What Are the Different Types of TV Advertising Jobs?

Sales are only one of many types of TV advertising jobs. An entire team of individuals is often required in order to produce and create commercials. There are jobs for people to develop and write advertisements and actors and actresses to star in them. Often camera operators and other technical professionals work behind the scenes to put the entire package together. These can include sound technicians and computer graphics designers. Some TV stations have all of their advertising jobs in-house, but there are also advertising agencies that produce commercials. Depending on the size of the company, the number of TV advertising jobs can range from dozens to just a handful at smaller stations or ad firms.

The salesperson and the advertising manager are two of the top TV advertising jobs. The salesperson’s job is often straightforward. She approaches businesses and sells airtime for commercials. The advertising manager’s job is then to act as a go-between for the business buying airtime and the team producing the commercials. Then there’s an advertising producer, who is often given a budget to work within and may be responsible for helping the director realize the creative direction that the commercial should take.

Another group of TV advertising jobs are involved in shooting the commercials. Actors and actresses appear on camera in roles to portray the characters in the ads. One or more video camera operators tape the action. A director will often let the camera operators know which angles to shoot from, tell the actors where to stand, and carry out other essential actions during the commercial shoot. Grips and other sound technicians may be involved in order to make sure the audio levels of the actors are sufficient.

Then there are TV advertising jobs that are involved in before-and-after aspects of commercial production. In the early stages, graphic artists or sketch artists may come up with a story board for the commercial based on the client's needs and direction from the advertising manager. Once the storyboard is approved, one or more copywriters will come up with a script for the commercial. The script is then passed on to the producer and director. After the commercial shoot takes place, the script and the tapes from the shoot are given to a technical team. This can include tape editors to put the shots in order and other individuals who work on any graphics or logos for the commercial. Music or other sound elements can be added to the final product by this team as well.