What is the difference between an executive producer and a producer?

The difference between an executive producer and a producer is that an executive producer is at the top of the producer hierarchy. An executive producer works closely with other kinds of producers, but their job descriptions differ.

How To Become An Executive Producer: What It Is and Career Path

What is an executive producer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Johnathan Paul

While watching any entertainment production, do you ever think who deals with the financial aspect of these projects? It's the executive producer sitting at the top of the production line who looks after them. The executive producer is responsible for fulfilling all the money required from start till end. That could be done by self-financing or by finding means to do so.

The topmost requirements for being an Executive Producer are creativity, strong knowledge of finance, and a firm grip on the market. You need at least a Bachelor's Degree. So do you think you have the potential to control the finances, coordinate with the production team, and complete the project successfully? Congratulations then, you are the right person for the job.

As an Executive Producer, you also get handsomely paid for your skills. On average, you can make around $60 per hour; that is a lot of money.

What general advice would you give to an executive producer?

Johnathan Paul

Adjunct Professor, University of North Texas

My number one piece of advice for soon-to-be or recent graduates is never to stop learning. I always strive to tell my students to be as diverse as possible. Don't just know one thing; in today's market, you need to know how to do several things. Diversify your tool palette. This will help you in the long run and may lead you to a career path you didn't realize existed.

ScoreExecutive ProducerUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $117,841

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.2

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 6.32%

Black or African American 7.79%

Hispanic or Latino 14.32%

Unknown 5.56%

White 65.85%

Gender

female 37.68%

male 62.32%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

9.2

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an executive producer

Explore executive producer education requirements

Most common executive producer degrees

Bachelor's

80.1 %

Master's

8.8 %

Associate

6.4 %

Start to develop specific executive producer skills

Skills	Percentages
Video Production	9.28%
Digital Content	8.96%
Digital Platforms	6.21%
Web Content	5.92%
News Stories	5.11%

Complete relevant executive producer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New executive producers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an executive producer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real executive producer resumes.

Research executive producer duties and responsibilities

Manage local ABC affiliate news department.
Manage on air giveaways and daily advertising metrics
Manage day-to-day completion activities including project planning and QA testing.
Operate ENG vehicles and equipment.

Get executive producer experience

Generally, it takes 6-12 months to become an executive producer. The most common roles before becoming an executive producer include producer, senior producer team lead and internship.

Prepare your executive producer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your executive producer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an executive producer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable executive producer resume templates

Build a professional executive producer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your executive producer resume.