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Executive producer vs creative director

The differences between executive producers and creative directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an executive producer, becoming a creative director takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a creative director has an average salary of $137,779, which is higher than the $117,841 average annual salary of an executive producer.

The top three skills for an executive producer include video production, digital content and digital platforms. The most important skills for a creative director are graphic design, creative concepts, and creative direction.

Executive producer vs creative director overview

Executive ProducerCreative Director
Yearly salary$117,841$137,779
Hourly rate$56.65$66.24
Growth rate8%4%
Number of jobs74,00711,610
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age4040
Years of experience126

What does an executive producer do?

An executive producer is responsible for supervising the creation and development of digital entertainment content. Executive producers secure and maintain the production budget, negotiate with a production company, and manage marketing campaigns for promotion. They also work with multiple producers to finalize the production team, review the creative content, and ensure the completeness of production plans within the agreed timeframe. An executive producer must have excellent communication and organization skills, especially on coordinating with production personnel to ensure the smooth flow of the production operations.

What does a creative director do?

A creative director is an individual who creates and maintains a vision for a company's products and branding through digital, print, and film installations. Creative directors supervise and innovative staff team such as graphic designers and artists to discuss and plan the vision's layout and visuals. They also meet with clients or marketing and advertising departments to create designs and make the necessary changes to the systems. Most creative directors must have a bachelor's degree in fine arts and should build work portfolios while starting their careers as graphic designers or photographers.

Executive producer vs creative director salary

Executive producers and creative directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Executive ProducerCreative Director
Average salary$117,841$137,779
Salary rangeBetween $72,000 And $190,000Between $82,000 And $228,000
Highest paying CityNovato, CAMenlo Park, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaCalifornia
Best paying companyNetflixApple
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between executive producer and creative director education

There are a few differences between an executive producer and a creative director in terms of educational background:

Executive ProducerCreative Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorCommunicationGraphic Design
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Executive producer vs creative director demographics

Here are the differences between executive producers' and creative directors' demographics:

Executive ProducerCreative Director
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 62.3% Female, 37.7%Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.3% Asian, 6.3% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 7.8% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage14%11%

Differences between executive producer and creative director duties and responsibilities

Executive producer example 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.
  • Coordinate out of house productions for live events such as ABC live and Facebook live.
  • Develop an expert understanding for building a channel and programming video on YouTube and the competitive platforms.
  • Show more

Creative director example responsibilities.

  • Manage designers and lead entire in-house healthcare creative department.
  • Manage all social media outlets and create Youtube channel.
  • Create, direct, and produce engaging videos and manage Instagram page.
  • Manage staff including designers, producers, HTML designers, creative writers, and developers; interview and select candidates.
  • Manage multiple social media profiles (corporate twitter accounts and blogs) to strategically increase readership and draw website traffic.
  • Develop and manage business-to-business PowerPoint presentation service that create new business opportunities and increase revenue for the company.
  • Show more

Executive producer vs creative director skills

Common executive producer skills
  • Video Production, 9%
  • Digital Content, 9%
  • Digital Platforms, 6%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%
  • News Content, 5%
Common creative director skills
  • Graphic Design, 6%
  • Creative Concepts, 6%
  • Creative Direction, 6%
  • Video Production, 5%
  • Photography, 5%
  • Digital Marketing, 4%

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