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Quote: "Never be afraid to tell anyone what you want to do. Everyone knows if you're a PA or you are a clerk, that is not your dream. You are trying to do something else and it doesn't matter if that something else is in the department that you are currently reside in."
From Kentucky to Hollywood
On this episode of Beyond the Budget, Bishop Porter sat down with production accountant Tim McDaniel, whose credits include Euphoria, Insecure, Big Little Lies, and The Sympathizer. McDaniel's path from small-town Kentucky to Hollywood's most ambitious productions proves that cold determination can open doors—even when you don't have a foot in any of them.
After graduating from Northern Kentucky University in 2011 with a degree in electronic media and broadcasting, McDaniel spent a year saving money before making the leap to Los Angeles in June 2012. "I knew one actor that did indie acting and that was it," he recalled. "I had no foot in the door, no help. I just cold emailed and cold called until someone said, do you want to be an unpaid intern?"
The production-to-accounting pivot
McDaniel worked his way through the production ranks—from unpaid intern to set PA, office PA, production secretary, and eventually assistant coordinator on season nine of Curb Your Enthusiasm. But when that show wrapped and he needed his next job, opportunity knocked from an unexpected direction.
Stacy de Bernier, the accountant from Curb, connected McDaniel with her husband Charles, who needed an entry-level accountant for an HBO show. "I was like, well sure, I can kind of do it," McDaniel said with a laugh. That willingness to say yes launched an entirely new career path.
His production background became an unexpected advantage. "I think I have been able to kind of rise through the ranks even in accounting because of my production experience," he explained. "I know the pieces, the equipment—it's a lot easier to understand why departments are requesting what they're requesting."
Navigating COVID and going digital
McDaniel's career trajectory faced its biggest test during the pandemic. He was working on Euphoria season two, prepped and ready to start shooting on a Monday in March 2020. "We were supposed to start shooting on Monday," he recalled. "And so it was kind of like we were prepped and ready to go... and then it was like, okay, nevermind."
The show shut down for six months, and when production resumed with two special episodes, everything had changed. What began as an all-paper operation transformed into a hybrid digital workflow as the team scrambled to learn DPO while working from home. McDaniel found himself setting up a desktop computer in his apartment, wrestling with wireless connectivity, and managing a team remotely for the first time.
"So much of what you learn is just osmosis," he noted. "It's just being in the room when the conversation is being had and when you're at home, you don't have that."
Building the next generation
McDaniel's commitment to training extends beyond his own sets. As a board member of IATSE Local 871 and an instructor for the California Film Commission and IATSE Training Trust Fund programs, he's helped develop curriculum for clerk and assistant accountant training courses.
"There really isn't a way to train anyone," McDaniel observed about the industry's challenge. "There really isn't downtime across any position really to train the other person up." That gap drove him to get involved in formal training programs—giving aspiring accountants the foundation he wishes had existed when he started.
Advice for breaking in
When asked what he'd tell newcomers trying to enter production accounting, McDaniel emphasized the power of networking and persistence. "Cold calling and cold emails I think are huge. There are now Facebook groups that you can join. I think reaching out to the payroll companies and getting on their resume databases."
But beyond tactics, he stressed authenticity: "Never be afraid to tell people this is ultimately what I want to do. However, whatever job you are currently working on, it is a priority to make sure you are really good at that job so that then people will help you along the way if they can."
McDaniel's journey from cold-calling PA to production accountant on some of television's most complex shows demonstrates that career pivots, combined with strong work ethic and genuine relationships, can lead to unexpected success.
Need support on your next production? Reach out to us today to learn how Cast & Crew can help you stay on budget through any challenge.
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