How to Become an Executive Producer in the UK

An EP is essentially the CEO of a production. They find investors and serve as a liaison between them and producers. They also often work in an advisory capacity on legal, scripting, and marketing matters. 

Many EPs take on multiple projects at once, supervising the producers of each to ensure that projects maintain a high artistic quality while staying within budget and on schedule. An executive producer may also help bring in big-name talent, such as famous directors and actors.  

Nadine Marsh-Edwards, who co-founded Greenacre Films, told Pact TV how she spends her days: “talking to people, finding out what they want to do, talking about ideas, thinking about the future, thinking about stories that haven’t been told yet, and the points of view that those stories haven’t been told from yet.”

No, but studying a discipline in the industry can teach you relevant skills and help you make connections with fellow alumni. Useful majors include:

• Film production 
• Film management 
• Production finances 
• Film studies 
• Business administration
• Communications 

To be an EP, you’ll need a strong understanding of financing and organisation, so some start by attaining business or legal degrees. Peter Safran, who executive produced Peacemaker, Dark Places, and Valley of the Gods, started out as a corporate attorney before moving into a management position at the production company Gold-Miller.

Whether they’re dealing with budgets in the thousands or the hundreds of millions, EPs are responsible for finding investors to contribute considerable sums of money for a project. You’ll also need extensive knowledge of film production, as well as a broad array of contacts. If you’ve ever wondered why famous actors, writers, and directors sometimes pop up in EP credits, it's usually because their professional clout and financial backing helped to get the project rolling.

The position is an end goal, not a starting point. To get there, you’ll usually need to start by taking on an entry-level position within a film crew, then move through intermediate roles. There’s no definitive A-to-B roadmap, but here are some common routes to take. 

Internships and volunteering 

While often unpaid and typically temporary, internships will give you industry experience, contact with professionals, and an introduction to crucial behind-the-scenes aspects of filmmaking, ranging from administration to marketing and distribution. Volunteering can provide similar advantages. Look for opportunities with:

• Major film studios, including American companies with offices in the UK
• Independent production companies 
• Film festivals 
• Film schools 
• Broadcasters 

Persistence is key, since competition for internships is fierce. Even if an opportunity isn’t precisely what you dreamed of, it’s almost certainly worth taking. Emma Thomas, who executive produced titles including Justice League, The Doll’s Breath and Transcendence, began her career with an unpaid internship at Working Title Films. Dominic Buchanan, who executive produced The End of the F***ing World, started by working at film festivals.

However you get your start, you should begin networking immediately. High-level EPs forge connections with a range of industry professionals, including agents, actors, writers, directors, and investors. Take an interest in everyone on and off set, attend industry events, and start thinking of yourself as an aspiring EP—even if you’re currently an intern.

Production assistant 

PAs perform a huge range of tasks to keep filming moving smoothly. It’s not a glamorous role—you’ll often find yourself picking up coffee or changing walkie-talkie batteries—but PAs learn filmmaking from the ground up. Such experience is invaluable for aspiring EPs. 

Scores of successful producers have taken this route. David Heyman, the EP on titles including The Adventures of Paddington, Apples Never Fall, and Clickbait, started as a PA on the 1984 film A Passage to India. Matthew Vaughn, the executive producer of Bloodshot, Swag, and Make My Day, was an assistant to a film director when he first moved to L.A. 

Production coordinator

Working as a PA may allow you to work with a production coordinator before climbing the ladder to become a production assistant or secretary, and eventually a production coordinator yourself. 

Starting during the preproduction period, PCs organise much of what happens off-set, including clerical and administrative tasks. Common duties include: 

• Coordinating the cast and crew 
• Distributing shooting schedules, cast and crew lists, and revised scripts 
• Organising equipment and supplies 
• Filling out all necessary paperwork and permits 
• Liaising between departments
• Arranging transportation 

Line producer 

Line producers manage day-to-day operations. Spending more time on set than coordinators, they work closely with directors and unit production managers to ensure proper budgeting, scheduling, and logistics. Several departments are supervised by the LP, including camera, sound, and lighting. Common duties include: 

• Setting up production companies to make each film into its own separate business entity. This involves everything from finding production offices to doing payroll and opening bank accounts.
• Highlighting elements of a script that must be considered before the start of filming, then organising scheduling and locations
• Creating detailed budgets 
• Hiring casting directors and other key crew members 
• Location scouting 
• Securing equipment
• Arranging production insurance

Creative producer

Looking outside the film industry can expand your portfolio and help you secure less competitive positions. Nira Park, executive producer of TV series including Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Lockwood & Co., and Friday Night Dinner, started as a runner with a company that produced commercials. 

Advertisers, digital media companies, web producers, and branding agencies all require creative producers to manage their projects, and such roles offer space to develop the skills you’ll need to transition into film and TV. Creative production is another top job, so expect to first work your way up through junior positions, such as associate or assistant in creative production. 

Associate producer

An associate producer directly supports the producer. Responsibilities vary from project to project; you’ll often act as a right-hand man, stepping in whenever the producer needs someone to represent them. Common duties include:  

• Meeting with creatives, agents, and other producers
• Making shortlists for creative positions and talent 
• Coordinating set construction 
• Editing scripts 
• Supervising lighting and sound plans 
• Representing a producer on marketing calls

Co-producer

Co-producers help to secure funding, equipment, talent, and services, but they may not have a direct hand in the project itself. In other cases, they oversee specific parts of the filmmaking process, such as tightening up scripts.

A successful co-producer tends to have strong relationships with potential investors and experience managing the financial aspects of production, including budgeting, cost control, and contract negotiations. 

Producer 

While it’s not always a prerequisite, most EPs work as producers before stepping into the role.  

Producers are far more involved in the day-to-day of filmmaking. They’re often either hired by the EP or seek one out to secure funding. They act as a bridge between the studio higher-ups (including the EP) and the people actually making the project. 

While major producers will typically follow steps similar to those outlined above, aspiring producers can also develop their own projects. Writing, directing, and producing your own short films, seeking funding from various sources, and pitching ideas to existing platforms can demonstrate your abilities and generate meaningful interest. 

In an interview with the BFI Film Academy, producer Emma Grazette advised: “Make as many shorts as you can. Get involved so you start to understand how it all works and how it all fits together.”