Media Services
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Media Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Media Services
- Legal name
- Cast & Crew LLC
- Website
- https://mediaservices.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Media Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entertainment Payroll Services
- SIC
- Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crew & Labor Services (Production Staff, Unions, Payroll) (MPADAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Usage Reporting, Reconciliation & Royalty Accounting (Statements, Audits) (MPAHALAN), Content Supply Chain Orchestration & Workflow (Ingest-to-Publish, Automation) (MPAHALAG)
Keywords
Where Media Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Media Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Production Payroll Services: Employer-of-record payroll services for film, TV, commercial, and web productions. Includes payroll processing, tax withholdings/filings, W2s, workers' comp coverage, and compliance management. Revenue generated through service fees negotiated between sales and production, typically calculated as a percentage per check or handling fee.
- Software Products (Showbiz): Standalone software products including Showbiz Budgeting, Showbiz Timecards, and Showbiz Labor Guide sold to production companies and individual users.
- Software Bundled with Payroll: Software tools (MediaWeb, Mobile Timecards, Purchase Cards, Secure File Uploads) provided free with production payroll service as value-add.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Production Payroll Service - Core payroll processing with all digital tools |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Showbiz Labor Guide - Free searchable entertainment industry rates database |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Media Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Media Services provides employer-of-record entertainment payroll processing for film, television, commercial, and digital productions, handling payroll tax compliance, workers' compensation, union pension/health/welfare contributions, and residuals calculations. The offering is complemented by the proprietary MediaWeb production accounting SaaS platform and the Showbiz Software suite for budgeting, crew timecards, and SAG-AFTRA performer timecards.
Product overview
Media Services offers a comprehensive entertainment payroll and production accounting ecosystem centered on its core Production Payroll service (employer-of-record payroll for film, TV, commercials, and esports) complemented by a suite of integrated software tools. The flagship Showbiz Software suite includes Showbiz Budgeting (production budgeting with cloud collaboration), Showbiz Timecards Crew (hours-to-gross calculation for crew), and Showbiz Timecards Cast (timecards for SAG-AFTRA performers). MediaWeb Production Accounting serves as the core SaaS accounting platform with purchase card imports from PEX/Cashet and ACH vendor payments. Additional payroll tools include Mobile Timecards, Digital Purchase Order (DPO), Self-Service Payroll Reports, and Secure File Uploads, all integrated with the core payroll system. Supporting services include Residuals Payment processing, Film Tax Incentives consulting, Film Financing access, and ACA Health Benefits. The Showbiz Labor Guide provides free union rate reference data.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Showbiz Software: Production budgeting and timecard software including Showbiz Budgeting and Showbiz Timecards.
- MediaWeb
- TiM Digital Onboarding
Products and services
- Production Payroll Full-service employer-of-record entertainment payroll for film, TV, commercials, web content, and esports productions, handling payroll processing, tax withholdings, workers' compensation, and payroll compliance with no-fee same-day setup.
- Residuals Payment Film and TV residuals processing service handling reuse payments for talent on streaming, broadcast, and syndication platforms, supporting SAG-AFTRA, DGA, and WGA contractual formulas.
- Film Tax Incentives Production incentives consulting service helping productions identify and claim state-level film tax credits and incentives, with regional expertise in Louisiana and other filming jurisdictions.
- Film Financing Access to a network of film financiers and tax credit buyers to help productions secure financing for film and TV projects.
- ACA Health Benefits Health benefits plans for production crew and cast delivered through third-party providers, with ACA compliance tracking and eligibility notification.
- MediaWeb Production Accounting Software True SaaS production accounting platform for film, TV, streaming, web series, and sports media, featuring cost reporting, automated payroll feed, purchase card import from PEX/Cashet, multiple budgets, dozens of standard and custom reports, and ACH payments to vendors.
- Showbiz Budgeting Production budgeting software enabling real-time cloud collaboration while maintaining desktop independence, positioned as an industry-standard budgeting tool for film and TV productions.
- Showbiz Timecards Crew Industry-standard hours-to-gross (HTG) payroll calculation software for film and TV crew, handling complex union rules, overtime calculations, and hour splitting by job, episode, or location.
- Showbiz Timecards Cast (SAG-AFTRA) Electronic timecard system for SAG-AFTRA performers that calculates actor pay from hours to gross, used by SAG-AFTRA auditors.
- Showbiz Labor Guide Free searchable database of scale rates for SAG-AFTRA, IATSE, DGA, WGA, Teamsters and other entertainment unions, providing 24/7 access to union and guild rates, overtime and guarantees by position, and occupation codes.
- TiM Digital Onboarding Paperless digital onboarding service for crew start paperwork, integrated with I-9 verification, provided free with the payroll service.
- Purchase Cards for Crew (Media P-Cards) Production purchase card (p-card) giving full control over crew spending, with mobile app for receipt capture, spend limits, and category restrictions, powered by PEX technology.
- Digital Purchase Order (DPO) Cloud-based procurement system designed for the entertainment industry, offering 24/7 online and mobile access, customizable reporting, and sync with Showbiz Budgeting.
- Self-Service Payroll Reports Secure 24/7 online access to production payroll reports including Detailed Payroll Journal, Payroll Data Report, Timecard Report, Employee Roster, and Invoice Package Reports.
- Secure File Uploads / Client Portal Client Portal space for secure upload and download of payroll files, with messaging interface for communication with payroll professionals.
- Mobile Timecards Contactless mobile time entry system allowing crew members to input hours and signatures via mobile device, included free with the payroll service.
Quantifiable outcome
- No setup fees, no deposits, no minimums
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Media Services
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Media Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability2 records
Feature11 records
Media Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and infrastructure.
- PEXcorePEX provides the Media P-Cards (purchase card technology) for crew spending control. The partnership enables petty cash management for productions with real-time receipt capture and automated notifications.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)infrastructureAll systems hosted on AWS servers with highest grade of protection for clients' and payees' sensitive information.
- TiM (Time is Money)coreTiM digital onboarding service integrated with Media Services payroll for paperless crew start paperwork. Free with payroll service.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Media Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Entertainment Partners: The largest specialized entertainment payroll, production accounting, and tax incentives provider. Directly competes with Media Services across film, TV, and streaming payroll, and is also commonly bundled into the same production services suites.
- Wrapbook: Modern, API-first production payroll and production accounting platform. Targets the same film, TV, and commercial production customers as Media Services with a more tech-forward, self-serve onboarding experience.
- GreenSlate: Entertainment payroll and production accounting specialist serving film, TV, and commercial productions. Closely comparable in target market and service mix to Media Services, with overlap in union payroll handling and residuals.
- Cast & Crew: Sister company and parent conglomerate of Media Services. Offers overlapping entertainment payroll, production accounting, and residuals services under the same corporate roof, making it a directly comparable — and partially overlapping — competitor.
- ABS Payroll Services: Smaller entertainment payroll services firm serving production companies and crew across film and TV. Competes with Media Services for mid-market and independent productions requiring union-compliant payroll.
Broad incumbents
- ADP: Largest U.S. payroll and HCM incumbent. While not entertainment-specialized, ADP serves large studios and production-adjacent employers and represents the broad-incumbent alternative to specialized entertainment payroll vendors.
- Paychex: Major SMB and mid-market payroll and HR services incumbent. Acts as a broad alternative in the broader payroll market, occasionally serving entertainment-adjacent employers with simpler payroll needs.
- Paylocity: Mid-market HCM and payroll platform with growing entertainment vertical exposure. Represents a tech-forward broad incumbent that competes for the same production-company finance leader buyer as Media Services.
- Workday: Enterprise cloud HCM and finance platform used by large studios and media holding companies. Competes at the enterprise procurement layer where Media Services must integrate as a specialist point solution.
- Ceridian (Dayforce): Global HCM and payroll platform with workforce management capabilities. Serves large, multi-country media employers and represents the broad-incumbent alternative for production-adjacent payroll needs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Media Services social profiles
Digital presenceMedia Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Media Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Media Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Media Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Media Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Media Services
What does Media Services do?
Media Services provides employer-of-record entertainment payroll processing for film, television, commercial, and digital productions, handling payroll tax compliance, workers' compensation, union pension/health/welfare contributions, and residuals calculations. The offering is complemented by the proprietary MediaWeb production accounting SaaS platform and the Showbiz Software suite for budgeting, crew timecards, and SAG-AFTRA performer timecards.
Is Media Services a public or private company?
Media Services is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Media Services founded?
Media Services was founded in 1983. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Media Services based?
Media Services is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Media Services make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Production Payroll Services are the primary driver. The others are software Products (Showbiz) and software Bundled with Payroll.
Who are Media Services's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Entertainment Partners, Wrapbook, GreenSlate, Cast & Crew and ABS Payroll Services. Broad incumbents are ADP, Paychex, Paylocity, Workday and Ceridian (Dayforce).
Does Media Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Media Services.
What industry is Media Services in?
Media Services's product category is Entertainment Payroll Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAFAA, Crew & Labor Services (Production Staff, Unions, Payroll), with a secondary code of MPAHALAN, Usage Reporting, Reconciliation & Royalty Accounting (Statements, Audits). Its SIC code is 7819.