EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
2026
GUIDES & RULES
IN GENERAL
This document is confidential and is the property of The Martini Shot.

This document:
  1. is not subject to distribution;
  2. may not be forwarded to third parties, either in whole or in part;
  3. is intended for personal study and the monitoring of your tasks on projects.

The Martini Shot:
  1. A very customer-oriented company whose mission is to Live with a WOW-feeling and deliver it to Clients.
  2. Eco-friendly. Prior to PPMs, we inform Clients/Agencies about the online format of presenting information and clarify if it will be convenient to work this way at the meeting; if not, we print a minimum number of booklets for the Client/Agency who expressed a desire to receive printouts.

Remember the Mission and key values of the company; from time to time, reread them and this document, monitoring your actions, correcting yourself, guiding the team's work, and striving for self-improvement.

Executive Producer (hereinafter EP) – is the responsible head of the shoot preparation process and the implementation of the project as a whole.

The EP's area of responsibility is the general line of project production (logistics) and the financial part.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
  1. Budget control and full financial responsibility. In case of disputed/complex issues – resolving them with company management.
  2. Competent planning of all project-related workflows several steps ahead; building comprehensive project logistics.
  3. Organizing comfortable and conscientious work for the Line Producer (LP), Production Manager (PM), assistants, finance department, and the entire project team.
  4. Monitoring high-quality fulfillment of obligations by departments within the budget agreed upon with them.
  5. Communication with the director and client on all financial matters / "sharp edges" / potential project difficulties.
  6. Building partner relationships with all project participants.
  7. Communication with departments when necessary, as requested in a timely manner by the LP or as identified by the EP during the project.
  8. Supervising the assistant’s work on all VIP matters (restaurants, VIP transport, their requests, any VIP issues, etc.).
  9. Controlling the proper distribution of duties and workload within the team; making decisions on bringing in additional resources if necessary.
  10. Overseeing administration tasks regarding crew, equipment, and budget; the PM reports directly to the EP.
  11. Ensuring that the LP, assistants, and departments follow the company’s mission and key values.
  12. Always being aware of everything happening on the project.
  13. Inspiring the team.
  14. Achieving a WOW-result in everything and always.
COMMUNICATION WITH AGENCIES & CLIENTS
  1. The EP structures the work with the Client/Agency in such a way that the Client/Agency remains absolutely calm and happy, understanding that the project is in progress and everything is moving according to the agreed schedule, or even ahead of it.
  2. If the Client/Agency suddenly presents an unexpected task that was not previously agreed upon, but its execution is very important to them, the LP brings this task to the EP for discussion. The EP makes the final decision on such matters.
  3. The EP resolves disputes and issues regarding additional costs (overages) throughout the course of the project.
COMMUNICATION WITH LINE PRODUCER
  • After a project is won and the MS team is assigned, the EP organizes a kick-off meeting. During this process, the EP and LP discuss all project logistics, jointly distribute duties and areas of responsibility, and define the project crew (casting, art, style, etc.).
  • The EP provides the LP with departmental budgets (the format of budget transfer is determined by the EP).
  • The LP, upon aligning tasks with the EP, briefs the departments and monitors task execution throughout the project.
  • The LP assigns departmental tasks to the Assistant and ensures that presentations are prepared in the proper format and on time for submission to the Client/Agency.
  • The EP provides supervision during the project, specifically regarding:
  1. The LP’s timely preparation of a detailed timeline, coordinated with departments, which includes time for director's approval before presenting materials to the Agency/Client, along with a detailed cover letter.
  2. The LP’s diligent oversight of materials submitted by departments to ensure compliance with the Director/Agency/Client briefs.
  3. Timely submissions to the Agency/Client in accordance with the schedule, accompanied by detailed cover letters containing the director's recommendations.
  4. The professionalism and correctness of the LP’s communication with the Client/Agency.
  • The EP assists the LP in difficult situations that may arise with departments, the Agency/Client, or the finance department.
  • The EP receives, reviews, and accepts (if there are no issues) reports from all departments provided by the LP.
  • The EP organizes and conducts the project follow-up and performs a "lessons learned" review (work on mistakes).
COMMUNICATION WITH PM
  • Based on the project inputs, the EP assigns tasks to the PM and, based on the budget, provides the PM with the necessary financial information.
  • The EP oversees the financial part of the PM's work.
  • The LP can and should assign tasks to the PM based on departmental needs; however, if there are disputed points that the PM brings to a joint discussion with the EP, the final decision on those issues is made by the EP.
  • The EP makes all decisions regarding financial and reputational risks associated with the PM department.
COMMUNICATION WITH PAs
  • The EP assigns tasks to assistants regarding VIP services: restaurants, hotels, transport, etc., and oversees their timely and proper execution.
  • The LP monitors the workload of the project assistants to ensure they are not overstretched. If necessary, the LP, together with the EP, makes a decision to bring in team assistants.
COMMUNICATION WITH FINANCE DEPARTMENT
  1. The EP receives the approved project budget (CE) and the real estimate.
  2. The EP provides all project information to the Financial Director, specifically:
  • The project name, as agreed with the Client/Agency for contract preparation.
  • The number of video versions, their format, and timing, as agreed with the Client/Agency within the budget.
  • Usage rights for the videos (territory, communication channels, duration), as agreed with the Client/Agency within the budget.
  • Inclusion/absence of a photo shoot, formats, and usage rights (territory, communication channels, duration), as agreed with the Client/Agency within the budget.
  • Deadlines for the final products – videos, final photo materials, etc.
  • The project team list, including MS employees and freelance specialists agreed with the Client/Agency for the project.
  • The CE and real estimate approved by the Client/Agency.
  • The Deal Memo for the Director and Director of Photography (DoP), verified against the agreements reached during the tender process.
  • Any nuances or agreements regarding the financial side of the project reached with the Client/Agency during the tender and the project.
  • Any nuances or agreements regarding the financial side of the project reached with the director, DP, and departments during the tender and the project.
  1. The EP monitors the timely preparation and dispatch of the contract and invoices for advance and final payments to the Client/Agency.
  2. The EP monitors the timely receipt of funds; if necessary, they step in to influence the process of timely fund transfers to the MS account.
  3. The EP provides the departmental budgets to the LP.
  4. The EP monitors the financial flows across the project departments, specifically:
  • Verifying the correctness of departmental advance payment requests formed by the LP based on departmental needs.
  • Verifying the timeliness of advance payment requests submitted by the LP to the finance department.
  • Verifying the timely dispatch of payments to the departments.
  • Receiving financial reports from the LP and submitting them to the finance department for payment.
PROJECT WRAP
The EP is kindly requested to schedule recovery days (sleep-off), offline days, and project wrap days after each project, and to coordinate this plan with Sveta and Olya.
Example for a project:
  • After the shoot ends: 1 recovery day, 2 project wrap days, 2–3 offline days (depending on people and needs). Or vice-versa: offline days first, then wrap days — at the EP's discretion, considering project circumstances and what is best for the team.
On average, 2 full days are sufficient for a project wrap, during which the team is blocked from other tasks and focuses exclusively on this.
We kindly ask you not to drag out the project delivery for weeks. Complete this wrap in an intensive, active mode to get it off your shoulders and be ready to take on new tasks or launch new projects. Therefore, the default is 2 days.
If you realize that your project requires more than 2 days for the wrap, please reach out to Sveta personally for approval.
Exceptions: If another project is back-to-back, but even then, you must come with a coordinated action plan. No team member will be fully settled (cleared) until all wrap items are submitted.

Remember, by delaying the wrap at your level, you also hold up the entire team (even if they have submitted their parts).
  • In the Useful table, next to "Project Go," there is a link for Project Wrap:
project wrap_2026.xlsx
docs.google.com

Only the HR can enter information there; everyone has read access, and Olya has edit access. Your task is to write a project closure email — see the example below — informing that everything has been submitted. Olya then copies this into the shared table so everyone can see the status.

__________________________________________
Hi everyone!
Regarding the Spotifyproject:
  • Reports submitted
  • VIP files uploaded to the database
  • Project archive is on the server
  • Locations sent to the database
  • Casting sent to the database
  • Director's treatment (DR) uploaded to the database
  • Contract scans sent to Misha
  • No new contacts on this project
  • Art info entered
  • Location info entered
  • Styling was completely standard — nothing entered Misha, Lada, Karina, Kotlyarchik — please confirm that you have received everything needed for the project.

Have a wonderful Friday evening, everyone! Thanks!
Cri
__________________________________________

Upon receiving such an email and confirmations from the participants, Olya will mark it in the table (based on the confirmations). When a team member requests a payout, Misha/Nikita will check the table to ensure everything has been submitted before processing the payment. If there is a delay on a specific item for objective reasons, it will be noted in the table comments; payment will then be at the discretion of Nikita and Sveta until that item is resolved.
The EP is one of the key figures of the company, embodying the very spirit of The Martini Shot.

Not everyone is capable of meeting the requirements described above while successfully handling the tasks at hand.

Since you are reading this document, it means you are one of them. There are very few people like you — and that is WOW!

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