All Workshops Postponed Until After the Corona Virus Pandemic
I will announce the workshops at my Blog - sign-up for articles and announcements
NOTE: There is a Maximum of 20 Attendees to allow for individual attention)
(CPE/CPD 15 Hrs for each workshop)
John Gaskin is available for private workshops - any questions, please email Heleneworkshops@gmail.com
Los Angeles, CA Workshop - July, 2019:
Recent Testimonials:
"I took your production accounting class back in May 2018. I just wanted to say thank you. Thanks to the course and your kindness in providing a contact in Vancouver I was able to break into the industry there relatively quickly. Lori was amazing in allowing me to work with her one day a
week to show me the ropes though she had a full team. Thanks to you and her I found work with a low budget producer and have now worked on multiple features for Hallmark and A&E, and priorto leaving Vancouver had received other job offers. I nearly got a job working in a Disney job working in a Disney movie, "Mulan", not long after your course because the Production Accountant had read your book when she was starting out. Unfortunately it fell through at the last minute. But it confirmed to me that
doing your course was the best thing I could have done to give me a head start in the industry." Charles Lyndon, July, 2019.
"I want to give a big thank you to John and Helene for putting on the Chicago workshop this past May. Within a month of completing it, I was able to land a clerk job ona Netflix feature in San Francisco. I just finished my first week of work, and it's going great! Thank you two!!!"
Colby Grant, July 7, 2018.
"I needed a filler for my payroll accountant . I found LaVeda Lewis through a friend. She came in, needed no help, and got a hefty load of payroll, new starts & SAG completed beautifully (a week before shooting starts). I asked her who trained her since she had only worked on a few projects.
It was you! So, just wanted to say - I will now be able to tell people to take your classes with confidence that they will learn things the right way. Thank you for what you do - the next generation will be off to a great start because of it!" - Shari Sontag, Production Accountant, May 25/17
"I have learned A LOT from your tutorials and I am very grateful that you have put them out there. Other than persuading someone to teach me all this I have not found an effective resource for learning how to calculate payroll. in the business. No wonder there is such a dearth of Payroll Accountants!" Madeline McBride, October, 2019
The unique practical aspects of Film Production Accounting, Film Auditing, Film Budgeting and Cost Management as taught by a working 30+ year Film Industry Professional, John Gaskin
Testimonials:"John's
workshop seminars are perfect, they are the ONLY SHOW IN TOWN for the
seasoned film professional or aspiring filmmaker; or that CPA , lawyer,
general business person wanting make a career change or added value to
what they do, by segueing into the entertainment business." Tom Garrett, Chair of Film Dept, U of New Haven
"Loved the Hot Cost Course. It provided enough detail to give context but not overwhelm. John's videos are conversational and very easy to follow. Ilook forward to
another course!" - PT
AN OVERVIEW OF THE FILM INDUSTRY + HOT COSTS, etc.
WHO IS IT FOR:-
Anyone interested in working in film/TV.
Hot Costs - two templates are provided with formulas to calculate payroll with an IATSE Area Standards (Features) Agreement. There are 5 videos with 50 minutes of content.
"We have not worked much in the film industry or film tax credits so thought it would be prudent to get agood foundation. Quite frankly, Idid not realize how important it was until I took the first of John's (self-study) courses. We have awonderful audit department and plan to look into film auditing to add to our services. Iam intrigued and enjoy the nuances of film accounting." E.E.
"The film cycle was especially helpful -it IS unique to the industry." - TS
"The course is agreat presentation for an overview." Z.K.
"I felt the objectives of the class provided good insight into the state film tax incentives and the requirements varying by state, and what the qualifying expenses incurred were." J.B.
- This series of 4 self-study courses brings the professional accountant to the stage where he/she will have "sufficient knowledge of the accounting principles and practices generally recognized in the ... industry"*...
- Specific attention is put on preparing the CPA for State certification of the Cost Report for tax credits; however, the courses are designed to prepare professional accountants of any status to service the film and TV industry in other capacities.
For 3 minute videos of each of the courses, as well as their Learning Objectives", go to this page:
4.IATSE National Low Budget(Crew: less than $12Mil)
5.IATSE Area Standards (Crew)
The two-day live workshop will concentrate on the actual calculation of gross payroll for each of SAG, DGA, IATSE (Low Budget Agreement and Area Standards).
The emphasis is on the practical application of the guild/ union payroll rules according to each Agreement.
This practical workshop is vital for anybody wanting to work as a Film Payroll Accountant, or as a Line Producer who must understand the various union /guild agreements for budgeting purposes.
SENIOR LEVEL 6 Recorded Webinar Training For: emerging producers and Line Producers who want to learn about managing film budgets and cost reports during film production.
To gain insight into the Film and Television Industry as a Professional Accountant or Bookkeeper
More About..."Film Accounting & Auditing" Online Self-Study Courses
1. An Overview: Participants will understand the overall business cycle of the Film Industry, with specific attention on the workflow, general terminology and film industry specific accounting practices of Film and Television Production.
2. The Basics: Participants will be familiarized with the film production basics of the film budget, the general ledger, the cost report, the accounting processes, forms and control points of a usual film production.
3. Intermediate Level: Participants will understand the interaction among the production entity, the approved budget, the production documents (Call Sheets, Production Reports, etc) and the Final Cost Report - the document prepared by the film production accountant and audited for film tax credits. All necessary skills for anyone
at a Supervisory / Manager level.
4. Advanced: Participants will have an understanding of a few State requirements to certify the cost report for tax credit purposes. From this understanding the participants can confidently comply with any State's certification requirements.
This is the defining course for the fundamentals of Film Accounting. You gain actual experience with practical exercises in a friendly environment. The max is 20 attendees, to allow one-on-one training.(CPE/CPD 15 Hrs). Click here to learn more.
Location: TBD
PLEASE BRING A LAPTOP. This is a working workshop.
Forms Provided: Participants will be provided with 23 folders of useable forms on a thumb drive.
Free Materials Provided Upon sign-up participants will be emailed the E-Book "Walk The Talk", Film Accounting Booklet, Professional Film Budget used in the workshop, Glossary of Terms, The Managing Film Budget Booklet, The Managing Weekly Cost Reports Booklet, Senior Level 6 Recorded Training Webinars. That's a total
of 360 pages of material and 9 hours of video.
This workshop is in response to the high demand for Film Payroll Accountants & Line Producers. Understanding film payroll for SAG, DGA and IATSE crew is a vital necessity for all Line Producers as well as Production Accountants. The workshop is jam packed with practical applications, actually calculating timecards according to the Agreements for SAG, DGA, IATSE.
Location: Holiday Inn, Atlanta Airport South, 4669 Airport Blvd., College Park, GA 30337 Tel: (404)487-5000 (We have rooms reserved for $100/Nite)
PLEASE BRING A LAPTOP. This is a working workshop.
Can't Make it? See On-Line Self-Study Courses (click here)
The 5 comprehensive on-line self-study courses, have been designed to make it as practical and as lively as possible. For every Guild/Union
More quotes to give you a concept of my basic nature - my workshops are never boring:
“As an instructor and, more important, as a mentor, John Gaskin helped me finda new career in the Film & Television industry in production accounting.John's teaching style is seamless, as he takes his students through each accountingcycle
on a typical film set. Each cycle is presented into neatly organized modules thatexpose his students to the real world of film accounting. It's a window into an industrythat people without a background in Media & Entertainment can finally get a chance toglimpse into and John leads the way with an expert hand and an easy
to understand andfun environment.On a personal
note, John took the time to help me with my resume and to prepare forjob interviews. Without his courses and all of his personal help, I would not be enjoyinga second career in Film Production Accounting.I'm proud to be able to say that I'm now working in the industry!”Craig Lowe, Toronto.
"The presenter (John Gaskin) was excellent...candid, straightforward, respectful of the audience. I especially liked the real life examples, they're the best way to learn about finances. The casual format stimulated great conversation between audience and presenter." Christy, Florida
"I took John’s 2 day budgeting workshop, and his one day Michigan film credit
workshop in August. He is wonderful! The time flew by, and I found
myself hoping he would re-do his production accounting workshop in Michigan, so
I could attend that as well! He provided us a lot of very useful, and current materials.
At our workshop we all brought laptops, and had hands on experience
learning to use Movie Magic Budgeting. John is very good at
teaching this material, and provided us with many valuable tips and
tricks. He has a wealth of real-world experience, and often spiced up his
presentation by sharing this experience with us. A few who had planned on
taking only the Budgeting workshop, decided to stay and signed on to take the
Michigan Film Credit workshop he offered the next day – and two of them had no
plans to film in Michigan!Carol A, Michigan
"I just wanted to let you know that I have been in communication with Stephen at Tyler Perry Studios. He actually pulled me onto a show that they are shooting in a couple of weeks. So I will head to Atlanta for a month or so to work with Stephen and TPS. Now I will get a chance to put into practice the training I received at your workshops. One of the intangibles of attending your workshop is the people
you meet. That is probably one of the more powerful benefits. In addition to learning the intricate details behind film accounting, building your network of colleagues is a true advantage. Thanks for providing an opportunity." Marc Harris, Los Angeles
“I definitely would recommend John Gaskin as an instructor for all aspects in the fieldof production film accounting. I have had the pleasure of taking two of his seminars(Film Accounting & Auditing) & (Film Payroll). "
I took two classes at UCLA, spent 6 weeks and $1,200 and I found your workshop way more helpful. I would suggest it to anyone before spending all those hours at UCLA to take your workshop. Kay Vaughn"
He shares a wealth of information fromthe many years of experience as a production film accountant. He incorporates differentteaching tools to help in the learning process.
Hands on drills to get you to utilize thecourse materials; "breaking the ice" as John will say. An open discourse with everyonein the class, enabling different perspectivesfrom
the students.
And a supplement ofadditional literature and learning tools for self study to help reinforce and continue thelearning process.
By the way you can tell that a lot of effort was put forth by John tobring together these learning materials.
Above all John Gaskin exudes a caring attitude,wanting to help everyone to succeed in their career goals.”Nicholas Lazarus. Nich was hired as a film payroll clerk right after doing the Film Payroll workshop.
"JohnGaskin and what he shares is just not available, ANYWHERE! John 's
workshop seminars are perfect, they are the ONLY SHOW IN TOWN for the
seasoned film professional or aspiring filmmaker; or that CPA , lawyer,
general business person wanting make a career change or added value to
what they do, by segueing into the entertainment business.
John Gaskin is film professional that instills trust and enthusiasm and calls it as it is! From his years of experience as a production auditor
/accountant/ production executive ( all my higher powers) with his
expertise in budgeting, cost reporting, dealing with bond companies,managing contracts of every description,
working with producers(and being one himself), production managers and studio executives ensure a production is produced on time and on budget.
He brings his vast cross-over disciplinary skills and experience to an nuts and bolts
result in his book "Walk The Talk", which I use in my producing course at University of New Haven.
His presentations ( including Movie Magic budgeting & scheduling) and workshops are just not the how to's... but the why's .
He shares all the interpersonal goings on with the bottom line- the result. And the money involved to get that result.
I am grateful to have discovered "Walk the Talk" and John Gaskin and look forward always to introduce John's his book and
information that I have found there, and nowhere else!" Tom Garrett, Chair of Media Studies, University of New Haven
"I do not have an accounting background.
I do mostly self produced independent film and theater work. I
discovered John Gaskin's course while consulting for a legal team.
Their client was interested in producing a film and wanted to make
sure his money was well spent. The Production Accounting course
allowed me to serve this client's needs and added immeasurably to my understanding of 'the business'.
John is friendly and approachable, yet he and his subject are profoundly pragmatic.
I find this no nonsense, all business approach quite refreshing and encouraging. Theater and
film programs are full of dreamers wishing to take on Hollywood, yet
there is virtually no instruction on how the business actually
operates. Instead, we're fed near mythic stories of people who “broke
in”, told to work hard until it's our turn to make it big, and left
to figure things out for ourselves. I personally consider this an act of gross negligence on the part of most college programs,
but I feel John's materials go a long way toward correcting this oversight. John removes the starry eyed bullshit
from the conversation of filmmaking and working in film. And he
replaces it with a very real, tangible and needed skill that gives
people far better opportunities to work in the industry than prevailing wisdom would even consider.
I would encourage anyone with an interest in working in any part of the industry to look into production accounting, and specifically John's course materials.!" Thomas Putetza, Owner, Collectivestudiya.com
BENEFITS: The workshops provide you with a practical 'door opener' to film production - as a novice Line Producer, Producer's or Director's Assistant, Production Assistant, Film Accounting, etc. (If you are unsure of the role of a Film Accountant, click here, for a quick run down on the income levels and career potential.)
You will receive John's E-book, "Walk The Talk" jammed with practical tools of your trade.
John will provide each attendee with their own CD packed with
- over 50 practical film production form templates, including all accounting forms used in the business, as well as sample Call Sheets, Daily Production reports, release forms, deal memos, legal assignments, sample equipment agreements, etc. (Note: Most film production/accounting forms are on Word or Excel for your future application)
-
screen recordings of software applications, as discussed in the workshop will be provided on DVD, for your future reference.
All practical assignments are based on John's 30 years experience in film production.
John will be discussing the practical aspect of finding work in the film industry. John makes no promises, but he has
many years of experience finding work as a film auditor and will mentor you on his successful actions and contacts.
Coffee and tea will be provided.
If you have any further questions about the workshops, or about the film business in general, feel free to email John Gaskin.
