What Cast & Crew does

Cast & Crew is a Burbank, California-based provider of cloud-based payroll, production finance, and human resources software and services for the global entertainment industry, founded in 1976 and marking its 50th anniversary in 2026. The company serves film, television, streaming, advertising, and live entertainment producers through an integrated product suite spanning production accounting (PSL+ for budgeting, cost tracking, and vendor payments; DPO for digital purchase orders), payroll and HR (MyCast&Crew crew portal, Start+ for onboarding, Hours+ for timecards), collaboration (Studio+), and analytics (Reporting+, Data+ with API access for BI integration). Underlying technology is a cloud-based entertainment production management platform with multi-currency support (8 currencies), U.K. VAT/Making Tax Digital compliance, and integrations with Eved (digital payments) and Sedgwick (workers' compensation claims).

The company generates revenue through a mix of recurring payroll service fees, subscription-based SaaS licensing of its digital products, and professional services for workers' compensation claims management, production incentive financing, tax credit brokering, and completion bond services. Distribution is primarily direct enterprise field sales with dedicated account managers and regional client support teams across offices in the US (Burbank, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Baton Rouge, New York), Canada (Toronto, Vancouver), the UK (Beaconsfield via Sargent-Disc), and India (Hyderabad engineering). Cast & Crew is a portfolio company of New York-based private equity firm ZMC, and has expanded through acquisitions including Final Draft (screenwriting software), Backstage (casting/talent marketplace), CAPS, Checks & Balances, Media Services, Sargent-Disc, Digital Purchase Order, and The TEAM Companies (acquired in 2022 with EQT VIII backing). The company employs 1,001-5,000 people and positions itself as the leading end-to-end production management platform for the entertainment industry.

Name

Cast & Crew

Legal name

Cast & Crew LLC

Website

https://castandcrew.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Cast & Crew provides cloud-based payroll, production finance, and human resources software to the global entertainment industry, serving film, television, streaming, advertising, and live event producers with end-to-end production management solutions backed by PE firm ZMC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment Production Payroll and Financial Services

NAICS

Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Crew & Labor Services (Production Staff, Unions, Payroll) (MPADAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Casting & Talent Services (Casting, Background, Talent Holding) (MPADAFAI), Production & Talent Services (Casting, Crew, Production Management) (MPAAAMAF)

Keywords

• Entertainment payroll services
• Production accounting software
• Residuals processing services
• Film workers compensation
• Production incentive management

Headquarters

HQ city

Burbank

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Payroll Services: Full-service entertainment payroll including tax filing and administration, union/guild compliance, residuals processing. Revenue generated through service fees based on production payroll volume.
2. Software Products (SaaS): Digital products including PSL+, DPO, MyCast&Crew, Start+, Hours+, Studio+, Reporting+, and Data+ offered as cloud-based software solutions.
3. Workers' Compensation & Risk Management: Workers' compensation claims management, loss control services, and risk management for productions.
4. Financial Services: Production incentive financing, tax credit brokering, completion bond services, and incentive management consulting.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cast & Crew provides payroll, production accounting, residuals processing, workers' compensation, production incentives and tax credit management, and entertainment financial services for film, television, and live event productions. Its offerings are delivered through proprietary software platforms (PSL+, DPO, MyCast&Crew, Hours+, Start+, Studio+, Reporting+, Data+, Final Draft) and supported by specialized service teams that handle union compliance and incentive filings.

Product overview

Cast & Crew offers a cloud-based entertainment production management platform with a modular architecture. The core product suite spans accounting and financial management (PSL+ for production finance, DPO for purchase orders), payroll and human resources (MyCast&Crew crew portal, Start+ onboarding, Hours+ timecards), content and collaboration (Studio+), and metrics and insights (Reporting+, Data+). These products are designed to work both independently and as an integrated ecosystem. The company also provides associated services including payroll processing, residuals management, workers' compensation, and financial services. The portfolio includes acquired brands such as Final Draft (screenwriting software) and The TEAM Companies (payroll and business affairs). The platform supports the full production lifecycle across film, television, streaming, advertising, and live entertainment sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PSL+: Global solution for film and TV production finance, including budgeting, cost tracking, vendor payments, and reporting.
• DPO
• Studio+
• MyCast&Crew
• Start+
• Hours+
• Reporting+
• Data+

Products and services

• PSL+ Proprietary production accounting and payroll platform that automates cast and crew payroll, deductions, union compliance, and reporting for film and television productions.
• DPO (Digital Production Office) Digital production office platform that streamlines workflow, document management, and collaboration across film and television production teams.
• MyCast&Crew Online portal that allows cast and crew to complete onboarding, submit tax and personal documents, and access payroll information digitally.
• Hours+ Timekeeping platform that captures, approves, and integrates crew work hours and timecards with payroll processing.
• Final Draft Professional screenwriting software for film, television, and theater writers, providing formatting, outlining, and collaboration tools.
• Start+ Software used to launch and configure new productions, including setup of payroll entities, unions, and jurisdictions.
• Studio+ Studio-level software providing oversight, reporting, and management of multiple simultaneous productions.
• Reporting+ Reporting and analytics platform that delivers production payroll, labor, and accounting insights for producers and studios.
• Data+ Data integration platform enabling movement and reconciliation of production payroll, accounting, and HR data across systems.
• Payroll Services End-to-end payroll services for cast and crew across film, television, and live productions, including union and non-union payroll, taxes, and compliance.
• Residuals Services Service that calculates, processes, and distributes residuals owed to talent and guilds under collective bargaining agreements.
• Workers' Compensation Services Workers' compensation insurance policy administration, underwriting, and claims handling tailored to film, television, and live event productions.
• Financial Services Financial services for entertainment productions, including production incentive and tax credit management, production lending, and equipment financing.
• The TEAM Companies Services for talent payments, tour accounting, and live-event payroll supporting touring artists, promoters, and live productions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Team CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Team Companies, a payroll and business affairs provider, was acquired by Cast & Crew in 2022 in a deal backed by private equity firm EQT VIII. The founders previously led The Team Companies before launching Unified Production Platform (UPP). The acquisition expanded Cast & Crew's capabilities in the entertainment payroll sector.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Brex: Brex is a financial technology company offering corporate cards, spend management, and bill pay with deep integrations into accounting platforms. Its corporate card and payment capabilities overlap thematically with Cast & Crew's EvedPay integration via PSL+, and it represents an adjacent fintech competitor for entertainment production spend management.
• Bill.com: Bill.com provides financial operations automation (AP/AR, spend management) and integrates with accounting systems. It is thematically adjacent to Cast & Crew's PSL+ purchase order and financial services capabilities, though focused on SMB rather than entertainment-specific payroll.
• Final Draft (Cast & Crew subsidiary, benchmark): Final Draft is Cast & Crew's own screenwriting software subsidiary and the industry standard for film and TV scriptwriting. As a portfolio brand it is also a benchmark for adjacent creative tooling peers like Celtx and WriterDuet that compete in the screenwriting category.

Broad incumbents

• Workday: Workday provides enterprise HR, payroll, and financial management cloud software used by large media and entertainment companies for back-office functions. While not entertainment-specialized, large studios may elect Workday for HR/payroll, potentially disintermediating specialized vendors like Cast & Crew for certain workflows.
• ADP: ADP is the largest general payroll and HR services provider and a broad incumbent that serves some entertainment production accounts through its enterprise payroll platform. While not specialized for entertainment union/guild complexity, its scale and enterprise relationships make it an indirect competitor for cross-industry productions.
• Paychex: Paychex is a large payroll, HR, and benefits services provider serving SMB through mid-market across many industries including live entertainment and smaller production companies. It competes for non-specialized payroll work that Cast & Crew does not aggressively target.

Emerging players

• Wrapbook: Wrapbook is a cloud-native production payroll and accounting platform targeting film, TV, and commercial productions with a modern UI/UX. It directly competes with Cast & Crew's PSL+, Hours+, and MyCast&Crew products for digitally-forward production teams, representing the next-generation threat to Cast & Crew's legacy installed base.
• Celtx: Celtx is a cloud-based pre-production and screenwriting platform for film, TV, and multimedia productions. It is comparable to Cast & Crew's Final Draft subsidiary and represents a modern, collaborative alternative for screenwriting and pre-production, with growing overlap into production management workflows.

Direct peers

• GreenSlate: GreenSlate provides payroll, production accounting, and software solutions for the entertainment industry, serving studios, streamers, and independent productions. It competes with Cast & Crew across payroll, tax credit services, and SaaS tools for production finance.
• Entertainment Partners: Entertainment Partners is the most direct competitor to Cast & Crew, providing entertainment payroll, residuals, production accounting, tax incentive, and workers' compensation services to film, TV, and commercial productions. It overlaps Cast & Crew's core payroll and production finance offerings with very similar target customers (studios, streamers, production companies).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CastAndCrewNews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CastandCrew
• Facebookfacebook.com/CastCrew
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/113134
• Instagraminstagram.com/castandcrewllc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A8 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cast & Crew