From Paper Ledgers to Cloud-Based Platforms: EP Celebrates 50 Years of Production Finance Innovation

As seen in IF.

For half a century, Entertainment Partners (EP) has worked behind the scenes to help film and television finance teams manage the relentless pressure of tight schedules and tighter budgets. 

From the 1920s to the late 1960s, a majority of new content was shot on major studio backlots that largely operated as self-contained ecosystems. But as productions began to cross borders, that model gave way, introducing new layers of financial oversight, regulatory complexity, and cross-territory coordination.

Through it all, EP has worked alongside production accountants to design tools grounded in the realities of the job—guided by a shared objective: deliver financial clarity and control. Today, the company’s comprehensive production ecosystem reflects decades of collaboration—beginning in 1970s Hollywood.

From manual calculations to automated accounting

Production accounting is high-stakes work. Every decision carries financial consequences that can keep a project on track or push it off course. But for years, managing these finances was a grueling, manual process. Studios tracked attendance on paper timecards, and payroll—the budget’s largest expense—was calculated by hand.

Recognising the need for better processes and purpose-built tools, EP foundersBob Draney and Jack Peterson created the first automated payroll system designed specifically for the entertainment industry in 1976. First adopted by the television series Little House on the Prairie, the revolutionary system quickly became an industry standard.

While finance teams were eager to move beyond manual ledgers, no systems were designed to handle union agreements, multi-entity reporting, or the specialised cost-tracking productions require. EP’s founders responded with a production-specific accounting platform built to meet these unique needs.

From siloed production software to cloud-based computing

As production expanded in scope and geography, demand for specialised tools increased. More production-specific solutions entered the market, but there was a new problem: they weren’tconnected. With each standalone system tethered to a desktop, finance teams were forced to manually reconcile data in shared spreadsheets—a tedious, error-prone process.

That all changed in the early 2000s, when software began moving to the cloud. EP jumped at the opportunity to bring its product suite, which included production payroll, budgeting, incentives, residuals, and scheduling tools, into a single connected ecosystem.

With this digital leap, data flowed across systems, giving productions real-time visibility into both financial impact and compliance exposure. Built-in reporting aligned to international standards also made it easier to manage projects spanning multiple jurisdictions.

Now, instead of reacting to overages, teams could course-correct as decisions were made, marking a significant advancement in production finance.

Local expertise and global systems for Australia and New Zealand

What began as a practical solution to Hollywood’s manual payroll challenges evolved into an integrated platform supporting productions worldwide. EP’s long-term investment in specialisedinfrastructure is particularly relevant in Australia and New Zealand—as the regions continue to attract major international projects and strengthen local production ecosystems.

Backed by experts with deep knowledge of local agreements, incentives, and compliance requirements, EP helps productions maintain consistency and oversight across jurisdictionsaround the world. And from budgeting and accounting, to payroll, its industry-leading technology solutions—Movie Magic Budgeting, Movie Magic Scheduling, and the Emmy-award-winning SyncOnSet—EP supports ANZ productions from planning through execution, seamlessly.

A time-tested partner for the next chapter

Over the past half-century, production finance has evolved from in-studio projects to global co-productions and from paper ledgers to the cloud. Entertainment Partners has evolved alongside it—building tools and providing services to support digital transformation through every major industry shift.

Now, as Australia and New Zealand enter their most ambitious production era yet, EP provides infrastructure built on the industry’s only constants: accuracy, trust, and accountability. Whether navigating complex incentives or global territories, EP delivers the precision productions rely on to protect budgets, meet compliance obligations, and bring bold stories to life.