Production management & accounts · Core
Unit production manager
Also called: UPM
ELI5
A production-management role overseeing budget, schedule, personnel and logistics, particularly in U.S. production systems.
Used in conversation
“We should involve the unit production manager before we lock the plan.”
Pitch context
You may encounter “Unit production manager” in production, set safety, stunts & practical effects conversations or materials.
Why it matters: Explains the physical-production roles, plans and safety systems behind the shoot.
Connected terms
- Production managerBoth manage production logistics and costs; “UPM” is a specific US guild/production role, while production manager is broader and more international.
Sources & evidence · 4
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- ScreenSkills — Online Learning Glossary and Job ProfilesSupporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-14
- Directors Guild of America — Assistant Director and Unit Production Manager ResourcesSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- Association of Independent Commercial Producers — AICP Guidelines and Best PracticesSupporting source family · institutional · checked 2026-08-14
- SAG-AFTRA — Artificial Intelligence ResourcesSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14