Media Services Launches New Website, Online Tools And Resources For Entertainment Production

April 29, 2011 - PRLog -- LOS ANGELES, CA, April 21, 2011 -- Media Services today announced the launch of its new website, designed to provide comprehensive online resources and expert, up-to-the-minute information of interest to production professionals in the film, television, commercial, corporate media and live events markets.  The site’s new features will likely make Media-Services.com the most complete production management resource available online.

“We recognize that production professionals need timely information that is critical to their business; information ranging from local production resources and processing payroll to union rates and wage and hour law.  At Media Services, we wanted to develop an online forum that is just for them,” says Otter Huntley, VP of Business Development for Media Services.  “Our new site gives us a dynamic platform to share Media Services’ decades of knowledge and expertise in production accounting, payroll, crew booking and software.”

New Online Tools for Production Planning & Budgeting

Along with the launch of the new website, the company has also unveiled two new online tools: Media Services’ Global Crew Booking Portal and Showbiz Incentives Online. The online crew booking portal is the first and only resource of its kind that offers free, online searches with detailed information about crew and equipment resources by area. Visitors can search, compare and book crews, technicians, and equipment resources in all 50 states and more than 90 countries, as well as submit a crew request online on a 24/7 basis. Showbiz Incentives Online provides access to real-time information on entertainment production tax incentives as well as side-by-side comparisons of data from up to 12 different regions throughout North America. Both online tools are valuable resources to help producers plan, budget, and save money on their projects.

Comprehensive Production Management Resources

The entertainment industry has unique demands and hours, complex union rules and labor regulations, according to Huntley.  The site provides the answers, information and resources producers are looking for, all in one convenient place, available 24/7 to suit their schedules.  According to Huntley, the site will allow producers, accountants and indie filmmakers to:

• Stay on track with the latest wage and hour laws, OSHA rules, and legislation;

• Learn about payroll processing essentials, shoot information by state, workers’ compensation, and taxes and fringes;

• Learn how to save money by comparing details, requirements, and regulations of tax incentive programs from multiple regions at once;

• Make informed decisions about location shoots through a searchable crew database and crew request portal;

• Access minimum rates, staffing, overtime rules and even meal penalties from over 80 unions and guilds from a laptop or mobile device;

• Download essential production software such as Showbiz Timecards, Showbiz Budgeting and Showbiz Scheduling, employment tax forms, sample time cards, and union agreements.

“Access to collective bargaining agreement rates and conditions alone makes this site an invaluable tool for our clients,” says Steven Fishman, VP of West Coast Sales for Media Services. “It will also be a boon to anyone actively working on a project, whether they’re in the budgeting and scheduling phase or already in production.  We get a lot of calls for rates and work rules from producers and accountants at every level; this site will give them the resources they want and need.”

To discover Media Services’ online resources and tools, visit Media-Services.com.

About Media Services and Showbiz Software

Media Services is one of the entertainment industry’s leading accounting, payroll, crew booking, and software companies with offices in Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Established in 1978, the company has been serving feature, television, commercial, music video, corporate media and Internet productions worldwide for more than 30 years.  Media Services is committed to driving the industry through constant innovation by offering best-in-class software solutions through its product division, Showbiz Software. In addition to its proprietary production accounting, payroll, budgeting, scheduling and time management software, the company offers a wide range of other entertainment industry software, books, tapes, and supplies through its Showbiz Store & Cafe in West Los Angeles and New York as well as its online store at ShowbizStore.com.

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