Hey everyone. I am 24 and have been putting a lot of research into what it takes to start a studio for the past 6 years. It's my ultimate goal in life and I don't want to do it until I know I have a solid plan and know everything that I could possibly know. I have studied everything from animation itself (went to school for it when I was 17!) to spending maaaaany long hours at book stores and libraries reading the basics of writing business plans and the tax and legal roles of a corporation, to studying the business practices of entrepreneurs of both the animation and other fields; etc.....
With all this intensive study there's one very blatantly basic question I just feel very hazy about--- which is what EXACTLY IS a producer and how does a producer function? From what I have gathered a producer is Mr./Ms. Moneybags lol... So does this means a producer is just the film equivalent to an angel investor, or a VC? Or do they have a much bigger role than just fronting money?
I also assume the producer expects a return on investment if they are fronting money... Is this done slowly, or quickly--- and how steep of an up-charge is the return on investment?
Lets say I was starting a studio which the soul purpose was to create a website which would gain cash flow from advertising, would I need a producer for something like this--- or would I only need it if I created a web series that did phenomenal and have had the chance to expand it either VIA TV, movies, or just expansion in merchandising?
My goal is to start REALLY, really small (like.. only me small) and once the website gains enough revenue, then grow from there, and try to go as long as I can just riding off ad-revenue. I know if things swing my way, the inevitable roles of producers would have to be introduced so I figure learning this now is better than later. Whenever money becomes involved things get sticky and I don't want to end up screwed....
Business is like a good game of chess, you have a better chance of winning if you know the moves your opponent are going to play :)
The job description of a producer varies from job to job. Generally a producer is in charge of setting a timeline, allocating funds within a budget, and keeping everyone in check particularly the upper management (Directors, Supervisors). In cases of a producer working as a sub-contract i.e. Cartoon Network contracts your studio to make their show, a producer will also act as a liaison between the two making sure lines of communication are always open, and, in this example, Cartoon Network is "happy" with the resulting work. Some studios also ask producers to work in acquisitions as well. So they are tasked with finding projects for the studio (usually smaller studios do this)
Producers has very little creative control over a project, they're job is mainly to make sure everything functions relatively smoothly. It's a managerial role.
THANK you! That makes way more sense to me. I have found many of the descriptions online to be too vague. This makes way more sense! :)