Film producers hire actors, directors and other production staff. They deal with unions and other creative personnel affiliated with the project, such as animators and designers. Producers are the people who make sure everyone gets paid.
In TV and radio, producers decide which news stories and shows will be aired. They spend a lot of time researching, writing scripts and providing general oversight of each program.
In all media, the directors, actors, agents and managers remain under the watchful eye of the producer, who makes sure that they stay on schedule and within budget.
Film (and feature television) producers fall into a few categories:
An executive producer provides the broadest oversight of the project. He is sometimes the major financial backer or investor in the film and receives the title "Executive Producer" in honor of that. Otherwise, the executive producer is like the CEO of a major corporation. He keeps an eye on the overall administration of the project and financial bottom line.
A producer remains very close to the project, having oversight over a film's development. A producer may also oversee the work of other producers. A producer may also share the role with a co-producer.
An associate producer shares some of a producer's responsibilities, as delegated by the producer. Like an executive producer, it's a title sometimes given as a token for financial backing or creative contribution.
A line producer is responsible for a project's daily budget and schedule.
For television, producers coordinate all aspects of a show, from its original idea and hiring of cast members to the nuts and bolts of fact-checking. In TV, it's often the producer who determines whether a show will survive or not.
No specific training is required to become a producer, but several American colleges have degree programs in arts management.
A lot of producers got their jobs by being close to the industry. They start out as actors, film editors and business managers. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, a career in entertainment-industry producing might start with a job in a theatrical management office, working for a press agent, managing director, or business manager; or in a performing arts union, service organization or working behind the scenes with successful directors, or by promoting one's own projects.
Big film studios publicly emphasize the role of a director, but with the exception of a few famous directors, it is the producer who has the most control.
In smaller projects, a producer's job may blend with others, such as the director or creative consultant.
The producer's job doesn't end when filming stops. His work continues through editing, scoring, marketing and final distribution of the product.
They're involved in all television commercials, movie trailers, posters, billboards and distribution deals with theaters.
A director's role drops off at the end of a film's production, but a producer is responsible for the film, from start to finish.