Salary
Average Salary: $33,130
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $1,383,000
There are no solid salary numbers for sports camera operators. Sorry, but that's the nature of the beast. You can earn as little as $20,000 a year and as much as $150,000 a year. Here are some of the reasons why there's such a spread on the money for this gig:
- You work freelance. Television networks don't employ sports camera operators full-time. Instead, they may hire you to cover certain teams, games, or events; it just depends on how many hands they need on deck and what your rep is with the networks.
- Pay rates vary. All kinds of sports events show up on television. In baseball, for example, the Little League World Series, the College World Series, and the MLB World Series all get broadcast. A sports camera operator would earn different pay depending on which World Series he or she worked.
- Are you union? Sports camera operators can belong to the IBEW, or International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Membership in this union provides higher rates of pay for work in some cases, as well as medical and retirement benefits which you otherwise wouldn't have as a freelancer.