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Leanna is a working production accountant based in Pasadena with experience in both Payroll and Accounts Payable. She’s worked on high-profile productions like Marvel and Love Is Blind, and brings that quick wit and warmth to everything she does. Whether she’s working in accounting, marketing, or off the clock, she’s likely hanging with her dog, Evie, and sipping an iced matcha. Say hi to her on Room Tone, where she helps create content and events for the production accounting community.
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.
Production accounting is a service-based department, and that means people often come to you with questions, confusion, or even stress. Finances can feel intimidating, especially for those outside the department, so it's important to make sure you’re seen as approachable, whether you're in a production office or working remotely from a hotel room.
It’s vital that people know when you’re around. One of the best ways to keep your virtual door open is to stick to clear, predictable working hours. If you typically start around 8AM, stick to that.
Of course, things will come up, but letting your team know when you're out for an appointment, or an emergency happens helps avoid confusion or the assumption that you are slacking on your job.
Remote working often means your team is spread across cities or countries. Putting your time zone in your email signature or Slack status is a great way to remind people, especially if they’re trying to reach you outside of a “normal” working time in your time zone. It’s a small detail, but it gives people the context they need when they’re reaching out or scheduling meetings.
Some people will never ask for help unless invited. A simple “let me know if you need anything” or “how’s it going on your end?” can create space for questions and show an energy of support and collaboration. Especially as not everyone enjoys working remotely or is used to it yet, this creates a nice nudge for conversation that can show being remote doesn’t mean you’re hard to reach.
Especially when you haven’t met someone face to face, your emails or Slack messages might be read a little sharper than you intended. This is because the warmth of your voice or facial expressions aren’t there to balance it out. Take an extra second to soften your wording, add a “thanks!” or a quick personal note. The little things really go a long way.
Through all of this, we’re not saying your virtual door needs to be open 24/7, but it should always be easy to knock on.
As mentioned, it’s good to maintain a consistent work schedule, but this is for your benefit as much as that of your team. With remote work, it can be easy to let the lines blur between on the clock and off, so we have to be intentional about carving out boundaries and breaks for ourselves.
If you work from home, the transition from bed to desk might be only a few feet and the urge to make that transition in just a few minutes can be a challenge. By giving yourself even 30 minutes to ease into your day whether it’s enjoying coffee, walking the dog, reading the news, or more, you are carving out time that is just for you. This can shift your energy and help you stay grounded throughout the day.
The same goes for our evenings! Be mindful about when and how you log off. It’s tempting to keep checking your inbox, but creating set times will protect your time and mental space.
With instant messaging tools in play, you can technically be reachable 24/7. Talk to your team and manager to get on the same page about after-hours expectations. Production hours are rarely 9 to 6 so knowing the schedule ahead (late shoots, travel days) will help you anticipate when longer days/weeks might come up and plan accordingly.
It’s okay to tell someone you’ll get back to them. Some issues are truly time-sensitive, like a rejected P-Card at the airport or a timecard that needs to be pushed through immediately. Other items can wait until the next business day. Understanding which is which will help you set realistic expectations and reduce the sense of panic that can sometimes come with messages sent late in the evening.
Production accounting often includes unexpected fires to put out, so it’s easy to feel like you always need to be on. But we all are just humans. Keep your important doctor’s appointments and step away for lunch, just communicate things clearly and as soon as you can. A burnt-out team member affects everyone and if we want the production accounting cog to keep turning smoothly, it starts with taking care of ourselves and giving others permission to do the same.
The trade-off of being able to work anywhere is that you are able to work anywhere. We don’t leave our work at the office as a separate space in the world. It blends easily into the rest of our lives. Remembering to set clear boundaries and take breaks will help you in the long run.
Creating a functional workspace is key to maintaining productivity and protecting your boundaries when working remotely. This is easier when you have a consistent place to work, but if you’re traveling or moving between locations as many production accountants do, it becomes even more important to set yourself up for success.
If you are working from home, most likely you already have a stable and solid internet connection, but this can be trickier on the go. If you are working on set or at a hotel, make sure production sets you up with the best internet speeds and connection.
For work-travel days, consider purchasing a Wi-Fi plan for your flight or use hotspot via your phone or hotspot device for land travel. When you know you’ll be offline, just communicate early with your team and never try to work while driving.
Not everyone has a private office, but it’s important to find or create a designated work area. If you share your space with others, clearly communicate your work hours and when you’re in meetings.
Even a simple sign on your door can help minimize interruptions and save you from someone crashing the background of your video meetings!
Identify the tools that make your remote life easier. Whether it’s an extra monitor—or two—ergonomic keyboard or mouse, standing desk, walking pad, or anything else, these small investments can boost your comfort and efficiency. If you are able to choose your laptop, consider one with a larger screen and a full numpad (numeric keypad) for mobile days. And don’t hesitate to ask if production can help cover home office equipment! Sometimes there is a budget for crew or employees to purchase items.
Finally, don’t forget lighting and sound for video meetings. Good lighting can make a huge difference in how professional and clear you appear on camera, and a quality microphone and camera helps ensure your voice and picture come through loud and clear without background noise or distraction.
Not only is your hardware important to optimize for a remote work style, your software is too. Wrapbook is a remote-first company that built its cloud-based system with today’s production teams in mind. With our web-based platform that brings every part of your accounting process into one centralized, accessible hub, Wrapbook is a force multiplier to keep your team on track, in sync, and audit-ready from anywhere in the world.
Cast and crew can complete their startwork digitally, including W-4s, I-9s, NDAs, deal memos, and state-specific tax forms. Documents are tracked in real time, with automated alerts that help productions stay on-track and compliant. Plus, identity verification and signature capture are built in, keeping everything remote-focused.
Wrapbook’s payroll segment can handle union wages, overtime, allowances, sick pay, and tax incentives with ease. Crew can submit timecards via desktop or mobile, and our hours-to-gross system calculates gross pay once the payroll accountants submit. Payments can be issued by direct deposit (ACH), paper check, or through an agent for talent.
Wrapbook provides real-time expense tracking that captures every cost against your budget from purchase orders to vendor payments and reimbursements. Our flexible reporting tools let you quickly customize, generate, and export financial data in the formats your team needs. Using AI-powered filtering, you can simply type your query in natural language and instantly get the precise insights that help keep your production on budget and running smoothly.
Wrapbook streamlines invoice management, P-Cards, reimbursements, and petty cash tracking all in one place. Crew members can upload receipts directly, ensuring expenses are accounted for immediately and accurately. You can approve payments digitally and pay vendors via ACH or CASHet when using the Production Accounting Suite. E-signatures and automated approval workflows keep payments on schedule and secure so nothing slips through the cracks.
When your production wraps, The Wrap Report compiles payroll, accounts payable, and tax information into a single, exportable package. Use it for financial reconciliation, audits, 1099 E-filing, or sharing records with producers and accountants. With all your data stored securely in one place, you can move seamlessly onto your next project without delay.
We know even the best tools need a human touch. That’s why every Wrapbook project comes with access to our concierge team. Real people are available to help, day or night, with anything from troubleshooting to best practices.
And because production doesn’t wait for perfect Wi-Fi, Wrapbook’s built-in auto-save keeps your work protected. If your internet cuts out or you need to shut your laptop mid-task, everything is saved and ready for you when you return. It's the kind of peace of mind you get from software built for the way productions really run.
Remote work has allowed for needed flexibility that production accounting requires. While it comes with many perks, it also comes with unique challenges. With the right tools, clear communication, and healthy boundaries, your team can thrive no matter where the production takes you. Consider Wrapbook for your next project and let our force multiplier support you every step of the way.
Want to dive deeper into remote work best practices? Check out our blog that covers the tactical and logistical aspects of remote work.
Remote work has become the new normal in our industry with many teams embracing fully remote or hybrid schedules. For production accounting, this flexibility means more than just working from home. It often involves being on the go and adapting to shifting schedules, locations, and time zones. With teams spread out, the ability to collaborate across distances is more important than ever.
This blog shares practical tips and tools to help production accounting teams stay productive and connected no matter the distance. You don’t have to be in the same room to be an efficient and cohesive team!
When you're not sharing a workspace, communication doesn’t happen by accident. You need to be intentional about how and how often you connect with your team. The right rhythm between video calls, emails, and messaging will vary depending on the project and personalities involved, but below are some generally accepted practices.
Video calls can help build rapport and a fuller sense of who you’re working with. You get to see faces, hear voices, and sometimes even catch a glimpse of someone’s workspace or pet.
These details flesh out your team as individuals and are important for team-building. Weekly team meetings can be great for aligning on tasks and priorities, while one-on-one video chats provide space and opportunity to get to know each other beyond work responsibilities.
Email is your go-to when you need to convey a lot of information or keep a clear record. It’s perfect for sharing technical details, setting expectations, or sending reference documents that might need to be accessed up to years later!
Direct messaging such as Slack or Teams replaces casual in-person conversation. It’s ideal for quick questions, real-time updates, or saying, “Hey, just checking in on this.” Just remember: depending on your platform and subscription, not all messages are searchable after 30 days, so anything important or long-term should be sent via email.
Need a casual space to chat? Wrapbook hosts a free Slack community just for production accountants called Room Tone. You can use it to connect with other production accountants around the world, or create a designated chat for your current team!
At the end of the day, communication is about availability. Whether it’s having standing meeting times or just letting people know your hours, your team should know they can reach you even if you’re not in the time zone.
