A television commercial starts with meetings between the producer and the client. The producer has to ask the right questions about the client's product, business and budget in order to create the storyboard.
Television producers have to be able to sell a product or an idea in 30 seconds. They have to understand the science of marketing and advertising to create a script that will persuade the viewer to buy what the client is selling.
The producer is often responsible for hiring the actors and the video production crew and making sure they have the appropriate camera gear, lights, sound and props.
The producer must coordinate a schedule for the client, crew and actors, and decide whether to shoot in a studio, at the client's business or an outside location.
Budget is everything when producing a television commercial. The producer has to get all the right footage for the editing process, but must stay on schedule and on budget.
Producers in large cities work with advertising agencies, writers, storyboard artists and a large crew with a big budget. Commercial producers in smaller cities often do all their own planning, writing, shooting and sometimes editing.