Master Your Craft
Master Your Craft
Podcast Description
This show goes beyond the basics of production, uncovering the expertise and stories that drive the entertainment industry From big-name industry leaders to behind-the-scenes pros, each episode reveals how different aspects of production, from financing to performance, come together to create something extraordinary.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores a variety of themes including production financing, payroll taxes, AI in advertising, and rights management. Episodes delve into issues like the impact of automation on tax workflows with guests such as Joe Gutierrez, and the complexities of managing rights in the age of AI with industry experts Rori Floyd and Mark Egmon.
This show goes beyond the basics of production, uncovering the expertise and stories that drive the entertainment industry From big-name industry leaders to behind-the-scenes pros, each episode reveals how different aspects of production, from financing to performance, come together to create something extraordinary.
Production moves fast, and your tools should too.
In this episode of Master Your Craft, host Shannon Cruz is joined by Cast & Crew’s Alex Bair, Director of Product Solutions, and Kody Schmidt, Product Manager for Hours+ (Timekeeping). They discuss the biggest 2025 Hours+ (Timekeeping) updates designed to help production accountants move faster, stay compliant, and get more done with less stress.
From real-time cap tracking to flexible approval workflows and timecard overrides, these new tools put more control in the hands of production teams where it belongs.
Key insights from this episode:
- Leveraging automation for smarter production finance
- How to fix timecard issues fast without breaking your workflow
- The impact of proactive cap tracking on crew and compliance
Chapters:
(00:00) Meet Alex Bair and Kody Schmidt
(01:25) The most impactful updates coming to Hours+ this year
(03:05) Approval workflows made for self-service
(05:44) Allowance cap tracking in real time
(08:11) East Coast incentives and compliance features
(11:02) Enabling flexibility and efficiency in production workflows
(16:02) Hours+ for international productions
(17:58) Future plans for Hours+ in 2026
(19:55) Rapid-fire round: How Alex and Kody work and unwind
Want a tailored 15-20 minute product walkthrough? Check out this link: https://info.castandcrew.com/2025-product-recap
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