So from what I’ve read, the closest I can grasp is that a producer (I was thinking in terms of what a producer does for a podcast, but obviously film producer is what comes up when you search) is kind of like the manager of the project? Can anyone give a better explanation for me, especially in terms of a podcast if you can? Thanks in advance.
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Given a pile of money, or time, or whatever resource is relevant, a producer is the one who is supposed to turn that pile of resources into a finished product, be that a movie, a TV show, a podcast, whatever. They “produce” (“bring forth into existence”) the movie/show/podcast/whatever from that pile of resources. That means they are in charge of every business decision about how those resources get spent on things. “Manager” is a pretty good substitute word for the role. If the project was a company, they’d more or less be CEO or CFO of that company.
Before I better understood the role, I often got it confused with “Director”. They both sound like they’re in charge to some extent. And they are, just in different things. A “director” is concerned more about the look and feel of whatever is being made. They’re the ones who “put their signature touch” on something. The visionary. The producer, on the other hand, works more on the business side. They’re calling the shots on what the project can and can’t afford to do. The director is generally below the producer on the totem pole of a project because of this.
A director’s goal is to ensure the product comes out a *certain way*. A producer’s goal is to ensure the product comes out *at all*.
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