On Production

We are joined by legendary literary agent, producer, and manager Bob Bookman, whose career has spanned over five decades at the intersection of publishing and film. From discovering the source material for Jurassic Park and The Silence of the Lambs to helping bring A Beautiful Mind to screen, Bob has been instrumental in shaping how great writing finds its way into cinema.

In this conversation, Bob reflects on how he identifies truly cinematic material, what makes an adaptation viable, and how the process of getting a film made has evolved—from pre-streaming theatrical logic to today's algorithm-driven systems. He shares stories behind major projects, including the 25-year journey to produce The Burial and how A Complete Unknown came together with Timothée Chalamet and Searchlight. He also breaks down the complexity of rights deals, why strong material isn’t always easy to adapt.

Whether you’re a producer, manager, agent, or simply someone navigating the shifting ecosystem of development and IP, this episode offers a candid, detailed look at what it really means to bring a story from the page to the screen.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We’re joined by producer and production executive Tom Butterfield, whose 17-year career has spanned studio collaborations, independent features, and public sector funding bodies on both sides of the Atlantic. As the principal of Culmination Productions, Tom has produced a diverse slate of films including The Critic, Cellar Door, The Banker, and Die in a Gunfight. He brings a uniquely grounded perspective on what it takes to get a film made.

In this conversation, Tom unpacks the realities of producing in today’s market. He compares the financing and development models between the UK and US, offers candid lessons from multi-year development journeys, and explains how casting factors into packaging decisions. We also dive into his philosophies on creative collaboration, managing talent relationships, and the producer’s role as a problem-solver.

Tom also reflects on industry shifts—from the decline of mid-budget theatrical films to the rise of streamer-era economics—and how organizations like Producers United are helping redefine the producer’s role in today’s evolving landscape.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We sit down with creative entrepreneur and studio advisor Joel Pilger. After running Impossible Pictures for two decades—serving major clients like Disney, Nat Geo, and Ford, Joel now helps creative studios and production companies around the world build sustainable, purpose-driven businesses without compromising their creative identity. In this conversation, he shares what it takes to lead a creative business in today’s landscape of remote teams, tighter margins, AI disruption, and increased competition.

Joel unpacks the most common pitfalls creative studio founders face, especially around sales, marketing, and pricing. He explains why growth doesn’t have to mean dilution, how studios can structure their teams for creative freedom and financial discipline, and why the future belongs to lean, elite, highly specialized teams who know how to deliver at scale. Whether you're running a five-person shop or scaling beyond 20, Joel offers practical insights on navigating the “anxious middle,” setting smart financial guardrails, and focusing on what he calls your "genius."

This episode also dives into how studios can escape commoditization by shifting from order-takers to trusted experts, developing proprietary methods, and building community with both clients and peers.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We explore how Wisconsin is emerging as a new destination for filmmakers. We sit down with filmmaker Nathan Deming and veteran studio executive Suzanne Jurva, two key voices behind the recent passage of groundbreaking film incentive legislation in the state. Together, they break down how this bipartisan initiative came to life, what it means for the state’s creative economy, and why it could serve as a model for regional film development elsewhere.

Nathan shares his experience shooting in Wisconsin while splitting time between LA and the Midwest, and how the lack of infrastructure highlighted the need for change. Suzanne, whose career spans DreamWorks, independent film, and tech, discusses how her studio background shaped her advocacy efforts and why she believes the state is uniquely positioned to support both indie and studio-level productions. 

This episode dives into the real challenges of regional filmmaking—from crew access to gear rental—and how smart, community-driven policy can unlock growth. We also explore the early impact of these changes, the importance of post-production and training ecosystems, and the broader economic ripple effect of investing in film. 

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We’re joined by Tara Hein-Phillips, CEO and co-founder of Jolt—a film distribution company using AI, data, and performance marketing to reinvent how independent and documentary films find their audiences. With a background as Chief Product Officer at Sundance, where she launched the first virtual festival and co-founded Sundance Collab, Tara brings a rare blend of creative sensibility and digital strategy to the conversation.

She shares how Jolt’s Interest Delivery Network helps filmmakers identify and activate niche audiences through community partnerships, targeted events, and iterative data testing. From climbing doc Girl Climber to the upcoming Boston-set Cathedrals, each film receives a personalized rollout aimed at maximizing impact and viewership.

We also explore how Tara’s time at Sundance shaped her approach to Jolt, the role of festivals as modern-day marketing launches, and why sustainable careers for filmmakers require a mindset shift around budgets and reach. Tara offers a timely, thoughtful perspective on what it takes to connect stories to the people who need them most.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We sit down with Steven Fishman, a veteran in entertainment payroll and a Wrapbook team member. With more than 26 years of experience at companies like Media Services and Cast & Crew, Steven brings a wealth of institutional knowledge to the conversation. He shares the story of how he broke into the industry on Sunset Beach, and how he’s since played a key role in serving nearly every format—from commercials and music videos to reality TV and high-budget streaming shows.

Steven takes us behind the scenes of his decades in the business, reflecting on the evolution of entertainment payroll and the critical lessons he’s learned—like why software readiness can make or break a company, and how strong industry relationships can be the key to long-term success. He also opens up about the importance of scalable, purpose-built tools for modern productions, explaining why Wrapbook’s technology-first approach offers a refreshing contrast to the legacy systems he worked with for years.

The episode explores how technology is raising expectations across the industry—from always-available support to feature-rich apps for crew members—and how Wrapbook is uniquely positioned to meet those demands.

Join us for a candid, thoughtful conversation with someone who has not only witnessed the transformation of entertainment payroll firsthand, but who is also actively shaping its future.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We sit down with the filmmakers behind the indie horror feature Dream Eater—Jay Drakulic, Mallory Drumm, and Alex Lee Williams—to break down how they turned weather limitations into creative fuel. Shot in just nine days on a modest budget high in the snowy mountains of Quebec, Dream Eater pushes the boundaries of DIY horror.

The team shares how they used the weather, location, and constraints to their advantage—filming in sequence, capturing real sound on site, and turning production challenges into storytelling opportunities. They also discuss directing while acting, editing on the fly, and how tight collaboration kept morale high when conditions turned brutal. Executive Producer Eli Roth explains why the film stood out, how its ending evolved, and what it teaches about creative vision under pressure.

Few films show the power of planning and adaptability like Dream Eater. If you’re serious about horror filmmaking, this is an episode you wouldn’t want to miss!

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We sit down with filmmaker Elliott Hasler about the making of Vindication Swim, a period sports drama inspired by Mercedes Gleitze—the first British woman to swim the English Channel in 1927. Shot over three years entirely in open water, the film demanded extraordinary perseverance from its cast and crew, with lead actor Kirsten Callaghan performing all her own swims and no visual effects or body doubles in sight.

Elliott shares how the team navigated unpredictable tides, safety challenges, and a micro-budget while maintaining historical authenticity and cinematic scale. From coordinating small, agile crews to rebuilding the film’s entire soundscape in post, Vindication Swim became a testament in indie filmmaking ingenuity. Despite its modest resources, the film went on to play in over 300 cinemas for 18 weeks and break into the UK box office top 20.

Elliott reflects on the resilience, creativity, and community spirit that powered the project—and how telling real stories of perseverance mirrors his own journey as a filmmaker. Vindication Swim opens in New York City on October 17, followed by select U.S. screenings and a digital release in November.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We sit down once again with Will French from Fallbrook Financial Services, a pioneering figure in film tax credits and global production finance. Will has overseen hundreds of projects and is widely regarded as a thought leader in the intersection of film, policy, and economics. During the last conversation, we laid important groundwork on international incentives, tariffs, and the cost structures shaping production worldwide. This time, the stakes are even higher as the film industry faces an unprecedented policy debate.

With President Trump’s former announcement of a proposed 100% tariff on all foreign-made films distributed in the U.S., Cameron and Will dive into the legality, feasibility, and far-reaching consequences of such a move. Will explains how tariffs typically function in manufacturing sectors and why film—largely a digital export industry—presents unique enforcement challenges. He walks listeners through the ripple effects tariffs could trigger, from reciprocal taxes by foreign governments to the potential hollowing out of one of America’s strongest export industries.

The discussion also explores the economic realities driving production overseas, including the rising cost of domestic labor following recent guild strikes and the powerful pull of international tax incentives. Will highlights the vulnerabilities of the U.S. model and sketches out a potential path forward—arguing for a federal incentive program that could complement state-level tax credits and help retain production jobs at home. By comparing U.S. policy gaps with systems in Canada and Australia, he demonstrates what a practical, enforceable approach might look like.

This is a conversation about more than just tariffs. It’s about the future of American filmmaking, cultural export, and the global chessboard of film finance. Join us for an insightful, nonpartisan discussion that pulls back the curtain on how policy decisions made in Washington could reverberate through studios, streaming platforms, and sets across the world.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/

We sit down with Ida Lee Henderson, a veteran production accountant whose career spans blockbuster films like Planet of the Apes and acclaimed series like Brothers and Sisters. Beyond her on-set work, Ida Lee is also a respected mentor and educator, having trained countless accountants through her School of Production Accounting.

In this conversation, Ida Lee shares what drew her to the industry, how she’s seen it evolve over the decades, and the key challenges facing producers today—particularly around union compliance, payroll, and budgeting. She discusses the importance of clear communication between accounting and production teams, and how strong relationships can prevent costly financial missteps.

She also dives into the changing role of technology in production accounting, from digital start work to AI-powered invoice tools. She shares why early adoption matters, how tools like Wrapbook’s rate finder can streamline budgeting, and why adaptability is essential in a fast-moving industry.

Whether you're a producer, accountant, or just curious about how productions stay on budget and in compliance, this episode is a must-watch.

About Wrapbook

Wrapbook is a smart, intuitive platform that makes production payroll and accounting easier, faster, and more secure. We provide a unified payroll platform that seamlessly connects your entire team—production, accounting, cast, and crew—all in one place.

Wrapbook empowers production teams to manage projects, pay cast and crew, track expenses, and generate data-driven insights, while enabling workers to manage timecards, track pay, and onboard to new projects from any device. Wrapbook brings clarity and dependability to production payroll, while increasing the productivity of your whole team.

For crew: The Wrapbook app eliminates the headaches of production payroll by providing a fast, transparent, and secure solution for workers to complete startwork, submit timecards, and track pay.

Trusted by companies of all sizes, Wrapbook powers payroll for some of the industry’s top production companies, including SMUGGLER, Tuff, and GhostRobot. Our growing team of 250+ people includes entertainment and technology experts from SAG-AFTRA, DGA, IATSE, Teamsters, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and more.

Wrapbook is backed by top-tier investors, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Andreessen Horowitz, and A* Capital.

Get started at https://www.wrapbook.com/