentages are fairly indicative of all Producers in the industry. The Confidence Interval indicates with 95% confidence that between 57-68% of the total population of all producers would report being in the discipline for 8-19 years.
Comparing with another discipline demonstrates the experience differential for Producers is not industry-wide. For example, comparing Producer experience with the Design discipline shows the Producer discipline is more experienced.
The significant lack of junior-level experience in the Producer discipline indicates a future talent crisis and highlights the significant need for a junior pipeline, training, and mentorship.
of Designers have 10+ years experience
of Producers have 8+ years experience
80%
63%
of Designers have 0-4 years experience
of Producers have 0-3 years experience
4%
17%
Despite the depth of Producers’ experience and relevance at all levels of an organization, companies have not prioritized their retention in sustained full-time roles.
63%
of Producers have been at their current / most recent employer for 3 years or less
86%
23%
of Producers have been at their current company for 7 years or less
of Producers have been at their current company for 4-7 years
Company Type
The Producer role is found across the industry in a wide range of company types and sizes. 46% of Producers surveyed work at some type of studio or agency. Notably, for a role with significant business impact, 23% of Producers surveyed are freelance and 4% are unemployed/between roles, which indicates nearly one third of Producers in the industry are not in full-time roles where they could have the most influence on positive business outcomes.
Industry
Company Size
Demographics
Gender
Like occupations such as teaching and nursing, women are highly represented in the Producer discipline, with more than twice as many women than men.
Age
The lack of Producers under 30 is disproportionately low compared to the global working population. These results reiterate the need for junior / early-career Producer talent in a discipline that lacks education pipelines, unlike design or development.
Race / Ethnicity
There is a significant disparity in the Producer discipline for Black and Latine people when compared with U.S. Census data (13.7% and 19.5%, respectively, 2020), as well as notably for Black people in Canada and the UK (4.3% and 3%, respectively).
WHAT DOES A PRODUCER DO?
Producers have duties across a wide range of role responsibilities, aligning with the oft-reported sentiment that Producers do anything and everything to make the work successful and relationships strong.
[Producers should] be valued as an experienced and valuable thought and project partner instead of viewed as ‘the help.’
DATA: ROLE
Role Responsibilities
Producers surveyed selected from the following list to report all the responsibilities they perform in their role:
Primary Focus
When asked to select the primary focus of their role, Producers surveyed report:
Project / Account Size
Producers manage a wide range of project / account sizes, with approximately one third managing between $200k and $999k:
Of the 11% of Producers who don’t know the size of the budgets they manage, this was the breakdown across company size:
90%
1%
of Producers surveyed are major contributors to or team owners of the team doing the work
have no interaction at all
89%
2%
of Producers surveyed are major contributors to or relationship owners for clients
have no interaction at all
81%
3%
of Producers surveyed are major contributors to or decision makers for scoping projects / engagements
have no input at all
of Producers surveyed are major contributors to or decision makers when contributing strategically and creatively to the work
are minor contributors, and 6% have no input at all
36%
58%
Just because I’m a Producer doesn’t mean I’m not creative.
WHAT IMPACT DOES A PRODUCER HAVE?
Given the wide reach Producers have across the whole range of companies, it’s imperative to understand the positive impact the role can have and its contributions to strong business and healthy companies.
Our real value is strategically in the work, is navigating stakeholders, is connecting the dots across the organization, is advocating for teams, is casting the right teams to the right work.
DATA: IMPACT
Producers can make the work and business relationships successful.
In leading the work:
58%
of Producers surveyed report being decision makers or major contributors strategically and creatively to the work
90%
65%
of Producers are team owners or major contributors in facilitating the people doing the work at a team, group, or project level
of Producers surveyed report their projects end on time and on budget (aligned with original scope) most or all of the time
How often projects end “on time” and “on budget” (aligned with the original scope of work / proposal, including assigned resources) without giving clients an addendum, change order, or a new scope / proposal:
In leading partnerships:
89%
80%
of Producers have clients or stakeholders who are very or extremely satisfied with the quality of the work and the relationship
are relationship owners or major contributors in interacting with clients or stakeholders
Satisfaction of clients / stakeholders with the quality of the work and the relationship:
Producers can have significant impact across business-critical aspects of companies.
81%
65%
of respondents are decision makers or are significantly involved in scoping projects or engagements
of respondents report having significant or major impact on business-critical matters (such as business development, strategic planning, etc.)
Producers who report having significant or major impact on business-critical matters (such as business development, strategic planning, etc.):
Producers can have a greater impact at smaller companies.
76%
42%
of respondents who are decision makers on business critical matters are at companies with 01-50 employees
of respondents who have no input on biz critical matters are at companies with 1000+ employees
Greater impact from Producers at smaller companies is likely due to the increased access to executives / owners, as well as the heightened need for fewer employees to take on more responsibilities.
Producers engaged in the business can achieve better client outcomes.
The data reveals an opportunity for business leaders to engage Producers more in order to achieve better outcomes with clients and projects.
Producers who are decision makers on business-critical matters (such as business development or strategic planning) report the highest rate of extremely satisfied clients: 37%.
However, this potential impact is not being maximized. 53% of Producers who have no input on business-critical matters have 13+ years of experience, indicating a significant amount of experience not being fully applied.
Producers who are relationship owners with clients have the highest impact.
While the vast majority of Producers surveyed report being involved with clients / stakeholders, the degree to which they are involved (level of ownership) varies.
The data indicates the best outcomes come from Producers who own client / stakeholder relationships.
These Producers report the lowest rates of projects NEVER ending on time & budget — only 5% of these Producers never have projects end aligned to the original scope.
Not surprisingly, these Producers report the highest rate of very or extremely satisfied clients: 84%.
Producers who are relationship owners with clients / stakeholders report:
Highest levels of impact on biz-critical matters, with 78% having major or significant impact
Highest levels of involvement with the team doing the work, with 74% being extremely involved as the team owner
Highest percent involvement with scoping projects / engagements. 93% of Producers who own client / stakeholder relationships are significantly or extremely involved in scoping
Highest levels of involvement in contributing strategically and creatively to the work with 67% significantly or extremely involved
Optimal outcomes come from Producers who are involved in the process of writing scopes.
Producers who are decision makers in writing scopes / engagements report:
Highest percentage of projects always ending on time and on budget: 19%
Lowest percentage of projects never ending on time and on budget 4%
In contrast, 43% of Producers who have no input in scoping report that their projects never end on time and on budget
Highest percentage of very or extremely satisfied clients / stakeholders, with zero percent reporting their clients / stakeholders are never satisfied: 86%
In comparison, 14% of Producers who have no input in writing scopes report that their clients are never satisfied
Producers don’t just make ideal conditions for others, but directly contribute to the best work outcomes.
If you empower the Producer role to be able to directly contribute to the work, you’re connecting the last dot in a fully integrated Producer role. Producers surveyed who are positioned as decision makers in the work also report:
Highest rate of impact on business-critical matters: 57%
Highest rate of involvement with the team, with 71% being extremely involved as the team owner
Highest rate of involvement with clients / stakeholders — 76% are relationship owners
Highest rate of involvement with scoping projects; 78% are extremely involved / decision makers for scoping
Producers being extremely involved in the work makes the work better. Producers surveyed who contribute strategically and creatively to the work as decision makers report:
Highest rate of projects always and/or mostly ending on time and budget at 77%
These Producers are the only group to report that zero percent of their projects never end on time
Highest levels of client satisfaction, with 84% reporting extremely and very satisfied clients / stakeholders
0% of these Producers report their clients are never satisfied
When the leadership level does all the pitching/scoping, many details are missed which cause us to poorly scope and that waterfalls down to lots of miscommunications, disappointment, and unsatisfying delivery in the end.
WHAT DO PRODUCERS NEED TO THRIVE?
The data from this report has established that Producers can improve business outcomes through the impact of the role’s responsibilities, and further reveals what Producers need in order to flourish.
I wish people listened to me the first time I say something. Eventually we come around to doing what I say, but it takes a lot of poking, pushing and persistence to get things across.
DATA: NEEDS
Producers need to be fully empowered in order to ensure optimal results.
Producers should be involved in and have responsibility or accountability for aspects of business that make projects go well or go poorly: scoping, staffing, client relationships, and the work.
| Project runs smoothly and ends successfully: | Project runs terribly and ends badly: |
|---|---|
| 1. Project / engagement scoped well | 1. Project / engagement NOT scoped well |
| 2. Project staffed correctly | 2. Project NOT staffed correctly |
| 3. Client / stakeholder relationship strong | 3. Project goals unclear or misunderstood |
Producers need to be paid at an established industry standard.
Producers don’t have an understanding of how their salary stacks up, although a majority has the sense that their pay is not adequate.
Current Producer Salaries
33%
41%
of Producers surveyed say they are paid industry standard
of Producers surveyed don’t know if they are paid industry standard
NOTE: The 95 percent confidence interval indicates that between 35-47% of the total population of all Producers would report that they don’t know if they are paid industry standard.
35%
51%
of Producers surveyed are satisfied with their current base pay
of Producers surveyed are not satisfied with their base salary
NOTE: 14% of respondents who are not satisfied with their base salary are satisfied when they take into account variable financial incentives, such as bonuses or commissions.
Producers do not feel valued.
Producers need to be properly and thoroughly valued because the majority who were surveyed do not currently feel appreciated.
46%
43%
of Producers surveyed think their role is appropriately valued at their current company – less than half
of Producers surveyed don’t think their role is appropriately valued at their current company
12%
55%
of Producers surveyed don’t know if their role is appropriately valued at their current company
of respondents don’t think or don’t know if their role is appropriately valued at their current company
This highly experienced workforce needs to be retained.
63%
50%
of Producers surveyed have been at their current company/employment situation for less than 3 years
of Producers surveyed have over 13 years experience
There’s a lot of turnover and a lot of Producers who aren’t being retained. This significant turnover and lack of retention is especially concerning considering that 50% of Producers surveyed have over 13 years experience and that the role has such significant business impact
Producers need to be mentored and supported.
57%
42%
of Producers surveyed—the majority—have vague or no idea about expectations for their performance
of Producers surveyed have a clear understanding of the expectations for their performance
55%
of Producers surveyed—the majority—do not have access to any kind of skills matrix or Role & Responsibility documents
23% or exactly half of those who do have access to a Skills Matrix or Role document—46% in total—say these resources are not helpful or used in ways that clarify expectations or support their growth. Here’s what they report:
23% Yes, I have access to these documents and these references are helpful for me to know what’s expected of me in my role and my path for growth
23% Yes, I have access to these documents but these references are not helpful or used in ways that help me know what’s expected of me in my role and/or my path for growth
32% No, we only have job descriptions
19% No, I don’t have access to anything like these references
4% I don’t know if I have access to those kinds of documents
When asked about clarity regarding their next career step, 49%—almost half—of Producers surveyed are unclear, stuck, lack support, or simply don’t care.
Only 22% of Producers surveyed have clarity for their next career step/role and have support to get there
11% have clear understanding for next steps, but no support to get there
28% have a vague idea about next steps and want to know / can find out more
11% feel like they are at a dead end in their career
Producers need clear expectations and measurements of success.
When we asked about the top measurement for success in their role, this is what surveyed Producers reported:
In the data, there is a correlation between individual success metrics being aligned with the primary focus of a Producer’s role and the Producer having a clear understanding of career next steps.
The two roles whose primary focus does not align with their highest reported success metric have the lowest reported understanding of their career next steps.
| Role | Measure | Primary Focus | Understanding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Satisfied clients (19%) | Project management (44%) | Clear understanding (27%) |
| Project Manager | Satisfied clients (20%) | Project management (66%) | Clear understanding (25%) |
| Program Manager | Satisfied clients & team (17% each) | Leading a team (33%) | Clear understanding (28%) |
| Product Manager | Product success (18%) | Product management (64%) | Clear understanding (30%) |
| Account / Client Services | Satisfied clients (22%) | Client management (43%) | Clear understanding (43%) |
| Business Development | Meeting revenue goals (26%) | Business Development (55%) | Clear understanding (50%) |
| Leadership | Satisfied clients (18%) | Leading company / team / account / group (56%) | Clear understanding (42%) |
PRODUCERS TOLD US WHAT THEY NEED MOST:
Be trusted to implement my ideas.
“Be more involved in project scoping, more involved in company-wide business strategy.”
“A better understanding of what deems success as a Producer in the org.”
Better career path growth for such a unique and important role.
“Offered staff position instead of rolling contract.”
“Better training for early career Producers.”
IN CONCLUSION
Our conclusion is firm: Producers need to be the center of the modern model of creative and innovation service businesses. The Producer role should be fully integrated, strategically linking client partnership methods to work delivery, team leadership, and business intelligence.
This approach will lead to more sustainable and profitable businesses, while enabling the full creative and strategic contributions of those practicing this impactful discipline.
We will release other work we have made based on our understanding of the Producer role, including documentation of Producer skills and career path. We are also teaching organizations how to situate, empower, and nurture Producers for the benefit of all.
METHODOLOGY
Quantitative and qualitative data were collected for this online research study from a total of 282 anonymous respondents who self-identified as “producers.” The voluntary surveys (225 fully completed and 57 partial) were conducted and submitted through the online survey platform SurveyKing between August 8 and 30, 2024. Recruitment was direct and indirect through digital platforms, including email, LinkedIn, professional / industry groups, and message boards. Percentages presented in this report are rounded to the nearest whole number.
What does this mean?
Want a quick read of our top take-aways from all of this data? Check out our Insights Report to read the analysis on this data.
Get additional insights and materials in your inbox as soon as they’re ready.