Are you an aspiring executive producer or want an upgrade from your one-time production gig assistant? Well then, we bet you would be interested in knowing what does an executive producer do and what future this position holds for you!
Deciding on a career in a dream field always comes with thousands of questions regarding it which are very important to get clarity on for thriving in it fully! And it’s really struggling when you don’t get the answers you want in an apt form!
But no more worries as this article got your back! It’s a one-stop solution for all your doubts regarding the most demanding post of E.P !
Let’s get started!
Definition Of An Executive Producer
Kickstarting with basics, what is an executive producer?
We all have the image of an executive producer is at the supreme position in the whole crew. And further, putting up the most money for films.
Well, that’s pretty correct!
Executive producers are the typical bosses cum supervisors of all the other producers in the crew. He is the one ensuring all the producers complete their work in the allocated budget and what to do if the budget crosses, raising money and handling the accounting legal issues of copyright and royalties thus, being the financier of the whole project!
You can either work independently or be a part of an agency too. It is totally based on your choice!
Although, being an independent executive is always better as you get to make all the rules and take total control which isn’t the case if you are representing a firm!
But a lot of you tend to confuse executive producers with normal producers. So let’s figure out the jig here!
Executive Producer VS Producer
It’s a very common mistake to perceive executive producers as producers disregarding the difference between producer and E.P ! For you to not repeat that mistake, here are all the main differences you need to know:
- There are a whole range of producers like associate producer, line producer, consultant producer, co-producer, coordinating producer and much more while that’s not the case with an executive producer.
- While a producer can be termed as a manager of the assigned operation, an is at the apex, having the control of these operations.
- You would see the producer always on the set, supervising all the areas, be it technical, physical or creative while the latter is seen a lot less on the set.
That’s not the end of the difference, here are some more:
| PRODUCER | EXECUTIVE PRODUCER |
| Eligible for award nominations in film festivals. | Not eligible for any award nominations. |
| Hires all other workers for tasks matching their creative skills. | Hires the producer. |
| Make all day schedules for staff to ensure timely completion of the project. | Orders the producer to complete the movie in time. |
Henceforth, now you know what does an executive producer means and how to differentiate between producers and an executive one!
But no matter how bad you want this role, do you have the skills this passion of yours requires? Let’s find out!
Skills Needed To Become An Executive Producer
Becoming a successful E.P is a dream for many but can be achieved by a few! And if you want to land among those few achievers, you gotta tighten up your gears and fulfill yourself with all the skills needed to become an executive producer!
Wondering what skills we are talking about? Here’s your answer:
- Organisational Skills
Being organized which includes being disciplined to a proper system of managing time efficiently, is a must if you want this profession! Since you have the whole financial accounting on your shoulders, being unorganized and careless won’t lead to smooth execution of the project.
- The Art Of Budgeting
From raising funds, finding trustworthy investors, investing a lot of their own money, negotiating all contract fees to managing everything that happens under a planned budget, being a finance and budgeting master is definitely a prerequisite!
- Being A Good Leader
Holding an apex position sounds authoritative but is the most difficult task! Managing supervising, doing effective communication to encourage the whole team for best results is what is expected in your leadership skills!
- Technical And Creative Expertise
developing some technical and creative skills for your specific entertainment path can polish your personality in wonderful ways! It won’t harm anyone if you suggest some ideas to the creative team in emergency situations!
These are the standard skills that you can’t ignore if you want to land in this dream field! So, do develop these relevant skills with full dedication!
Well, now we expect you would have a small idea of the roles and responsibilities this position comes along with. But these roles do vary from event to event. Let’s explore for more!
Responsibilities Of An Executive Producer
As you all may know, executive producers have their hands over various works in the entertainment industry, be it making new television shows, movies and game shows.
So how can their roles vary in all these productions? Let’s find out:
Role In Movies
What does an E.P do in a movie is pretty much take the financial
controls. Their responsibilities include:
- Financing the film
- attracting investors
- legal scripting
- marketing advisory
Role In Tv Series
Being an executive producer in a production of a TV series is no less than multitasking! It can be said that here, their outlook is more on the creative team and execution of the whole tv drama rather than just financial prospects.
Have a look on what does an executive producer do in a tv series:
- Full time duty on set to monitor every aspect of the production.
- Giving creative contents in the scripts.
- Helping the director in running scenes
Role In Game Shows
Here, things get a little tricky. The game industry doesn’t clearly get the concept of an E.P which makes it difficult to answer what does an executive producer do in a game show. Although these are the tasks you can expect:
- Appearance in introduction
- Choosing songs for the soundtrack
- Supervising visual elements
- Giving advices on designs of in-game menus
Now, it will be easy for you to decide which products you want to handle once you become an executive producer!
However, what do you get in return for all the hard work you put in? We’ll show you!
Salary Approximations Of An Executive Producer
Now comes the time to finally know if all these hardships of management, supervision, financing, and this whole dream profession is even worth it or not! You will find out yourself once you go through these salary prospects.
Coming to the main part, executive producer salary in Hollywood can be expected around $12,827 monthly and $153,930 annually for the top earners. While this being the highest, lowest salary here range upto $4,313 monthly and $51,764 annually.
On the other hand, the average executive producer salary in India starts from ₹15,178 to ₹ 40,000 per month, which means you can expect your annual income anywhere between 21 Lakhs to 40 Lakhs! Your salary increases as your victory experience increases.
If that’s not classified as something is worth it, then what will!
Henceforth, If you happen to be creative, technical, professionally disciplined systematic, and interested in a little entertainment, a career in producing and being a top E.P could be just the perfect fit for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
1.Can there be 2 executive producers?
Indeed! In such cases, the one who is in a more dominant position among both is called a showrunner or leading executive producer.
2.What is an Executive Producer’s role?
The main role of the E.P lies in assembling the team and handling all the financial- legal prospects of the event they are assigned.
3.What is higher than an Executive Producer?
The director can be the only person who surpasses the authority of an Executive producer.
4.Why do shows have so many executive producers?
In most cases, Executive Producer is a credit that is given to someone who is key to getting the film/show made, and a lot of time, this credit goes to viral actors, original authors, previous directors, and all those whose role becomes unavoidable in the production is a success.
Conclusion
To summarise, the position of the E.P is being like a CEO of the whole project. He is the person handling the budgeting of the movie and management of legal issues without being a direct part of the filmmaking process.
Although, he may have to supervise creative content too in some cases. The roles do vary depending on whether you are working for a movie, tv-series or game show.
So, what are you waiting for? Now you are well equipped with all the necessary facts a budding executive producer should know! Hence, start the preps today to achieve this long-life desire of yours!
Hope this article helps fulfill your purpose!
Related Article-What Does A Movie Producer Do: Their Role, Income & How To Become