Segment Producer

Most TV shows — comedies and dramas, for instance — are made up of “scenes.” Some, however — reality TV shows, game shows, talk shows, and news programs — are made up of “segments,” instead. It’s like the difference between a novel, which tells a continuous story, and a reference book, which features a series of discrete, subject-specific entries.

When you’re a Segment Producer, you specialize in “reference book” television, as it’s your job to develop the various “entries” in a segmented TV program. Examples of segments include “Stupid Human Tricks” on the “Late Show With David Letterman,” a cooking demonstration on “Good Morning America,” an interview with the President of the United States on “60 Minutes,” the bonus round on “Wheel of Fortune,” and the “Quickfire” challenge on “Top Chef.”

No matter what the segment is, it’s your job as the Segment Producer to create, execute, and own it. Typically, that means meeting with fellow Segment Producers to brainstorm and delegate ideas; researching selected topics; booking guests and contributors; writing and producing scripts, graphics, and rundowns; interviewing sources, in the case of news segments; and collaborating with Television Producers and crew members — including the Stage Manager, Gaffer, and Grips — to set up the segment, coordinate it, engineer it, and actually execute it on camera.

Many Segment Producers work with Video Editors. In the absence of one, however, you may be required to edit your own footage as well — usually under extremely tight deadlines.

Whether it’s for a live TV news show or a taped reality competition, you’re the Seamstress of television, stitching individual vignettes into program-sized quilts!