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"One of the secrets of payroll is knowing where to look. When you have the digital system, everything is really right there in front of you."
-Candy Carstensen, Payroll Accountant
Unexpected paths to long careers in production payroll
What does it actually take to run payroll on a 20-season network drama? Two people who've done it for decades tell you on the latest episode of Beyond the Budget. Bishop Porter sits down with Grey's Anatomy payroll accountants Candy Carstensen and Brad Rees to unpack what it actually takes to keep a long-running television production financially operating week to week.
Candy's entry into payroll started with a chance moment that quickly turned into a career path. She recalls visiting a friend working on Murder, She Wrote and walking into an office full of paperwork and payroll detail. "I thought, 'Wow, this is sort of a cool job,'" she explains, describing how that curiosity led to training, early production work, and eventually Grey's Anatomy.
Brad's path came from a different direction entirely. Originally on a traditional accounting track in Florida, a chance conversation on a set changed his trajectory. He was given a production accounting cheat sheet and told, "If you can learn this, you'll be okay." That moment redirected him into entertainment payroll rather than corporate accounting.
The invisible system that keeps production moving
Both guests emphasize that payroll is one of the most essential yet least visible parts of any production. When it is working properly, it disappears into the background. When it is not, everything stalls.
Candy explains how earlier payroll systems were heavily paper based, relying on physical contracts, books, and manual cross checking between production and payroll companies. "We would do everything and we would send it in … and then they would send an edit back and we would compare," she says, describing how much of the process depended on duplication and verification.
Today, digital systems have streamlined much of that workflow, but both Candy and Brad stress that accuracy still depends on human oversight, especially during setup. Once the system is configured correctly, it runs, but the early stage is where most issues originate.
Trust, verify, and never assume the setup is perfect
Despite automation, payroll still requires constant review. Brad describes it simply as "trust but verify," noting that even small setup errors can ripple through an entire production cycle if not caught early.
He explains that once systems are live, much of the work becomes validation rather than creation. The numbers may flow automatically, but someone still has to ensure they are correct at the source.
Candy reinforces this with a reminder that union contracts and individual deals are rarely simple. Even with structured systems, interpretation still matters. Some talent operates under overall deals, where earnings are tracked and reconciled over time before final balances are paid out at the end of a cycle.
From paper checks to digital payroll systems
A major theme throughout the conversation is just how dramatically payroll has changed over the years. Candy recalls a time when everything was handled by hand, with contracts, timecards, and edits physically reviewed and compared line by line.
Brad points out that modern systems have replaced much of that manual back and forth with digital edits and structured workflows. Instead of exchanging emails and physical paperwork, payroll teams now operate within systems that track changes and approvals in real time.
Even so, he still prefers a manual layer of review. He prints out digital edits and goes through them line by line because, as he puts it, there is still no substitute for visual confirmation when accuracy matters.
The responsibility behind every paycheck
While the systems are technical, the impact is deeply human. Payroll determines when thousands of people get paid and whether crews can rely on consistent income during production.
Candy puts it plainly when she says it is still satisfying to pay people, even after years in the industry. For her, the work has never lost its sense of purpose because it directly connects to the lives of the crew.
Brad highlights the pressure that comes with that responsibility. On large productions, it's always possible for someone to be missed due to a missing start or miscommunication between departments. That risk is something payroll teams actively work to eliminate every cycle.
A system built on precision, people, and trust
At its core, production payroll is not just about numbers. It is about coordination, accuracy, and making sure hundreds of people across a production are paid correctly and on time.
Candy emphasizes how important accuracy and attention to detail remain, even as systems evolve. "It's important because when I started in '98… I was there for four years, you know, learning," she explains, reflecting on how foundational training shapes long-term responsibility in payroll roles.
Brad adds that the work only functions when multiple departments stay aligned, especially when production setups and start information flow correctly through the system. Without that coordination, even the best tools cannot prevent issues from surfacing later in the process.
He also highlights how payroll is ultimately about accountability across the entire production structure, where every department plays a role in ensuring people are properly entered, tracked, and paid.
Together, their experiences point to a shared reality of production finance: accuracy is never individual work. It depends on communication, consistency, and a system where every part of production stays connected.
What Candy and Brad describe is exactly what production payroll demands at the highest level: precision, coordination, and people who know what they're doing before problems start. Your production needs that same standard, and our Cast & Crew team brings you decades of entertainment payroll expertise, hands-on support, and the systems to back it up. Find out what working with the best in the business actually looks like by clicking the button below and a team member will follow up with you directly.
