Indie film Daruma needed payroll they could depend on.
Overview
For filmmakers Kelli McNeil-Yellen and Alexander Yellen, the most important thing is telling a story that feels authentic. That’s been the recipe behind the success of their film Daruma, an independently produced feature that’s already making a big splash on the festival circuit.
The film centers on the story of two friends driving across the country with one man’s young daughter. It stars actors Tobias Forrest and John W. Lawson, a wheelchair-user and a double amputee, respectively. But unlike many other stories featuring disabled protagonists, in Daruma’s case, their disabilities are incidental to the plot. Rather than casting big-name actors in the lead roles, McNeil-Yellen and Yellen felt it was important to hire authentically cast leads. As Yellen told Variety, “This meant having to produce the film completely independently, but ultimately I believe we have a better product for it.”
But as any independent filmmaker knows, telling a compelling story is one thing—but doing so on a tight budget with limited resources is another altogether. In addition to all the normal challenges associated with producing an indie film, Writer-Producer McNeil-Yellen had to contend with DGA and SAG workers on set, a child actor to account for, and strict COVID protocols to manage—all while trying to keep an eye towards story on set.
She realized she needed a payroll solution that she could count on to handle the clerical side of production—one that would ensure workers were paid compliantly and on time with minimal fuss on her end.
She needed Wrapbook.
The Problem
Independent filmmakers are always placed in the position of wearing a lot of hats. For McNeil-Yellen, who wrote and produced the film, producing an indie meant that not only was she responsible for the story and emotional arcs of her characters, she was also responsible for getting her crew paid compliantly, too.
Having had limited prior exposure to the world of union production, McNeil-Yellen was worried about gaps in her knowledge that would make it harder to pay her DGA and SAG workers. And of course, like all indie filmmakers, she had to keep an eye on the production’s shoestring budget to ensure they ended up in the black once production finally wrapped.
“Worrying about your payroll—whether or not it’s gonna happen, or that it’s not stitched up—that’s something that you should not have to worry about.”
McNeil-Yellen realized she didn’t need to handle it all herself. With an EOR payroll provider that knew the ins and outs of union payroll, she could keep her focus where it mattered most: on her creative output. That’s when she found Wrapbook.
Why Wrapbook?
McNeil-Yellen discovered Wrapbook through a colleague who had used the platform for many years. McNeil-Yellen was initially impressed by Wrapbook’s easy-to-use interface and rave reviews from crew members. But what really won her over was Wrapbook’s attention to above-and-beyond customer service.
The Solution
For McNeil-Yellen, Wrapbook’s biggest selling point was its timely and expert customer service. She knew that when she picked up the phone or sent an email to Wrapbook’s team, someone would get back to her with a helpful answer quickly. For an indie producer who was navigating the ropes of union payroll for the first time, that was an immense help.
“I was really able to consider Wrapbook as a partner in my filmmaking process. The level of customer service…was second to none.”
The Wrapbook team’s deep knowledge of union rules helped McNeil-Yellen fill in her knowledge gaps, while also making it easier for her to avoid penalties and fees. “They were really great about making sure that I didn't hit any pitfalls and get into any kind of trouble with the unions,” she notes.
Onboarding was a big plus, too. With Wrapbook’s consolidated, profile-based system, crew that had a Wrapbook profile could onboard themselves with a click. And those that didn’t could simply upload their necessary documentation in minutes.
“I don’t think anybody had any issues with Wrapbook. Uploading your documentation, your I9s, all that kind of stuff—it was super easy. I don’t think I had a single person say, ‘I can't figure this out.’”
Daruma’s crew also loved how easy it was to submit timecards. Because Wrapbook made it easy for crew to log hours from their smartphones, her crew could submit timecards at their convenience—whether at the end of the day or week. Plus, Wrapbook’s intuitive interface made it easy to review everything at once and catch mistakes, like accidentally added meal penalties.
“Everybody got paid on time. We didn’t have a single person come to us afterwards and say, ‘Where’s my money?’”
Even better, at the end of production, Wrapbook’s real-time, on-demand reporting features made putting together production budgets and tracking actuals a cinch. Says McNeil-Yellen, “I was able to say: here’s our production budget and here’s our actuals in terms of what we spent on cast and crew. That was really great.”
Business Impact
Wrapbook’s comprehensive support allowed McNeil-Yellen to keep her focus where it mattered most: on the production itself. By handling the complexities of payroll, union compliance, and onboarding, Wrapbook freed her from the constant stress and distractions that typically come with managing these administrative tasks.
“I knew that my team, my cast, and my crew were going to get paid. For me, that was really helpful because it allowed me to free up the bandwidth that I needed while I was on set, and in pre- and post-production.”
The Future
As McNeil-Yellen looks towards the future, she is excited to keep developing new projects with her husband. (That is, once they’re done riding the wave of Daruma’s success.) With Wrapbook as their payroll partner, there’s no telling how big their next feature could be.
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