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Many industry professionals look to online communities for peer support, mentor guidance, new gig alerts, and more. Production accountants are no exception.
While those who work in the production accounting world may already know of some online spaces where they can connect with colleagues, we’re to comprehensively break down all the many existing – and brand new! – virtual communities for them.
Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned pro, keep reading to learn of the best options for connecting with other production accountants in online communities across multiple platforms.
Formed in 2021 by a group of film and television production accountants, assistants, and clerks looking to improve working conditions in the industry, The Accounting Alliance offers tons of resources. They specifically work on promoting adequate staffing for accounting departments, fair compensation, and professional communication.
By crowdsourcing information, they’ve developed several guides and checklists for both production accountants and hiring producers. Check out their questions to ask at an interview, guide to representation and benefits, and union contract overview. Follow them on Instagram for more tips.
You can also contribute to their current projects. They’re building a glossary of production accounting terms, as well as conducting a rate survey to help ensure pay parity.
The group appears to be taking a hiatus from events for now, but may restart them in the future. Membership is free, and you apply by completing a short Google form. Production accountants of any career level can join, regardless of union status.
There are several (mostly private) Facebook groups that exist to support production accountants. Members can post about their availability for work or ask questions about the field. Job postings are also shared.
Here are a few of the most popular groups:
Each of these groups has 1,000 or more members, so there’s a good pool of people to connect with.
Wrapbook is thrilled to announce the creation of Room Tone, a Slack community dedicated to supporting production accountants. Here members can ask questions of their peers, share industry news, and most importantly, get access to future job opportunities.
As part of Room Tone, members will receive early access to updates on Emily Rice’s The List, the premiere production accounting source for industry gigs.
The Production Accounting Forum is currently the biggest group on LinkedIn for production accountants. At time of publication, its membership is 367.
The group “was established to create a network of production finance professionals, who share knowledge and experience” to help promote best practices. It’s definitely worth joining, particularly if you already use LinkedIn.
The National Association of Production Accountants (NAPA) is an organization that seeks to “educate and guide members in the policy and procedures of Production Accounting in the Entertainment Industry.”
While their creditable certification program is not currently active, their website has a wealth of free resources to take advantage of. Check out their blog archive for practical advice on everything from “Understanding fringes” to “Finding Freelance Film/TV Accounting Work in Atlanta.”
Currently, the most focused Reddit group for production accountants is r/FilmTVBudgeting/. The group was created to discuss “tips, news, and helpful information used to create better budgets for your Film or Television projects.”
You can weigh in as an expert for producers, directors, and others asking for accounting help on their projects. You can also ask questions and share knowledge with fellow production accounting professionals.
Recent posts explore topics like whether AI film budgeting tools are worth it and how purchase order systems work.
To give you a sense of the conversations, one group member recently asked, “How do I pay out wages, taxes, and PHW without a payroll company?” The responses were various versions of “don’t” and “just get Wrapbook.”
Another Reddit group to check out is r/FilmIndustryLA/. Most of the posts are about other parts of the industry, but there appear to be plenty of production accountants in the group, too!
Recent production accounting posts include an emerging professional looking for tips on how to get into production accounting, a production company looking for recommendations for an accounting firm, and a question about overtime pay on a non-union documentary.
Finally, the Reddit group /r/Accounting/ is a general group for accounting professionals. There’s not a ton of recent activity on production accounting-specific posts, but there is some! Definitely worth giving it a try if you have a question or advice to offer.
Note that anyone can read the posts on these public Reddit groups, but you’ll need to create a free Reddit account in order to post or respond.
If you’re looking for more formal training in production accounting topics, there are a few virtual courses available.
The California Film Commission offers a free online seven-week course to qualifying California residents. The course prepares you for an entry-level position in the field. The next class begins June 2, 2024.
Stage 32 offers a virtual Production Accounting Masters Certification. You’ll create a free account, which gives you access to Stage 32’s online networking community. If you decide to take any webinars or classes, you’ll pay various fees per class.
Engaging with these online groups can help you stay informed, find support, and contribute to the broader production accounting community. We hope you enjoy diving in and connecting with your peers.
And if you haven't already, sign up today for Wrapbook's newly launched Room Tone, the Slack community for production accountants!
At Wrapbook, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding free resources to producers and their crews, but this post is for informational purposes only as of the date above. The content on our website is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for legal, accounting, or tax advice. You should consult with your own legal, accounting, or tax advisors to determine how this general information may apply to your specific circumstances.
Shaudi is a Seattle-based musician, theatre artist, writer and social media marketing specialist. She holds degrees from Berklee College of Music and the University of Washington School of Drama.
