# Producer > The person responsible for getting a film or series made: they find or option the material, develop the script with the writer, attach a director and cast, secure the money, and oversee production through delivery. For a screenwriter, usually the first buyer. Also known as film producer, Produced by ## In practice A producer is the person responsible for getting a film or series made. They find or buy the material, hire and guide the writer through development, attach a director and cast, secure the money, and then run the project through shooting, post-production and delivery. The director decides how the story looks and plays; the producer decides whether, and how, it gets made at all. For a screenwriter, the producer is usually the first buyer. A producer who loves a spec script options it, gives notes, and takes it to studios, streamers or financiers with a package around it. Many producers have a first-look or overhead deal with a studio, which means that studio sees their projects first and often pays for their office. Knowing which producer has which deal, and what they have made, is a large part of knowing where to send a script. The word covers several jobs. A producer credit on a feature usually means the person who carried the project from start to finish. A line producer manages the budget and the physical production day to day. Executive producers, co-producers and associate producers each contribute something narrower, from financing to a particular deal. In television, producer titles also work as a ladder for writers, which is a different system covered on the executive producer page. ## A producer's first question **A writer meets the producer who might option the script** ``` INT. PRODUCTION OFFICE - DAY Framed posters of mid-budget dramas line the walls. DANA REYES (50s), producer, reads the last page of a script and sets it face down on the desk. DANA I love it. I can't sell it yet. Who stars in this, and why would they say yes? OWEN The lead is sixty. Every actor that age is playing somebody's father. This is the part they have been waiting ten years for. Dana turns the script face up again. DANA Then I option it, we send it to three of them, and we take it out together. ``` A producer's first question is rarely about the writing. It is about how the project gets made: who would star, who would pay for it, and why now. Owen answers with a reason a star would want the part, which gives Dana something to sell. A writer who can answer that question in the room is far easier to say yes to. ## What a producer does, from idea to release In development, the producer finds the project. That can be a spec script, a pitch, a book or an article, or an idea of their own that they hire a writer to write. They secure the rights, usually with an option, give notes through several drafts, and decide when the script is ready to show to the people who can pay for it. In packaging and financing, the producer attaches the elements that make the project easier to finance: a director, one or two actors, sometimes a budget and a schedule. Then they take it to studios, streamers, sales agents or equity investors. A studio project is paid for by the studio; an independent film may be pieced together from presales, tax incentives, gap loans and private money, and the producer is the person who closes each piece. In production and post-production, the producer hires the department heads, approves the budget and schedule, protects the director's choices where they can and pushes back where the money cannot follow. They oversee the edit, music and delivery, and then work with the distributor on the release. On a large film several producers may split this work; on a small one, one person may do all of it. ## Producer credits and what they mean On a feature, the main credit is "Produced by". The Producers Guild of America has used the p.g.a. mark since 2012: the letters after a name in that credit mean the guild has certified that the person did a major portion of the producing work, rather than receiving the credit for a single contribution. The mark is not a membership badge; it is a judgment about that film. The other credits are narrower. A line producer runs the budget and the physical production, often without any creative say. A co-producer or associate producer usually handled one part of the work or one part of the deal. An executive producer is often someone who brought money, rights or a star rather than someone who ran the project. The Best Picture Oscar goes to the film's producers, and the Academy normally names no more than three, which is one reason the "Produced by" credit is carefully guarded. ## What a producer wants from a writer A producer reads a script asking whether they can get it made. That means a clear logline they can repeat to a buyer, a role an actor will want, a budget the story can live within, and a reason this film should exist now. A beautifully written script that answers none of those questions is a hard sell, and the producer has to believe they can sell it before they spend their own money on an option. Research before you pitch. Know what the producer has made, what their company is developing, and whether they have a deal with a studio or streamer. Send them the kind of project they make, at the stage they work at: some producers want finished scripts, some want writers for their own ideas, and some only buy books. A short, specific query that shows you know their work gets read more often than a general one. ## Options, free work and getting paid When a producer wants a script, they usually option it: they pay a fee for the exclusive right to set it up for a fixed period, with a purchase price agreed in advance if the film goes ahead. An option is a real commitment, but it is not a sale, and many optioned scripts never get made. Read the option term, the purchase price, the rewrite terms and what happens to your rights when the option lapses. Be careful with requests for free rewrites. A producer who has not optioned your script may ask for "just one more pass" before they take it out. The Writers Guild treats unpaid work for a producer as a problem its members should avoid, and a writer who rewrites for free on a project nobody has bought takes all the risk. If the notes are good, ask for an option first; if the producer will not pay anything, the notes are a reason to rewrite for yourself, not for them. ## Official sources & context Sources reviewed Oct 19, 2026 Option terms, rewrite obligations and whether unpaid work is allowed depend on the deal and on whether the producer's company is a Guild signatory. Contact the Guild or a qualified representative before you sign or rewrite on a live project. - [WGA — Screenwriters handbook](https://www.wga.org/members/employment-resources/screenwriters-handbook) - [WGA — 2026 MBA contract changes FAQ](https://www.wga.org/contracts/contracts/mba/2026-mba-contract-changes-faq) [Get coverage before your script goes to a producer](https://www.inkwell.software/skills/coverage) ## Common questions ### What is a producer? The person responsible for getting a film or series made: finding the material, developing the script, attaching a director and cast, securing the money, and overseeing production through delivery. ### What does a film producer do? They develop the project, package it with a director and actors, raise or secure the financing, hire the key crew, approve the budget and schedule, and supervise the shoot, the edit and the delivery to the distributor. ### What is the difference between a producer and a director? The director leads the creative work of turning the script into the film: performances, camera, edit. The producer makes the film possible and keeps it running: money, people, schedule and the deals around it. The producer usually hires the director. ### What is a line producer? The producer who manages the budget and the physical production day to day: crew, locations, schedule and costs. A line producer rarely has creative control over the script or the cut. ### What does p.g.a. mean after a producer's name? It is the Producers Guild of America's certification mark, used since 2012. It means the guild has determined that the person performed a major portion of the producing duties on that film, not that they are simply a guild member. ### Who receives the Oscar for Best Picture? The film's producers. The Academy normally limits the named nominees to three producers who did the producing work, with rare exceptions approved by its producers branch. ### How do I get a producer to read my script? Most producers read through referrals from agents, managers, other writers or contest wins, and many do not accept unsolicited scripts for legal reasons. A short query that shows you know their films, with a sharp logline, is the usual way in when you have no referral. ### Should I rewrite my script for free for a producer? Usually not. Unpaid rewrites on a script nobody has optioned put all the risk on the writer, and the Writers Guild advises against them. If the producer wants changes, the option is the moment to agree on them and get paid. ## Related terms - [Executive producer](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/executive-producer): A senior producer credit. In film it usually rewards money, rights or a key relationship rather than day-to-day producing; in television it is the top producing title, held by the showrunner and the other people who run the series. - [Option](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/option): A contract that gives a producer or company exclusive rights to develop and shop a script (or IP) for a set period, usually for a fee, without yet buying the full rights. - [Pitch](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/pitch): A concise selling of a project — spoken or written — that names the hook, characters, conflict, and why this story now, without requiring the listener to read the whole script first. - [Free work and producer passes](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/free-work-producer-pass): Requested writing performed without an agreed paid step. A producer pass commonly means an extra rewrite requested before material is delivered onward, creating pressure to work beyond the compensated deal. --- Canonical page: