Motion Pictures

An executive producer of a motion picture is typically a producer who is sometimes involved in creative or technical aspects of production. This person generally handles business issues, and may also be a financier of a film. Some executive producers act as representatives of the studio (which distributes and/or makes a film) or the production company (which makes a film), sometimes being credited as executive in charge of production.

Often a person will receive Executive Producer credit because of his or her prior involvement with a property that has since been optioned into a film, even if there was no direct input into the creative process of the film itself. e.g. authors of optioned literary works, a person who has previously owned or currently owns a property's movie rights or someone who has produced or been involved in the production of a past version of the film.

Television

In the production of a television show there may be many executive producers listed (they make the plot of the story). Sometimes it may be a situation not dissimilar to the one described above for motion pictures: someone with previous involvement with a particular work, a project's financier, or someone in control of the business aspect of production. Sometimes, this title is conferred upon a celebrity or notable creator who has lent their name to a project to boost its prestige or credibility, as a recognition of newly-acquired industry status, or as a perk to the show's main star or creative force.

However, under the unusual rules for establishing writing credits on television series (where writers are often credited as "producers"), the principal writer is almost always credited as an executive producer rather than the more descriptive title of "head writer."

In television an executive producer might have more power than any other credited crew member — this is the case with the show runner. Generally, a show runner (still credited as an executive producer) is the creator of a series, or an influential staff writer on the show. His or her role is to guide the overall creative progress of the show's story over the course of a season — basically, the de facto creative director of the show — and all creative decisions (from casting to script approval) go through them. Usually, while there may be many credited "producers" and "executive producers" (with varying responsibilities) on a television series, there are just one or two in the position of show runner.

For these reasons, it is not unusual for TV shows to have three sets of "Executive Producers:" Traditional EPs (Production Executives, Financiers, etc.), Head Writer(s), and Show runner(s).

Music

In the music industry, the executive producer of an album is often in control of the business side of production, distribution, and promotion. This role can entail obtaining financing, allocating the budget, etc. At times, the executive producer may also provide artistic input such as which songs are placed in the final cut and the order in which the songs are placed. In this instance, the executive producer is usually someone who has had input in producing some of the tracks on the album. A particular executive producer's name attached to an album is sometimes used as a selling point to distributors. An example of this is Gene Simmons of KISS fame, who is listed on the cover credits of all artists (most of whom are new and discovered by Simmons) on his SIMMONS RECORDS label, reading "Executive Producer: Gene Simmons" in clear view.