Film, TV and commercials sector

Expert business support for the film, TV and commercials sector

Our production team work at the heart of the film, TV and commercials sector, assisting clients throughout their business lifecycle. Following our merger with Shipleys, we have further bolstered our offering to the media sector, particularly through Shipleys’ market leading TV, animation and video games tax credits specialism.

Alongside accounting and audit, the main areas that we help our clients with include:

Setting up a business

We have helped many executives and producers start up their own production businesses, often acting as mentors. As a starting point, we can help with:

Advice on company structures and SPVs;
Company formation process, including assistance with opening a bank account;
Registrations for VAT and PAYE schemes with HMRC;
Business planning for funding and growth;
Corporate tax advisory;
Tax incentive schemes for start-ups;
Selecting the right accounting system for you;
Bookkeeping and management accounts;
Production accounting services.

Employing and retaining talent

Talent is key to the success of every production company. With significant reliance on freelancers and high competition in the face of a skills shortage, businesses need to have a clear people strategy in place. We can help with:

Advice on hiring freelancers: IR35;
Employment contracts;
Employment law;
Immigration law;
Employee incentivisation schemes, including benefits packages and EMI options;
Engagement surveys and performance review;
Payroll;
Pensions.

Tax

We help our clients fulfil all their tax obligations and provide guidance on complex tax matters, as well as ensuring they fully benefit from available government incentives.

Our tax teams work on:

Film and TV tax credit claims – AVEC;
R&D;
Personal tax;
Employment tax;
Corporate tax and effective tax structuring/planning;
Foreign Entertainers Unit guidance;
Distribution or royalty audits;
British Film Certification audits;
Specialist VAT advice;
Co-Production Certification audits & advisory services.

Growing your business

We are invested in our clients’ growth and want to see them achieve all the goals they set out with. Alongside our business growth advisory, we help our clients strengthen their companies from within. This includes:

Cashflow management;
Benchmarking and KPI analysis;
MooreKS360 – business growth review.

International expansion

We are part of Moore Global, a network of 228 offices around the world. Within this, we lead the Moore Global Media group, which brings together all Moore Global firms with a strong media specialism. In addition, we have an ongoing interest in an LA office which we first established in 2012.

For those considering expanding internationally, we can help by:

Co-ordinating with our international counterpart to ensure a smooth transition/set-up;
Advising on group restructuring and global mobility;
Supporting on cross-border taxation;
Making introductions to key advisers and key production contacts in the region.

Exit

After significant time spent cultivating their production businesses, owners tend to look at a sale as their point of exit. With all specialisms under one roof, we can help with the entire process, including:

Working on the value proposition of the business in order to command the optimal value;
Identifying potential buyers;
Taking care of the sales process itself, ensuring optimal remuneration for key players;
Tax advice on sale.