Entertainment & Creative
For people working in entertainment and the creative industries — actors, writers, directors, producers, musicians, and the founders and executives around them — where income is irregular and project-based, and the tax structure behind it matters as much as the number on the check.
The situation
We help set up and manage the tax side of entertainment income: loan-out corporations, S-corp elections, quarterly estimated taxes, and self-employment tax planning. The entity structure affects how much of each payment you actually keep, and it needs to be in place before the income arrives, not after.
Many clients here also hold equity or ownership stakes — production companies, media ventures, brand partnerships — and have union pension and health benefits through SAG-AFTRA, DGA, WGA, or others. We coordinate all of it: the entity structure, the equity, the union benefits, and your own retirement plan, as one strategy instead of separate decisions.
The goal is direct: keep more of what you earn, plan for the gap between projects, and make sure the years that pay well build toward retirement.
Moments that matter
When you set up a loan-out corporation or take an S-corp election
The entity structure affects self-employment tax, retirement plan options, and how much of each payment is actually yours to plan with — worth getting right from the first contract, not the first audit.
Between projects, when income goes quiet
Irregular income means the planning happens in the good months. Quarterly estimated taxes, reserves, and a retirement contribution schedule that doesn't depend on a steady paycheck all get set up ahead of the gap, not during it.
Before a deal closes or a project pays out
A lump sum in a variable-income year changes the tax picture fast. Planning ahead of the payment — not after it lands — is what keeps more of it working for you.
What we work on
- Loan-out corporations, S-corp elections, and the tax strategy behind them
- Quarterly estimated taxes and reserves for project-based income
- Coordinating union pension and health benefits — SAG-AFTRA, DGA, WGA, and others — with your own retirement plan
- Equity, ownership stakes, and brand or production company interests
- RSUs, stock options, and other non-traditional compensation
- Retirement strategies built for self-employed and 1099 income
- Managing and diversifying concentrated positions when a project or company is where the wealth is
Each of these sits inside one of the planning disciplines. If you would rather run the numbers first, the calculators and reading are there for that.
Start where you are.
We’ll talk about what matters to you, understand where things stand today, and explore how thoughtful financial guidance can support the future you’re building. It’s simply a conversation to see how we can help.