Simple question. I ask because they often seem to be big name actors or stars, usually, but not entirely, unrelated to the project.
I just saw a TV series about revitalizing a Cleveland neighborhood with LeBron James as Executive Producer.
Not that there’s anything wrong with these people doing their jobs, but what are those jobs? Do they give creative advise? Provide financial backing? Other things? Or is it just a war to get a big name associated with a project and hype the hell out of it?
Yes. An Executive Producer can be anyone from the creator/showrunner to a major investor to an actor with a vanity credit written into his contract.
I believe being an executive producer means you have a share of ownership in the production. You’re no longer just an employee. As a result, you have a stake in the overall success of the production.
Someone (Howard Stern I think) asked Bryan Cranston why he was listed as a producer for Breaking Bad and whether it was just a vanity title.
Cranston said that he asked for the title because he was promoting the show in the media and he hosted events to promote the show. With these extra responsibilities he said he wanted to be an executive producer on the show.
He also said that for some actors it was a vanity title.
There are no set rules for who gets to be an executive producer. But the idea is that the executive producer runs the show. And if there is more than one, each is in charge of some aspect of running the show.
Watch the Breaking Bad opening credits and count the number of “producers” sometime - I think the guy who brought the coffee was in there.
It can happen. Barbara Streisand’s hair stylist famously became a very powerful producer.
he’s the guy that’s supposed to over see the whole production from top to bottom and take
care of all the problems and make sure the show runs smoothly and be the go between the network and the people on the show …after so many years he just becomes the guy signs the check …
also that’s how the term “showrunner” came about because after so many seasons the star gets listed as a exec producer so they started calling the ec that did the work the “showrunner” informally
and on screen “supervising producer”
“Producer” is the name of a line item in budgets and a title in credits. It is whatever the actual producers who own a production decide it is whether or not they are listed as producers in the budget or the credits.
I believe it’s a producer who’s somebody who’s actually involved in this kind of thing. An executive producer may have nothing to do with the day-to-day production; he might be somebody who’s providing part of the financing or an actor who’s agreed to appear in the production.
Ren and Stimpy explained it all: “A producer is the guy that tells the artist what to do and later makes all the changes, and then, when the cartoon’s done, he takes all the credit!”
Also, check out Kevin Smith’s interview where he discusses what it was like to work with Jon Peters (the aforementioned hairdresser). Peters dictated to Smith what kinds of insane crap should go in the movie, and Smith was expected to poop out a script that fit his vision. It’s kind of hilarious and kind of sad, but it does effectively illustrate how things are done in Hollywood. The producers tell the writers what kind of movie they want and specify what it must include, and because they are the ones paying the bills, the writers have to live with it. Even if it is stupid.
There’s a passing line in an interesting but unextraordinary comedy called State and Main, about a film crew that moves into a small Vermont town to finish shooting a period piece. The film-within-the-film’s writer is offered an “Associate Producer” credit. Another member of the crew sets him straight:
Joseph Turner White: What’s an associate producer credit?
Bill Smith: It’s what you give to your secretary instead of a raise.
Additionally, there’s a line in the movie’s closing credits: “A complete list of this film’s associate producers is available upon written request.”
Producers are technically management so they don’t have to answer to anyone as far as job titles go. As a result, producer credits can mean virtually anything.
Watch any episode of The Simpsons and see how many “Associate Producers” are listed. It’s often in the neighborhood of a dozen.
An executive producer gets the money required to put the show on.
missed edit time.
Executive Producer gets funding and gives top level supervision to the entire production
Producer also seeks funding and does day to day supervision of the entire production
Associate Producer is what you give your secretary instead of a raise.
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane]
What Does an Executive Producer Do?
[/QUOTE]
Produces executives, of course!
As with most things in film and television production, it largely has to do with money and status.
A producer is someone who has responsibility for managing and coordinating the talent (actors, senior writers, directors, cinematographers, editor, et cetera), labor (set builders, electricians, effects, et cetera), and the support services (the “office” staff such as accountants, production and personal assistants, catering, entertainment, et cetera) as well as typically overseeing the marketing of the film, all done to a stated vision of the intended result within budget and schedule (hopefully). Producers generally work for or are hired by a production company, and in some cases may be a partner or owner in that company. Although a producer is responsible for the overall operation of production, they may or may not actually oversee day to day operations or be on set for filming depending on the size of the production and whims of the producer.
An executive producer is someone who has a material investment (either financially or creatively) in the production but no specific duties. The traditional role of an executive producer was to bring in financing (either their own money or to scout investors in the production), but it has become common for someone who as a substantial creative interest in the production to be titled as an executive producer, e.g. the star of a long running television show or film series. An executive producer may also have used influence to get a production or script made on behalf of someone else, or arranged for distribution domestically or abroad, even though they had no other material or financial interest in the production. If you look at Martin Scorsese’s IMDb.com page, for instance, you’ll see that under Producer credits the majority of his credits are actually as an executive producer in films that he otherwise had no involvement in.
A showrunner (sometimes credited as “supervising producer” or “co-producer”) is a rather vague description given to a senior production assistant on a television show who is generally granted authority for managing the actual day to day elements of the production, especially during writing and filming. Showrunners often come up through the writers’ room or at least have a background in writing, and have facilitated the kind of seasonal-arc storytelling that has become popular in the last couple of decades by enforcing a certain style of dialogue, direction, set dressing, and fashion that was popularized by The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, et cetera.
An associate producer, to quote David Mamet, is “what you give your secretary instead of a raise.” This isn’t actually true as having an associate producer credit may entitle someone to a higher salary or more residuals (in the case of an actor or non-staff writer), but it does not convey any particular authority over or ownership in the production.
These titles are obviously kind of fungible and don’t necessarily reflect all or any of the responsibilities of the holder. There are many cases in which a producer may take over direct creative control of a production (for better or worse) and either fire or sideline a director, and many cases where people carry multiple titles and the responsibility between them, or split the work in a teamwise fashion. For instance, the Coen Brothers handle most of the creative elements of the production (production, director, writers, sometimes cinematography, and editing), and either divide or share the titles.
So, basically, the executive producer is someone who has helped get the production financed or developed, and may have other roles but is not in charge of the management or creative content by virtue of having that title.
Stranger