How to hire an executive producer

How to hire an executive producer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step executive producer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an executive producer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new executive producer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an executive producer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your executive producer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an executive producer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An executive producer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, executive producers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of executive producer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Executive Producer	Description	Hourly rate
   Executive Producer	Producers and directors create motion pictures, television shows, live theater, commercials, and other performing arts productions. They interpret a writer’s script to entertain or inform an audience.	$34-91
   Camera Operator	A camera operator is responsible for operating various technical equipment to support technical operations, such as media productions and live events. Camera operators must have extensive knowledge of different camera features to select the appropriate device and manage the production's overall visual presentation... Show more	$12-35
   Photographer, Editor	A Photographer, Editor selects, edits, and positions photos in print and web publications. They work for newspapers, magazines, websites, or other publications.	$17-34

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Video Production
   • Digital Content
   • Digital Platforms
   • Web Content
   • News Stories
   • News Content
   • EP
   • Project Management
   • Facebook
   • Control Room
   • Content Creation
   • News Coverage
   • Twitter
   • ABC

   Check all skills

   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.

   More executive producer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your executive producer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An executive producer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an executive producer in Hawaii may be lower than in Nevada, and an entry-level executive producer usually earns less than a senior-level executive producer. Additionally, an executive producer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average executive producer salary

   $117,841yearly

   $56.65 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level executive producer salary

   $72,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 13, 2026

   Average executive producer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$153,568	$74
   2	Nevada	$150,565	$72
   3	New York	$138,687	$67
   4	Oklahoma	$125,850	$61
   5	Washington	$120,773	$58
   6	Vermont	$113,650	$55
   7	District of Columbia	$113,032	$54
   8	Oregon	$108,977	$52
   9	Massachusetts	$104,143	$50
   10	North Carolina	$98,332	$47
   11	Colorado	$93,450	$45
   12	Georgia	$90,647	$44
   13	Texas	$89,173	$43
   14	Pennsylvania	$85,109	$41
   15	Illinois	$81,993	$39
   16	Utah	$79,431	$38
   17	Michigan	$79,337	$38
   18	Arkansas	$79,197	$38
   19	Ohio	$76,385	$37
   20	Iowa	$72,454	$35

   Average executive producer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Netflix	$183,968	$88.45	4
   2	Meta	$183,615	$88.28	137
   3	Penske Media	$173,991	$83.65	4
   4	The Walt Disney Company	$170,495	$81.97	24
   5	Hearst	$168,186	$80.86	69
   6	ViacomCBS	$154,494	$74.28
   7	Microsoft	$150,691	$72.45	10
   8	Jack Morton Worldwide	$143,989	$69.23	6
   9	Warner Bros.	$143,528	$69.00	81
   10	Wieden+Kennedy	$143,001	$68.75
   11	Crispin Porter + Bogusky	$139,618	$67.12
   12	Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide Inc	$137,763	$66.23
   13	ServiceNow	$136,225	$65.49	57
   14	Fox News	$134,188	$64.51
   15	BuzzFeed	$128,941	$61.99
   16	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$128,887	$61.96	21
   17	Texas Capital Bank	$128,451	$61.76
   18	Amazon	$127,900	$61.49	118
   19	POLITICO	$122,661	$58.97
   20	Draftfcb	$121,853	$58.58

4. Writing an executive producer job description

   An executive producer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an executive producer job description:

   Executive producer job description example

   KUTV/KMYU/KJZZ Television: We are looking for a versatile Executive Producer of Sports. Your talents will include being part of the award winning Sports Department which produced a nightly half-hour sports program as well as a full hour on Sunday evenings. During the High School Football season, we produce 45 minutes each Friday night of High School Football exclusive content on KUTV/CBS & sister station KMYU-TV. We also produce and originate nearly 100 live sporting events each year including award winning Broadcasts of 29 High School Football games each season.
   Responsibilities:
   
   * Sports producing, shooting, editing sports stories and elements of the nightly show, also sideline reporting when necessary, as well as other responsibilities as assigned.
   * In addition to television, you will be expected to produce and post daily content on a variety of platforms including the internet and social media.
   
   Skills and Experience:
   
   * Exceptional sports knowledge, including strong knowledge of the Utah sports scene
   * Ability to generate highly creative, compelling sports programming for multi-platform distribution
   * Strong understanding of the current digital and social media landscape, including creating content for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other platforms.
   * Video editing skills
   * Expertise using social media platforms to curate and promote news content
   * Ability to write clear, concise, conversational and accurate copy
   * Prior experience operating and maintaining professional digital video and audio equipment
   * Ability to produce content efficiently and concisely under deadline pressure and to manage stress effectively
   * Live in-field reporting.
   * Maintain a valid driver's license and proven ability to safely drive personal vehicle without exposing company to serious liability risks
   
   Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug Free Workplace!
   
   About Us
   
   Make your mark in Media with Sinclair Broadcast Group, a diversified media company dedicated to connecting people with content everywhere! We have consistently led the broadcast industry since our inception, and now Sinclair owns the largest regional sports network business and one of the largest television broadcast portfolios in the country. Also, we have affiliations with all of the major broadcast networks, our own Tennis Channel, and several multicast networks including TBD and Comet. Our content is distributed over-the-air, on multi-video providers, and through our industry-leading digital media platforms. We also recently launched a free TV streaming service called STIRR. Our success is the direct result of our extraordinary employees and management team who believe in our vision and are dedicated to ensuring a great future for our employees. We are advancing the world of Media and want YOU to join our winning team!
   
   About the Team
   
   The life-blood of our organization is our people. We have a compelling story, a goal-oriented culture, and we take really good care of people. How good? Here is a glimpse: great benefits, open-door policy, upward mobility and a strong desire to see you succeed. Ready to be part of a winning team? Let's talk

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right executive producer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with executive producers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit executive producers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your executive producer job on Zippia to find and recruit executive producer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit executive producers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new executive producer

   Once you've found the executive producer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new executive producer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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