Jesse Perez
VP of Commercial Sales at Cast & Crew
A career in entertainment payroll is built around change. Productions evolve, technology advances, and the needs of the industry continue to shift. Throughout his career, Jesse Perez has embraced that evolution by building relationships, learning new parts of the business, and finding new ways to support the clients and teams around him.
Jesse’s path to Cast & Crew began with a trusted professional relationship. Before joining the company, Jesse worked alongside Jodi Steagall at a different entertainment payroll service enterprise. When the opportunity came to work together again under the Cast & Crew banner with CAPS Payroll, he saw the chance to continue a partnership he valued while taking on a new opportunity.
“Loved working with her so much the first time that I was able to connect with her at a different company for a second time,” Jesse says. “She’s shown me a lot, and I feel like every day is a new challenge. And it’s nice that we’re on the same page.”
Jesse arrived at Cast & Crew with experience across feature films, television, reality programming, non-union productions, and studio work. Joining CAPS introduced him to a new segment of the entertainment landscape, with different clients, companies, and business models. While the foundation of entertainment payroll was familiar, Jesse embraced the opportunity to expand his expertise.
“It’s definitely still entertainment payroll services, but it’s a different demographic and audience,” he says. “I decided to figure out the new swim lane, the new players, and the new companies.”
That ability to adapt has been a defining part of Jesse’s journey. As the entertainment industry has continued to evolve, so has Cast & Crew, investing in new technology and finding new ways to support clients. One quality has consistently stood out to Jesse throughout that evolution.
Resilience.
“The resilience that Cast & Crew has shown is a nice reminder that this is a good team to be on,” Jesse says. “Everybody’s rowing in the same direction.”
That shared commitment has been especially meaningful as Cast & Crew continues building new tools and capabilities for the future. Jesse is excited about the continued development of digital onboarding and timekeeping solutions and the opportunity to bring those innovations to clients across the commercial space.
“We can head into the new year on fire, with the pedal to the metal,” Jesse says. “We can reintroduce ourselves in the commercial space and show the new tools that we’ve got to work with for our clients.”
Beyond the technology and business evolution, Jesse values the relationships that have remained at the center of his work. Supporting clients through every stage of production requires trust, collaboration, and a commitment to delivering a positive experience, even when the industry is changing around them.
“We put our names behind what we do,” he says. “While we might not own every part of the process, we do own our engagement.”
That commitment has helped Jesse build lasting partnerships while continuing to grow alongside Cast & Crew and the industry itself. Looking back on his journey, he sees each new challenge as an opportunity to learn, adapt, and strengthen his understanding of the business.
“I’ve got a lot more experience under my belt, and I’m better for it,” Jesse explains. “Now I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It almost feels like I’ve trudged through the tough parts, and now I can start sprinting toward the goal line.”
After years of navigating an ever-changing industry, Jesse continues to approach each new chapter with the same mindset that has defined his career, learning, adapting, and building what comes next alongside the people who make it possible.
