SMART START
Crew and talent onboarding software, built for compliance and trusted by 4,000+ productions.
Focus on the work, not the paperwork. SmartStart is the entertainment industry's leading digital start packet solution, processing over 1 million compliant packets for productions of every size. Get crew and talent up and running within minutes.
Error-free start packets. Faster I-9 verification. One-click approvals.
- Centralize crew and talent data. Collect and securely store all crew and talent information in one place, with one-click approvals that get start paperwork done fast.
- Auto-generate digital start packets from a comprehensive form library or request custom forms for your production. Built-in checks flag skipped fields before they become a problem.
- Stay consistent automatically. Rates import directly from the EP Paymaster Guide, EP's industry-standard rate reference, so numbers match across every form.
- Reduce I-9 compliance risk. Built-in I-9 verification management lets verifiers track every pending verification in one queue, helping protect your production from costly fines.
One place to see it all, with your data flowing automatically into EP's Production Finance Studio.
- See the whole onboarding process in SmartStart at a glance. Intuitive views show hiring status anytime, anywhere, on any device.
- Eliminate incomplete information, illegible handwriting, and re-keying. Crew enter their information once, and it's saved for future shows.
- Share start packets, even paper ones, instantly and automatically with your accounting team and EP Paymaster.
- Give your accounting team a head start. Start information and rates flow directly from SmartStart into SmartTime, EP's digital timecard solution, cutting manual data entry and giving crew a consistent experience from onboarding through payroll.
- Archive with confidence. Documents can be delivered and archived automatically in SmartHub, EP's document management platform.
- Works wherever you are. SmartStart is a mobile-ready tool, designed for set, studio, or remote teams.
SmartStart is fully integrated with EP's Production Finance Studio. Learn more →
Built for productions all over the world.
SmartStart supports end-to-end onboarding-through-payroll and beyond in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, serving productions in production hubs around the world.
Know what they're doing, not just payroll but residuals, stunt player insurance, guilds, and prices are competitive. Nice people too.
Graham J. | Production Executive
Nothing has ever been wrong. Other payroll services are such a pain. I think the ONE time I needed to call EP, everything was taken care of immediately. Best in the biz right here!
Brittney B. | Producer
Why TV & Film Productions Worldwide Choose SmartStart
About SmartStart
SmartStart and EP Payroll work together to eliminate manual entry, speed approvals and ensure accurate payments—all on one modern platform.
Yes. EP’s tools, like SmartStart, are mobile-ready, allowing crew and finance teams to manage onboarding, timecards and approvals from any device.
Many studios and independent productions move away from other providers to rely on EP’s innovative world-class service, expert guidance, and technology that meets evolving industry needs and government regulations. EP offers future-ready solutions and robust support, making it the right partner for productions worldwide.
EP Payroll is an all-in-one solution for crew onboarding, timecard processing, and payroll. It eliminates manual entry, reduces errors, and ensures compliance for productions of any size, whether you’re shooting in Los Angeles, anywhere in the U.S. as well as Canada and the UK.
EP offers an integrated ecosystem with automated workflows, real-time reporting, and dedicated EP Paymaster support. This means faster approvals, fewer errors, and complete audit readiness, all on one platform.
Absolutely. SmartStart and SmartTime are included at no additional cost with EP payroll, and our Flagship template, an out-of-the-box setup built for speed, gets indie and other fast-moving productions up and running without sacrificing compliance or accuracy.
SmartStart is EP’s industry-leading solution for onboarding production workers efficiently while ensuring compliance with government and studio regulations. It integrates seamlessly with other EP proudcts, including EP Payroll, SmartTime, and SmartHub, providing audit-ready documentation and a streamlined onboarding experience.
SmartStart auto-generates start packets using a comprehensive library of government, guild/union, and studio forms. Built-in guardrails prevent submission of incomplete packets, ensuring compliance and reducing errors. Over 4,000 productions have processed 1 million+ compliant start packets through SmartStart.
Then, SmartStart’s fit-to-form modern user interfaces, refined over a decade, simplifies packet completion and corrections. Production workers can quickly complete start paperwork, while offices benefit from accurate, audit-ready documents, saving time and reducing risk.
Yes. EP’s Setup Team, staffed by industry specialists, partners with studios to configure SmartStart for their needs as well as out-of-the-box compliance with federal, state, and union requirements. For expedited schedules and independent projects, SmartStart’s Flagship template provides quick, reliable onboarding.
SmartStart covers Above-the-Line talent in the same interface as crew and standardizes start paperwork processing.
SmartStart is the starting point for EP’s end-to-end digital workflow. Data flows seamlessly to SmartTime for timecard processing, EP Payroll for payment setup, and Scenechronize SmartHub for digital archiving, eliminating double entry and reducing costs.
SmartStart supports federal compliance for Form I-9 in the U.S., reducing audit risks. In Canada, SmartStart integrates with EP Residency for proof-of-residency verification. Then, all work terms, NDAs, and policies are acknowledged by crew or talent during onboarding with full audit trails.
Yes. SmartStart generates compliant start packets for both union/guild and non-union crew and talent, drawing from a form library that covers government, guild/union, and studio-specific requirements.
SmartStart supports full onboarding-through-payroll workflows in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
SmartStart includes built-in I-9 verification management, letting verifiers track every pending verification in one queue to help reduce the risk of compliance fines.
Back to top
Put the industry’s most secure, completely digital start solution to work for you.
Discover why so many production teams and accountants love working with SmartStart.