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Producer vs executive producer

The differences between producers and executive producers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a producer and an executive producer. Additionally, an executive producer has an average salary of $117,841, which is higher than the $72,202 average annual salary of a producer.

The top three skills for a producer include work ethic, video production and client relationships. The most important skills for an executive producer are video production, digital content, and digital platforms.

Producer vs executive producer overview

ProducerExecutive Producer
Yearly salary$72,202$117,841
Hourly rate$34.71$56.65
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs10,61074,007
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age4040
Years of experience1212

What does a producer do?

A producer is an individual who is responsible for providing infrastructure, resources, and logistics in making a movie, television show, or stage production. Producers hire production staff such as director, crew, and sometimes actors to coordinate their activities throughout the production process. They support the creative team by conducting meetings to discuss the production's progress and ensure adherence to deadlines. Producers also travel often either to film on location for a movie or to tour with a theatre production.

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.

Producer vs executive producer salary

Producers and executive producers have different pay scales, as shown below.

ProducerExecutive Producer
Average salary$72,202$117,841
Salary rangeBetween $43,000 And $120,000Between $72,000 And $190,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CANovato, CA
Highest paying stateNevadaNevada
Best paying companyMetaNetflix
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between producer and executive producer education

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

ProducerExecutive Producer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 79%Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common majorCommunicationCommunication
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Producer vs executive producer demographics

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

ProducerExecutive Producer
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 58.2% Female, 41.8%Male, 62.3% Female, 37.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.3% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black 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%
LGBT Percentage14%14%

Differences between producer and executive producer duties and responsibilities

Producer example responsibilities.

  • Manage and augment existing budget with EP.
  • Manage production of a Sony HD motion graphics internal sales video.
  • Manage all union matters including, IASTE, DGA and AFTRA.
  • Prospect and generate new business through telemarketing leads, referrals, networking and cold leads.
  • Lead the creation of key titles including high profile X360 launch title and new NFL brand IP.
  • Manage and guide guest bloggers through the editing process, copy edit blogs and produce content in HTML.
  • Show more

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

Producer vs executive producer skills

Common producer skills
  • Work Ethic, 9%
  • Video Production, 6%
  • Client Relationships, 6%
  • Project Management, 6%
  • Cross-Selling, 6%
  • News Stories, 4%
Common executive producer skills
  • Video Production, 9%
  • Digital Content, 9%
  • Digital Platforms, 6%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • News Stories, 5%
  • News Content, 5%

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