--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's very hard to make a living as a…" description: "\"It's very hard to make a living as a producer these days. The reality of the business is the studios have cut way back on overall deals for producers a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/marshall-herskovitz-24440_changed_it-s-very-hard-to-make-a-living-as-a-pro_2538542.jpg" --- # It's very hard to make a living as a producer these days… ![“It's very hard to make a living as a producer these days. The reality of the business is the studios have cut way back on overall deals for producers and cut way back on development. The fee for developing a project has not changed for 20 years, and a producer can't live on it.” quote by Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/marshall-herskovitz-24440_changed_it-s-very-hard-to-make-a-living-as-a-pro_2538542.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/marshall-herskovitz-24440_changed_it-s-very-hard-to-make-a-living-as-a-pro_2538542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/marshall-herskovitz-24440_changed_it-s-very-hard-to-make-a-living-as-a-pro_2538542.jpg) > “It's very hard to make a living as a producer these days. The reality of the business is the studios have cut way back on overall deals for producers and cut way back on development. The fee for developing a project has not changed for 20 years, and a producer can't live on it.” [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Producer fees have stagnated despite rising costs, making it hard to earn a living. **In simple terms:** Producer pay hasn't kept up with costs. Key Takeaway Advocate for updated compensation structures. Themes entertainment industry labor economics fair pay Mood concerned determined Type advocacy realistic When to use this quote - film production budgeting - career planning - union discussions Key Concepts contract negotiations industry standards Questions to Reflect On - How can producers negotiate better terms? - What alternative revenue streams exist for producers? A Different Perspective Studios may resist fee increases due to profit pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Deals Producers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals-producers-1411901/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living Producer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-producer-1411902/) [Producers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/producers/) [Producers Cut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/producers-cut-1411903/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Studios Cut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studios-cut-1411904/) [Years Producer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-producer-1411905/) ## Related quotes > [Studios, to cut through the clutter, want recognisable titles. But that does not excuse you, as a writer, from having an original story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-orci/studios-to-cut-through-the-clutter-want-recognisable-titles-but-that/) [Roberto Orci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-orci/) > [“Living for the Product instead of living for the Producer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lacey/living-for-the-product-instead-of-living-for-the-producer/) [Rob Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lacey/) > [I don't make my living writing; I make my living as a producer and as a director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-heslov/i-don-t-make-my-living-writing-i-make-my-living-as-a-producer-and-as/) [Grant Heslov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-heslov/) > [“Idolatry is Living for the Product instead of living for the Producer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lacey/idolatry-is-living-for-the-product-instead-of-living-for-the-producer/) [Rob Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lacey/) > [The producer is at the center of entertainment. The producer is being forgotten, and producers must seize the center of activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/the-producer-is-at-the-center-of-entertainment-the-producer-is-being/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [I went to see 'Listen to My Heart: The Songs of David Friedman.' I have been a fan of his music for years, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edward/i-went-to-see-listen-to-my-heart-the-songs-of-david-friedman-i-have/) [John Edward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edward/) > [ People had been so attached to the Diane \[Cheers\] character that audiences and producers found it difficult to think of me in any other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-long/people-had-been-so-attached-to-the-diane-cheers-character-that/) [Shelley Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-long/) > [Well, executive producer can mean anything in the world of Hollywood, sadly. It can be a bought title in many instances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-stanton/well-executive-producer-can-mean-anything-in-the-world-of-hollywood/) [Andrew Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-stanton/) > [Every producer in Hollywood had set me down as a type. I was both amused and disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi/every-producer-in-hollywood-had-set-me-down-as-a-type-i-was-both/) [Bela Lugosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bela-lugosi/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. I was training for it. In acting class they teach you about the stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-higgins-clark/the-acting-background-helped-a-lot-when-i-started-writing-i-was/) [Carol Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-higgins-clark/) > [I understand the formula that producers hire directors and directors are hired to direct and actors are hired to act. I don't have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-trejo/i-understand-the-formula-that-producers-hire-directors-and-directors/) [Danny Trejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-trejo/) > [When the government pays, health care's lack of affordability becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In health care, as in other things, government is the high-cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-kling/when-the-government-pays-health-care-s-lack-of-affordability-becomes/) [Arnold Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-kling/) > [Part of the advantage, and part of the result of trying to be a producer and director, are the practical things, you find. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/part-of-the-advantage-and-part-of-the-result-of-trying-to-be-a/) [Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/) > [I like to make records sound good. I'm more like a reducer than a producer. If an artist cannot produce themselves, what's the point?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branford-marsalis/i-like-to-make-records-sound-good-i-m-more-like-a-reducer-than-a/) [Branford Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branford-marsalis/) ## More by Marshall Herskovitz > [Hey, if I had my choice for social engineering, I'd declare an automatic R-rating for any movie that depicts television commercials. There's a truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/hey-if-i-had-my-choice-for-social-engineering-i-d-declare-an/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [The producer is at the center of entertainment. The producer is being forgotten, and producers must seize the center of activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/the-producer-is-at-the-center-of-entertainment-the-producer-is-being/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [Hollywood is the perfect conduit for the urgent message about climate change. We raise awareness all the time. We routinely take a film that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/hollywood-is-the-perfect-conduit-for-the-urgent-message-about-climate/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [If there is a public perception at all, they see the producer as a big old guy who smokes a cigar and has lots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/if-there-is-a-public-perception-at-all-they-see-the-producer-as-a-big/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [The further I've gotten into the Internet, the more I've become convinced that we've explored only a tiny corner of what it can mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/the-further-i-ve-gotten-into-the-internet-the-more-i-ve-become/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [For reasons we don't have to get into, climate change has become an incredibly polarized issue in the United States. 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It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/even-those-who-don-t-believe-in-climate-change-believe-we-should/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [Our business,The Producers Guild, has a good record in some areas, and a bad record in others. There are many well-intentioned people trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/our-business-the-producers-guild-has-a-good-record-in-some-areas-and/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [The world is filled with terrible things that can influence children, and movies have depicted them since time immemorial. Should every terrible thing warrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/the-world-is-filled-with-terrible-things-that-can-influence-children/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [Even the most brilliant accomplishments on the Internet are essentially cold. Google has changed the world, but you don't snuggle up to it. YouTube…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/even-the-most-brilliant-accomplishments-on-the-internet-are/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [Remember: the ratings system is a voluntary infringement of First Amendment rights, an uneasy bargain between the needs of parents, the needs of artists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/remember-the-ratings-system-is-a-voluntary-infringement-of-first/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [Producers are now employees, not creators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/producers-are-now-employees-not-creators/) [Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/) > [It's interesting: I went 25 years without watching a single television show. 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I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Faith is the avenue to salvation. Not intellectual understanding. Not money. Not your works. Just simple faith. How much faith? The faith of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-the-avenue-to-salvation-not-intellectual-understanding-not/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [When I became Miss World, I couldn't believe I had won it. I used to sleep with my crown because I was scared someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/when-i-became-miss-world-i-couldn-t-believe-i-had-won-it-i-used-to/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red again, I sat there thinking about life. Was it nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-light-changed-from-red-to-green-to-yellow-and-back-to-red/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Working with Rihanna has changed my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/working-with-rihanna-has-changed-my-life/) [Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/) > [The international game has changed for bidding cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ueberroth/the-international-game-has-changed-for-bidding-cities/) [Peter Ueberroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ueberroth/) > [You changed my life, don't know what you're doing to me with your love. You got me feeling super human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-changed-my-life-don-t-know-what-you-re-doing-to-me-with-your-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not changing because I'm part of a hit. People around me have changed in their attitude toward me, but I haven't changed. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-penny/i-m-not-changing-because-i-m-part-of-a-hit-people-around-me-have/) [Joe Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-penny/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) [Browse all 6,529 Changed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's very hard to make a living as a producer these days. The reality of the business is the studios have cut way back on overall deals for producers and cut way back on development. 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