Producer credits and what they mean
Over a year ago, when I wrote up the Glossary, I decided that defining each of the individual sub-categories of producer would just muddy it up, so I included a link to “the producer page.”
Unfortunately, I never wrote that page.
So here, now, is what that page would include. Note that the terms mean different things for features and television, and that all bets are off in Europe, which has evolved different names for certain jobs. Also, keep in mind that there are no hard-and-fast rules for what the various titles mean, which is one reason why the Producers Guild is trying to be more assertive about who should really be called a producer.
For Feature Films:
The highest ranking producer is simply called Producer. This is the person ultimately responsible for the film. He or she is also the person who collects the Oscar if the movie wins an Academy Award.
After that comes Executive Producer, who is involved in the development, financing or production of the movie, but generally not all three.
Below executive producer, the credits get a little murkier. Occasionally, you’ll see Co-Executive Producer, but the third-highest ranking is generally called Co-Producer. Then comes Associate Producer. These two “junior producer” credits often go to someone who performs a key function in getting the movie made, but who doesn’t have the power or clout of a producer or executive producer. For instance, I was a co-producer on Go.
Line Producer is really a job, rather than a title. This person, who is directly responsible for many of the day-to-day burdens of production (such as budgets, unions, and bureaucracy), would often have another title, such as Co-Producer or Executive Producer. Many line producer functions overlap with a Unit Production Manager. Depending on the film, you might also see a Production Supervisor or Production Coordinator listed.
To summarize, for features:
- Producer
- Executive Producer
- Co-Producer
- Associate Producer
Related Jobs:
- Line Producer
- Unit Production Manager
- Production Supervisor
- Production Coordinator
For Television:
Because scripted television is run by writers, the majority of producers you see listed are writers.
The highest ranking producer is the showrunner, the man or woman ultimately responsible for the creative direction of the series. Showrunner is a function, not a title — this person is credited as an Executive Producer. In many cases, he or she has “Created by” credit on the series.
Many TV shows have multiple executive producers, and without knowing the specific situation, it’s hard to say what the individual people do. For instance, a TV show derived from a movie (like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), may bring with it Executive Producers from the original film, who have little direct involvement with the show.
In terms of the writing staff, below Executive Producer comes Co-Executive Producer, followed by Supervising Producer, Producer, Co-Producer, Story Editor and Staff Writer. While some writers will occasionally leap-frog a few credits up the ladder, generally it takes years of work to climb to the upper ranks.
On some shows, you’ll see a Consulting Producer or Executive Consultant listed. This is generally a high-level writer who is contributing to a show, but is not one of the principal forces.
Obviously, it takes more than just writers to make a TV show. The line producer is a crucial function, and that person is often listed simply as Producer. The person who heads up post-production on a television series may be an Associate Producer. On some shows, there is an in-house director who also gets a Producer or Executive Producer credit.
To summarize, for television:
- Executive Producer (the showrunner)
- Executive Producer
- Co-Executive Producer
- Supervising Producer
- Producer
- Co-Producer
- Story Editor
- Staff Writer
Related jobs:
- Consulting Producer
- Executive Consultant
- Line Producer
- Associate Producer
[Update: For no explicable reason, I had left off co-producer. Thanks to Mike, below, for pointing that out.]
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October 22nd, 2004 at 9:50 am
John,
I’m always confused when you see a credit that says, “Producer” and lists a name, and then the following credit says “Produced by” with a different name. I’m young, so a little ignorant, and maybe I should know this, but I don’t.
Thanks.
October 22nd, 2004 at 10:25 am
“Producer” and “Produced by” mean the same thing (at least in the U.S.) In opening film credits, “Produced by” is typically the third-to-last credit on a movie:
Produced by Joe Somebody Written by Celia Penmenship Directed by Hans Flemmer
October 22nd, 2004 at 9:05 pm
Great site! John’s providing an incredibly valuable service running a place like this. Lots and lots of good information.
This being said… there’s a step missing from the TV writer’s chain listed above — Co-Producer.
Also, at least in television, “Producer” and “Produced By” don’t mean the same thing. A Producer in television could be a line producer, or a writing producer, the manager who brought the talent to the project, a vanity credit for the show’s star, etc. etc. However, in television, “Produced By” reflects the work of the Line Producer. However, John is correct when he says that most “Producer” credits on TV show are writing credits (even on “reality” shows, grrrr…).
“Producer” means you probably worried about writing the story. “Produced By” means you probably worried about paying for it.
October 23rd, 2004 at 1:41 pm
Mike is right on both counts. I’ve updated the above list to fix my oversight. And if any readers want to clarify how the credits work in other countries, I’m always curious to learn.
November 23rd, 2004 at 12:30 pm
Im in a digital design class that is putting together a short animation and I am in charge of the writing the script. I will be using Final Draft. Your website has been really helpful. Do you know where I can find a good example of a script using Final Draft? Thanks, Francie
November 23rd, 2004 at 3:53 pm
click on ‘downloads’ on the menu at the top right of this page then choose either Go script or Big Fish script. Very good examples………
November 23rd, 2004 at 3:53 pm
click on ‘downloads’ on the menu at the top right of this page then choose either Go script or Big Fish script. Very good examples………
April 29th, 2005 at 7:10 am
Producer credits in France (features films):
Producer (nothing new here, he’s the guy who, at least, moves a project into production)
Delegate Producer (producteur délégué). He’s the one responsible for developing, financing and producing the movie. Actually it’s either a big deal on coproductions or simply the outsourced responsibility of a producer.
Co-producer is not a vanity credit since it means the producer worked with a minority stake in the venture. Happens mostly with big coproductions where some companies are brought in only for fund raising purposes.
Executive Producer. He’s hired by the delegate producer (if any) or the producer and is mainly in charge of the production process. More often than not you can see exec producers who only deal with the financing and marketing of the movie but they’re not credited as such.
Associate Producer (producteur associé). Not involved directly in the project, most of the time he’s only the producer’s associate (long time associate: the producing co brought some of its own money up front, or part-time associate: the man brought a guarantee payment for the company).
May 25th, 2005 at 7:55 am
Hi, a quick question; What does the “Created By” credit in television mean?
May 25th, 2005 at 11:16 am
Hi Dave,
“Created by” refers to the person who concieved a particular series. More often than not, the creator is a writer who developed a series concept, its initial characters and wrote the first scripts that are produced.
Once a series goes into production, the initial episodes are usually from the scripts written by the Creator, but subsequent scripting may be handled by a team of writers. A lot of times, the Creator may step into an Executive Producer position to see that the show remains true to his vision. Aaron Sorkin is a good example of this. He is listed as the creator, as a writer, and as an Executive Producer of The West Wing.
June 24th, 2005 at 10:29 am
Refer to above — 10. Hi Dave.
First line, eighth word. I before E, except after C.
September 6th, 2005 at 1:32 am
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February 16th, 2006 at 8:18 pm
In Spain (Europe) it works as follows:
The Producer is the head of the production company, involved or not in that specific project.
The Executive Producer is involved in the development, financing and production of the movie.
Many times the Producer and the Executive Producer is the same person, and chooses one of the credits. For that reason lots of Spanish movies haven’t a “Produced by” credit. Others choose both titles and you can read his name twice (or three times, if at the beginnig it appears “A John Somebody Production”).
The Co-Producers and Associate Producers are often the delegates of the co-production companies.
But nowadays the American pattern is winning followers, mainly in the new and young producers.
P.S. Excuse me if I had committed misspellings. Visit my blog (sorry, it’s in Spanish).
P.S. Thank you John for this fantastic site.
May 30th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
I was wondering…if two people are sharing a producer card with equal credit and fees, how do the names appear? In alphabetical order or reversed alphabetical order?
September 26th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
Hello,
Great site of information. Thank you. Could anyone tell me what an offline producer is please. Thanks in advance. Vicki
October 12th, 2006 at 6:59 am
Hello
I am looking for some examples of a Bible for a tv series. Can you help me finding it on the web or advise me what should it include?
Thanks Youval
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October 25th, 2006 at 6:03 pm
Could someone please explain what Executive Consultant means for a TV series? How involved are they in production? Are they really removed or could they be in the writers’ room working with them every day(if they aren’t on the writing staff or a writer)? Thanks for your help. great site too!
February 19th, 2007 at 1:56 am
i want to be a producer