Female in the Video Production Industry - My Experience
Recently I was at an exposition shooting video of a presentation occurring on the conference stage. The audio-visual tech who was setting up the sage said to me, "Hey, I just want to say you're doing a great job." I was confused at first because I had never seen them before and at that moment, I wasn't doing anything particularly advanced. I only had a camera on tripod, waiting to hit record. To my perplexed, "Thanks?" the A/V tech continued, "When I see a woman doing video work, I compliment them." That's when I understood. Because the A/V employee was a woman herself.
The Statistics
The video production industry is mostly male dominated today. It varies on the specific subcategory, whether its big-time movie production versus audio-visual technology like what my new friend was doing, or like what I do — freelance video production for small to medium sized businesses. But big-picture, the number of women is far less than men. Some stats are:
In 2025:"employment in pivotal behind-the-scenes roles reveals that women made up 23% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and directors of photography" in the 250 top-grossing U.S. films. (Credit: 2025 Celluloid Ceiling Report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film at San Diego State University, which has tracked the gender of people working behind the scenes on the 250 highest-grossing U.S. films since 1998.)
|
| (Credit: 2025 Celluloid Ceiling Report by the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film at San Diego State University, which has tracked the gender of people working behind the scenes on the 250 highest-grossing U.S. films since 1998.) |
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2024 Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey: Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race, and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity within their categories of:
- Television, video, and film camera operators and editors -- 26.1% women
- Producers and directors -- 39.7% women (Note that grouping these two together misleads in regards to how many women are directors. Refer to the aforementioned 2025 Celluloid Ceiling Report which cites only 13% of women as directors and 28% as producers on the 2025 250-top-grossing U.S. films)
Other countries feature a similar disparity. Reported in Australia's 2021 census:
- Cinematographer: 8.7% female vs 90.9% male (Credit: Australia Jobs and Skills -- Cinematographer)
- Film and video editor: 28.4% female vs 71.5% male (Credit: Australia Jobs and Skills -- Film and video editor)
- Screen director: 23.2% female vs 77.1% male (Credit: Australia Jobs and Skills -- Screen director)
United States - 2024 | |||
Television, video, and film camera operators and | Broadcast, sound, and lighting technicians | Producers and directors | |
| Total | 133,000 | 117,000 | 175,000 |
| % Women | 26.1% | 9.2% | 39.7% |
In My Personal Experience as a Female Videographer
In my 15+ years of working as a contractor in animation and video production, I can count on one hand the number of other women I have encountered who are also working freelance, offering the same or very similar videography services as myself (although I've yet to encounter any individual who offers both video production and animation production :). This doesn't make me feel special, rather it makes me feel privileged that I was able to bypass the typical barriers that prevent many women from succeeding in traditionally male-dominated industries. Without getting too personal, I can say I have not been held back by financial pressures, family responsibilities, or even gendered expectations.
Being Female Gives Me Some Advantages
And being female in the field, I believe has given me some advantages. I can bring a different perspective to a subject, I may be more approachable for a nervous interviewee, I can fit in small places (I've been inside machines and stuffed into corners to capture a good angle) and for shoots like at my expo — I believe I'm likely to get away with sticking my camera into peoples' faces for good b-roll shots because I'm just a small girl i.e. not the stereotype of intimidating.
|
| Me using my small frame to squeeze under a machine to get the shot |
The Chameleon Barks Like a Dog
I feel that I'm able to move from being unnoticeable (especially as an aging woman) when shooting b-roll, to being noticeable. Such as when I have to loudly direct people. People always seem amused when the quiet videographer starts bossing them around and giving them too-honest feedback on their appearance. Suddenly, everyone is at attention because the unexpected person in the room is barking orders at them. Of course, I hope that more women join the video production industry. And not just as cogs in the background, but directing Hollywood movies, managing large conference A/V stages, and running their own small businesses.
Want to support a female owned and run business? Contact me at hello@kohlitz.com