A podcast
‍for those in the industry—from film, to TV, to production finance.

On this episode of On Production, we sit down with Kerry LaiFatt, Vice President of Sales for Film and Television at Wrapbook, to explore the invisible infrastructure that keeps productions running: payroll and accounting.

With a career that spans on-camera work, unscripted media conferences, and nearly a decade inside one of the industry’s largest payroll and accounting platforms, Kerry brings a rare perspective on how financial systems shape what happens on set. She explains why payroll isn’t just back-office processing—it influences scheduling, hiring, union compliance, and cost reporting—and how breakdowns in these systems don’t stay on paper; they surface in production.

The conversation also examines what’s changed post-2020, from experience gaps and onboarding bottlenecks to the growing expectation that payroll partners provide operational guidance, not just processing. Kerry discusses the shift toward truly paperless, self-serve workflows and the emerging role of AI in reducing cognitive load across production finance, helping teams eliminate friction so they can focus on strategic decisions instead of cleanup.

For producers, accountants, and studio teams navigating today’s evolving production landscape, this episode offers a practical look at the systems that quietly determine whether a production stays aligned or drifts.

Cameron Woodward sits down with veteran line producer Stephen Marinaccio to talk about the part of physical production that quietly determines what actually gets made: the budget. Drawing on work across projects like Ghosts of Beirut and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Stephen breaks down how line producers translate scripts into workable schedules, where budgets tend to drift from reality, and what it takes to keep a plan aligned once production is in motion.

Beyond his decades of hands-on production experience, Stephen is also the longtime moderator of the Reddit community r/FilmTVBudgeting, where industry professionals share real-world insights about the craft of budgeting and physical production. That same commitment to modernizing workflows led him to co-found Line Budgeter, a next-generation budgeting platform built to address the limitations of legacy “digital paper” systems.

The conversation digs into the practical mechanics of prep, from early scheduling decisions and department coordination to the production variables that most often create downstream cost problems. Stephen shares why visual effects, locations, setup time, and poorly modeled fringes can throw budgets off course, and why communication—especially between line producers, AD teams, department heads, and production accounting—matters more than any single tool. They also explore what modern budgeting should actually look like as productions get tighter and more complex—and how better systems can support smarter decision-making from prep through wrap.

This is an episode you wouldn’t want to miss.

Cameron Woodward sits down with longtime Louisiana film industry leader Patrick Mulhearn, CEO and Partner at Irrevocable Designee LLC, to talk about what it actually takes to build a production ecosystem outside of traditional hubs. Drawing on experience across state government, studio operations, and consulting, Patrick breaks down the practical components that determine whether a region can sustain film and television production over time.

The conversation explores the core elements behind a functioning production environment—from incentives and infrastructure to crew depth and the often-overlooked need for consistent work. Patrick also shares how incentive programs are evolving, what producers need to think about when evaluating states, and where projects can gain or lose value based on early decisions in prep.

Beyond attracting productions, the episode digs into the longer game: developing local talent, supporting independent creators, and creating pathways into behind-the-camera careers. For producers, filmmakers, and anyone thinking about where and how projects get made, this is an episode you would not want to miss!