Vice President, Tax Incentives

Cast & Crew•Burbank, CA

4d•$225,000 - $260,000

About The Position

The Vice President of Tax Incentives is a senior revenue-generating and client-facing leader within our entertainment payroll and production services business. Serving as the company's foremost subject-matter expert on film, television, and digital media tax incentive programs, this executive is responsible for building and expanding a dedicated incentive advisory practice — helping studio, streaming, and independent production clients identify, secure, and maximize tax credits, rebates, and grants across domestic and international jurisdictions. This role sits at the intersection of technical tax expertise internally and externally, business development, and client relationship management. The VP of Tax Incentives will be a trusted advisor to production executives and physical production teams at our studio and streaming clients, embedding incentive strategy directly into their project planning.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Taxation, Business, or a related field required.
CPA, J.D., LL.M. in Taxation, or Master's in Taxation strongly preferred.
Minimum 10–15 years of experience in tax or entertainment finance, with at least 7 years focused on entertainment tax incentives.
Prior experience at an entertainment payroll company, production services firm, major studio, or entertainment-focused tax advisory practice strongly preferred.
Demonstrated success managing client relationships and incentive programs across multiple domestic state jurisdictions and at least one international market.
Familiarity with California's MPPW multistate employment rules (CUIC Sections 602/603) and their impact on payroll company SUI obligations.
Proven track record of generating revenue through advisory or consulting services, in addition to compliance execution.
Experience leading, building, or managing a small-to-mid-size professional team.
Deep, current knowledge of domestic production incentive programs — including CA, NY, GA, NM, LA, NJ, IL, MA, and emerging markets — and major international regimes (Canada, UK, Australia, EU).
Ability to build and present incentive financial models clearly to non-tax audiences, including physical production executives and CFOs.
Strong business development instincts; comfortable in a client-facing, revenue-contributing role.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills — able to translate complex tax rules into actionable guidance for production clients.
High attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple active client engagements with competing timelines.
Proficiency with payroll and ERP platforms; familiarity with entertainment production accounting software (e.g., Movie Magic Budgeting, EP Budgeting) a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary incentive consultant to studio and independent production clients — advising on location selection, production structure, and incentive eligibility across all content formats (film, scripted/unscripted TV, digital originals, animation, commercials).
Develop jurisdiction-specific incentive analyses and financial models to support client green-light decisions, co-production structures, and runaway production strategies.
Proactively monitor and communicate changes in domestic and international incentive legislation to clients and internal teams.
Advise clients on the interplay between incentive programs and other tax obligations, including payroll tax (CA SUI/SDI for multistate MPPW assignments), FUTA credit reduction exposure, and treaty considerations for international co-productions.
Guide clients through the structure of loanout companies, single-purpose entities, and co-production vehicles to optimize incentive yield.
Track and report on revenue generated by the incentive practice, including fee-based engagements and payroll volume attributable to incentive-influenced production decisions.
Develop and own a pipeline of new incentive advisory engagements, positioning the company's incentive services as a value-added differentiator from payroll processing competitors.
Partner with the Sales and Account Management teams to introduce and up-sell incentive services to existing payroll clients and prospects.
Represent the company at industry events, film commission forums, and guild or producer association panels to build brand authority and sourcing relationships.
Design and price service offerings — including incentive audits, application management, rebate tracking, and ongoing advisory retainers.
Oversee the full lifecycle of incentive applications on behalf of clients: eligibility assessment, application preparation, interim certifications, final audits, and credit/rebate receipt.
Manage relationships with state film offices, economic development agencies, and government auditors in all key domestic production states (CA, NY, GA, NM, LA, NJ, IL, MA, and others).
Ensure all client documentation, qualified expenditure tracking, and wage reporting meets the specific requirements of each jurisdiction's incentive program.
Maintain a compliance calendar and exception reporting system for all active incentive engagements.
Coordinate with the company's payroll operations, legal, and finance teams to align incentive-eligible wage data with production cost reporting.
Build and mentor a team of incentive managers, analysts, and coordinators embedded within the client services function.
Develop internal training programs to ensure payroll operations staff understand incentive reporting requirements, MPPW multistate rules, and qualified expenditure definitions.
Partner with technology and product teams to integrate incentive tracking and reporting tools into the company's payroll platform.
Create client-facing resources including jurisdiction comparison guides, legislative updates, and incentive modeling templates.
Cultivate and maintain direct relationships with film commissioners, state economic development officials, and key legislators in major production jurisdictions.
Participate in and contribute to industry organizations (PGA, AICP, state film industry coalitions) to stay ahead of policy changes and represent client interests.
Provide testimony or written comments on proposed incentive legislation when appropriate, in coordination with company leadership and legal counsel.