How far can one cold email take you? Turns out… pretty far.

In this episode of Beyond the Budget, Bishop Porter sits down with Tim McDaniel, a production accountant who broke into the entertainment industry with zero connections—just persistence and a willingness to start at the bottom.

That one cold email landed him a gig on “Southland” and kickstarted a career that’s led to major projects like “Euphoria,” “Big Little Lies,” “Insecure,” and “The Sympathizer”. Tim shares the realities of leading finance teams on high-stakes productions, how he adapted during the industry's shift to digital workflows, and why training the next generation of crew is one of the most important parts of the job.

Key insights from this episode:

• How production experience builds better accountants
• Adapting to digital workflows post-COVID
• What it takes to manage a team on a high-stakes show

Chapters:
(00:00) Meet Tim McDaniel

(03:06) Getting started in film through cold calls and unpaid internships

(04:14) Transitioning from production to accounting

(10:18) Teaching the next generation through IATSE training programs

(13:46) How COVID accelerated the shift to digital

(18:12) Managing remote teams and finding your stride

(22:19) How to break into the industry and get hired

(26:19) Rapid-fire questions with Tim

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