Meaning & use
the executive producer
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Meanings
nouncountable
the senior person in charge of a film, TV show, or album, who finds the money and oversees the whole project.
Grammar: Countable and usually used with 'the' or another determiner: 'She is the executive producer of the series.'
Patterns
- the executive producer of something
- be the executive producer on something
- serve as executive producer
The executive producer raised the money and then stayed out of the director's way.
As the executive producer of the show, she decides which scripts get made.
nouncountableinformal
a person given this title in the credits for helping to fund or promote a project, sometimes with little day-to-day work.
Grammar: Countable; often appears in credits without 'the': 'Executive Producer: J. Smith'.
Patterns
- be credited as executive producer
- an executive producer credit
He never came to the set, but he got an executive producer credit for putting up the money.
Two executive producers were listed at the end, though neither had worked on the filming.
Word forms
| plural | executive producers |
|---|
Common combinations
- executive producer credit
- She asked for an executive producer credit as part of her deal.
- the executive producer of the series
- The executive producer of the series gave a short speech at the launch.
- serve as executive producer
- He served as executive producer on three documentaries last year.
- executive producer role
- The executive producer role is mainly about money and schedules, not filming.
Synonyms and how they differ
- producer
- A producer runs the practical side of making a film or show, while an executive producer usually has more power over money and the overall project.
- showrunner
- A showrunner writes and runs a TV series day to day; an executive producer may only supervise and fund it.
Word family
- produce verb
- to make or create something, such as a film or a crop.
- production noun
- the process of making a film, show, or other product.
- executive noun
- a senior manager in a company.
Commonly confused: the executive producer or director?
the executive producer vs director
A director decides how scenes are filmed and acted; an executive producer deals with money, hiring, and the wider project.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'the executive producer' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'The executive producer of something' is the standard pattern. Option 2 uses the wrong preposition, option 3 puts 'the' in the wrong place, and option 4 adds a clause that does not fit after 'for'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the executive producer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.