What Does an Executive Producer Do?

If you want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, you have many options. While it can be hard to break into the entertainment world, you aren't stuck just acting or singing. Consider becoming an executive producer, like Heather Parry, where you can work on movies and shows but stay behind the scenes.

Money Minded

Part of producing a movie or television show is getting the funding to hire a cast and crew and make the whole thing happen. Without a big enough budget, you might have to make cuts to the show or movie. As an executive producer, you have to know how to find money to pay for the projects you work on so that you can get to the more creative aspects of the job.

Detailed but Flexible

The next step for an executive producer is to find the cast and crew, find a script, and select the filming location. Once that's done, you have to schedule out when each scene will be shot. While the show or movie is in production, you will have to coordinate with the director and the production studio to make sure everyone is on the same page. You may have to make decisions at a moment's notice, and you have to be willing to make changes to your plan.

Get Creative

One of the best parts of being an executive director is getting to work with writers and showrunners. You can bounce ideas off of the writing team, and you can make suggestions when something doesn't make sense. If you're still in pre-production, you can give your input on characters and storylines. As you move into production, you'll have the final say over a lot of what happens on set.

Is Producing Your Dream?

While your first job probably won't be as an executive producer, you can work your way up. There are many roles that are essential for making a movie or show, and it's important for the executive producer to know a bit about them all. That way, when you do become an executive producer, you can use your experience to make the best show or movie of your career.