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What does a Digital Producer do?

Bryon Turcotte
Bryon Turcotte

A digital producer is a coordinator, supervisor and strategist for projects that involve the creation of digital media. Depending on the organization, this role might be assigned other titles, such as multimedia producer, web producer or online producer. A digital producer's primary responsibility is to consolidate and coordinate the creative work of the design team and build a product that will satisfy the client's overall requirements.

Project Coordinator

A digital producer's main role is to coordinate the work of a design team in creating products for clients.
A digital producer's main role is to coordinate the work of a design team in creating products for clients.

The producer serves as the primary coordinator and communicator of any digitally based project. This person collaborates with multiple project teams. He or she provides unique oversight and perspective to help maintain a common goal while increasing the knowledge, communication and awareness of team members and the client. The most successful digital producers are effective communicators and organizers who can eliminate obstacles, maintain realistic views of complex digital initiatives and manage the entire processes involved.

A digital producer will oversee the progress, the quality and the quantity of the digital media that is created by multiple designers on a team.
A digital producer will oversee the progress, the quality and the quantity of the digital media that is created by multiple designers on a team.

The producer is responsible for each digital media component, its level of contribution and its level of quality. He or she must manage each project effectively to maintain a steady flow of productivity throughout the process. After all of the components have been placed, the project can be fine-tuned based on the client's needs.

Designer

A digital producer might have design skills and creative experience that parallel those of a multimedia designer, a webmaster or a graphic designer, which is evidence of his or her ability to supervise a multifaceted project. A successful producer will oversee the progress, the quality and the quantity of the digital media that is created by multiple designers on a team. For example, a complex website project might include graphics, animation, database functionality and streaming audio and video.

Strategist

The ability to assist a client in the development of a strategy that uses digital media is an important skill for a digital producer to have. The producer should be able to collaborate with the client closely while utilizing other teams within the organization to define unique and effective strategies in order to insure that the client reaches the highest potential for success. The producer will combine the collective strengths of marketing, project management, product development and sales to effectively bring the project from conception to delivery without compromising the original vision of the client. Ultimately, this role is essential to the success of any digital media project.

Education and Training

A bachelor's degree typically is required for someone who wants to become a digital producer. An appropriate degree might be in computer technology or communications. Courses that could be helpful in this career include computer programming, web design, video editing and graphics. An entry-level job with duties that focus on a particular aspect of digital projects would be beneficial for anyone who aspires to be a digital producer.

Discussion Comments

AlfredsHere

@Dented - If you want to work in the creative world, technology is where it is going. Digital distribution is king these days. You could consider a traditional medium like painting, but I've known traditional artists who use the internet to get the word out about their work even after that.

My advice would be to take any course you can in computers while you are in school. I was never great with computers myself, but once I knew more about them, that broke down the fear factor. I thought I would never do anything with graphic arts, and here I was designing newspaper layouts!

Life's all about learning, so why not give it a try?

dented

I was thinking about going for this when I get older. The thing is, I've very creative, but not great with computers. I love act of creating, but I'm not tech savvy. Does anyone have any ideas of what I could do?

miriam98

@allenJo - A digital video producer might sometimes wind up in advertising agencies as well, as these organizations are producing more and more digital content for the web and CD-ROM. It helps if you have a degree and there are a number of art schools that can give you specialized training, but experience matters more than anything. You’ve got to have a portfolio to show a prospective client.

allenJo

Digital producers are very much in demand as everything goes online and converts to digital as well. Look at what happened to Hollywood. There was a time when all movies were shot on film and the big studios looked on independent films shot on video as second-class citizens—not anymore. Hollywood has shot some big movies, like the new Star Wars films, in digital. Of course, it’s not your $300 camcorder kind of digital, but it’s still digital nonetheless, and therefore digital producer jobs have grown exponentially.

I heard that some of the guys from Industrial Light and Magic, which makes most of the big budget special effects you see in movies, left to start their own business where they develop software for After Affects and other products to make low-budget films look blockbuster movies.

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    • A digital producer's main role is to coordinate the work of a design team in creating products for clients.
      By: taa22
      A digital producer's main role is to coordinate the work of a design team in creating products for clients.
    • A digital producer will oversee the progress, the quality and the quantity of the digital media that is created by multiple designers on a team.
      By: auremar
      A digital producer will oversee the progress, the quality and the quantity of the digital media that is created by multiple designers on a team.