The PAC is where production accountants connect, learn, and grow together. Interested? Reach out to Beyond the Budget host, Bishop Porter, below.
Quote: "For somebody that’s just starting, I would say just be curious, be adaptable. There’s no one way into the business, but I think if you’re persistent, know your stuff. I think it’s good to have some sort of point of view and really push it and stay true to your values and what you believe in.”
From theater kid to production finance executive
In the latest episode of Beyond the Budget, Bishop Porter sits down with Jamie Hinton, a production finance executive with over 20 years of experience at Netflix, Paramount, and international productions. Hinton has overseen major studio budgets, led global accounting teams, and helped drive digital transformation. He is currently the controller on David Fincher’s upcoming The Adventures of Cliff Booth.
Hinton recalls his start: “I was like a theater kid. I was into theater, but also movies and TV. And I was in South Carolina, which was not really a movie center. But at the time, I had committed to moving to California to work in the business, but I had just graduated college. I had no money. I was working at a prop company doing some sets and props, like more carpentry-type work.”
His first break came on 2000’s The Patriot. “I started in background casting. So, I was a PA and I was working with a great background casting director, Shirley Crumley, and I did the petty cash envelopes. And they were like, ‘Oh, your petty cash is so good. It's excellent.’ And I took it very seriously.” Shirley encouraged him to take an accounting clerk job, and he learned from Cecilia Escobar. “She's like a godmother to all of us, and the rest is history.”
Studio leadership and digital transformation
Joining Netflix early in its studio era gave Hinton a front-row seat to production innovation. “Netflix was a great place to learn because there was such an emphasis on transparency and collaboration that I was right there in the room with the creative executives and the BA executives and production and really figuring out each project on a case-by-case basis.”
He also led major digitization efforts. “Once we realized the severity of [the pandemic], we knew that we need to create product and we need to go back into production and it's going to be completely different… We see this as a transformational moment, and we want to invest the resources into digitization.”
Lessons on teams and communication
Hinton stresses the importance of people and relationships, saying, “You want steady cash flows and predictability. I think it's really important to look at the way you've organized your company. It's not just the product, but do you have the right people? Do you have people you can trust? Are they innovators? Is the organization set up where people can succeed?”
Emphasizing mentorship and networking, he notes, “All those people [from The Patriot] are still in my life. They're still part of my network. I still talk to them. And so just be a really good person to those around you… Take those risks.”
Advice for newcomers
Hinton closes with guidance for anyone starting out: “For somebody that's just starting, I would say just be curious, be adaptable. There's no one way into the business, but I think if you're persistent, know your stuff. I think it's good to have some sort of point of view and really push it and stay true to your values and what you believe in.”
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