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Accountants Have Dreams of Breaking into Show Business Too, Ya Know

Posted on by Adrienne Gonzalez
When you were 6, did you say you wanted to be a soulless corporate zombie when you grew up? Of course you didn't! Even though you ended up becoming an accountant, it's not too late to follow your dreams. As long as your dream isn't stupid, get in touch with the GC Brain Trust and we'll happily shove you in the right direction if we can. Or tell you your dream is stupid.
Hi Adrienne,
 
Since it is that time of year when I fantasize about what other jobs I could do that would both use my accounting degree and be glamorous, I am turning to you to find out how to get a job as an accountant on movies.
 
I usually notice that there is a production accountant in the credits for movies, but on Skyfall there were so many accountants credited! Even a tax accountant!
 
I have been trolling imdb to find my future mentors – this guy has worked on James Bond & Harry Potter movies – I want to be this guy http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1392073/
 
Any idea how to break into the movie accounting business?
 
Thanks!
Hollywood CPA Wannabe
Funny you'd address this to me as it's common knowledge (at least I thought it was) that I don't watch movies. I don't need to watch them to know that life as a production accountant probably isn't nearly as exciting as you suspect it might be but hey, it's your dream not mine.
 
So the first question is, where do you live? If you say Kansas, you're probably not going to have much luck breaking into "The Biz" but if you've already loaded up your hand-me-down Ford Ranger with everything you own to make it big in Los Angeles or NYC, you're on your way.
 
Here's the thing. Believe it or not, a lot of production accountants don't actually hold an accounting degree. It's also a contract job, meaning you don't have a solid paycheck to count on for years at a time. It's also not much different from other entertainment positions completely unrelated to accounting in that success in the field is a mix of skills and pure luck. If you apprentice under the right people and do good work, you shouldn't have too difficult of a time staying busy. It's just a matter of getting that first big break.
 
Trolling for a mentor probably isn't a bad idea if you're serious about this, after you've done more research and don't come off as some starry-eyed tool looking for free advice. Use those stalker stills and hop on LinkedIn to look at what sorts of jobs are out there, what kind of experience people have and where they got their start. Isn't stalking fun?
 
Emily Rice has a bunch of current film & TV positions aggregated here (referred to as "Emily's List" by those in the business) worth checking out to get an idea of what's out there. Notice that most of them require very specific experience. But you'll start off as an Assistant Accountant (there's a DreamWorks gig in Glendale listed there that prefers specific feature or TV animation experience but does not require it) and work your way up contract by contract.
 
There is a guy out there who runs seminars (IMDB credits here) to help you learn the skills you need to become a production accountant but I'd be a little skeptical of paying some dude a ton of money to tell you how to do this stuff when you could probably just as easily learn the tricks of the trade by networking with people already in the business.
 
I wouldn't expect to be the lead number-cruncher for the next James Bond film right out of the gate, just like an aspiring actress shouldn't expect to be the next Angelina Jolie on her first film. You'll probably end up slaving away on a lot of B-movies and bad TV series at first but all it takes is one good break and next thing you know you're watching your name pass by on the credits and getting stalked by would-be Hollywood accountants yourself.

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CPA Requirements: Meeting the 150 Credit Rule on a Budget

Happy Friday, people! Is it a blackout month yet? I guess not. But hey, we have a good question I received via Twitter yesterday to talk about. If you have a CPA exam question, life question, career question or general insult to hurl at me, tweet or email me.

Done w/ exam but do u have any recs on getting 150 cred other than grad school. I don’t want to pay the $$ for it. #cpahelp

Ahhh, the good old 150 rule. Intended to turn bright-eyed young accounting students into skilled leaders of the industry, the 150 rule has driven a lot of you right off the steaming pile of debt. But unless your state actually requires a Master’s (I can’t name a single one that does), there is absolutely no reason to take that route unless you feel that it will improve your salary prospects or if you can afford it. Otherwise? Please.

So. What’s a 4-year-college underachiever to do?


The truth is that many state boards accept credits from any educational institution recognized in that state, meaning you can easily sign up for 30 units at community college and meet the 150 unit requirement for licensure. Now, the key here is to take classes that you think will round you out as a human being, actually be interesting, or at least inspire you to show up for class. In my experience taking night classes at a community college back in the day, community college professors can actually be a lot more fun than the professors you might be used to. Many work in the industry or field that they will be teaching you about, which allows them a real world practical experience that many academic accounting professors might not have (sorry, guys, you know I’m right). If you are single, you can also definitely find some tail at community college, so there’s another bonus.

Community college will be your cheapest option (if recognized by your state board), but if that isn’t something you’re able to do, there are always online colleges. A lot of these are for-profit, overpriced and not always fun to attend, though I can’t say that from personal experience. I’ve heard stories, mmkay? If you have the money, there’s nothing wrong with enrolling to take some online classes this way but it is definitely more feasible for the left-brainers out there.

Whatever you decide to do, take the opportunity to get creative with your education. Those additional units are meant for you to advance your knowledge so you can be better at your job protecting the public trust or whatever it is you’re meant to do when you get your CPA. A fucking art class wouldn’t kill you, it rounds you out.