Count Out Loud Wins SPA Services and Facilities Business of the Year
In 2022, Count Out Loud was named Services and Facilities Business of the Year at the annual Screen Producers Australia (SPA) conference. For a boutique accounting firm with a team of nine, this award was more than a trophy on the shelf. It was recognition that specialist knowledge and genuine commitment to an industry can make a measurable difference to the businesses within it.
Here is the story behind the award, what it means for the screen industry, and why it reflects the approach we have taken since Count Out Loud was founded.
What the SPA Award Means
Screen Producers Australia is the peak industry body representing film, television, and digital content producers across Australia. Their annual conference brings together hundreds of producers, distributors, broadcasters, and service providers. The Services and Facilities Business of the Year award specifically recognises businesses that directly contribute to the production of screen content – not the productions themselves, but the companies that make productions possible.
Previous winners and finalists in this category have included post-production houses, equipment hire companies, sound studios, and visual effects firms. Count Out Loud was the first accounting firm to win the award – a fact that speaks to the growing recognition within the screen industry that specialist financial services are just as critical to production success as cameras and editing suites.
Why Count Out Loud Was Recognised
The award citation highlighted two specific areas. First, our work on the production Retrograde, a project that navigated the extraordinary challenges of producing during COVID-19 lockdowns. Second, our broader commitment during the pandemic to ensure government support packages – JobKeeper, the NSW COVID grants, and other relief measures – were made available to our clients as quickly as possible.
During 2020 and 2021, the Australian screen industry faced unprecedented disruption. Productions were shut down mid-shoot. Freelance crew members lost months of work. Production companies faced the dual challenge of managing suspended projects while keeping their businesses solvent. Count Out Loud’s response was to move quickly – interpreting the rapidly changing eligibility criteria for government support, preparing accountant’s letters for grant applications, and helping clients access every dollar of support they were entitled to.
That effort was not a one-off response to a crisis. It was an extension of how we have always operated: understanding the specific pressures our clients face and responding with practical, timely financial support.
Our Journey: From Startup to Award-Winning Niche Firm
Count Out Loud was founded by Carmel in 2012. Carmel is both a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Certified Practising Accountant (CPA) – a dual qualification that is relatively uncommon and reflects a depth of technical expertise that underpins everything we do.
From the beginning, the vision was to build an accounting practice that genuinely understood the industries it served, rather than offering a generic service that treated a production company the same as a plumbing business. The screen and creative industries were a natural focus – Carmel had seen firsthand how poorly served these businesses were by traditional accounting firms that did not understand production budgets, offset claims, or the project-based cash flow cycles that define the industry.
Building Specialist Expertise
Over the following years, Count Out Loud systematically built expertise in the areas that matter most to screen producers:
- Producer Offset claims: We have now helped clients claim over $5 million in Producer Offsets under the Australian Government’s tax incentive program. Each claim requires meticulous tracking of Qualifying Australian Production Expenditure (QAPE), and our experience means we know exactly what the screen authority auditors look for.
- Production budgeting: We have managed production budgets exceeding $50 million across feature films, television series, and digital content. This is not standard bookkeeping – it requires understanding above-the-line and below-the-line cost structures, completion guarantor requirements, and the reporting formats that financiers and distributors expect.
- Xero for the screen industry: We became a Xero Platinum Champion Partner in 2016 and have since built customised Xero configurations specifically for production companies. This includes tracking categories for individual productions, automated payroll for crew, and integration with production budgeting software.
- Entity structuring: We advise on the corporate structures that production companies need – SPVs for individual productions, holding companies for ongoing operations, and trust structures for creative principals – with a focus on tax efficiency and risk isolation.
Growing the Team
Today, Count Out Loud is a team of nine based at 1 James Place, North Sydney. Each team member understands the screen industry – not just the accounting rules, but the practical realities of production schedules, the relationships between producers and financiers, and the language of the industry. When a client calls to discuss their completion guarantee requirements or their QAPE tracking, they are speaking to someone who knows exactly what those terms mean and why they matter.
What Sets Count Out Loud Apart from Generalist Firms
There are thousands of accounting firms in Sydney. Many of them are technically competent. But technical competence alone is not enough when you are managing the finances of a $20 million production with 150 crew members, a completion guarantor looking over your shoulder, and a Producer Offset claim that needs to be structured correctly from day one.
Industry-Specific Knowledge
A generalist accountant would need to learn the Producer Offset rules from scratch for each client. They would not immediately understand why a production company’s cash flow looks nothing like a normal business, or why a freelance director might need a different entity structure than a freelance graphic designer. At Count Out Loud, this knowledge is embedded in everything we do. It means faster turnaround, fewer errors, and advice that actually accounts for how the screen industry works.
Relationships Within the Industry
Being recognised by SPA reflects the relationships we have built across the Australian screen industry. We work with producers, directors, crew members, post-production houses, and production service companies. These relationships mean we understand the full ecosystem – not just the accounting rules, but how the different parts of a production fit together financially. When we advise a producer on their offset claim, we understand the implications for their distributor, their financier, and their completion guarantor.
Responsiveness to Production Timelines
Productions do not wait for quarterly accounting reviews. When a line producer needs a cost report for the financier by Friday, or a producer needs an accountant’s letter for a grant application by close of business, they need an accountant who can deliver. Our team is structured to respond to the fast-paced, deadline-driven nature of production work. This responsiveness was a key factor in our SPA award recognition.
Looking Ahead: The Growing Australian Screen Sector
The Australian screen industry is in a period of significant growth. Local content obligations for streaming platforms, increased federal and state government investment in screen production, and Australia’s reputation as a world-class production destination are all driving demand. Screen Australia’s annual drama report consistently shows increasing production expenditure and volume.
For Count Out Loud, this growth means continuing to expand our services to meet the evolving needs of the industry. We are investing in our team’s capabilities around international co-production structures, multi-territory financing, and the increasingly complex tax implications of digital content distribution. We are also expanding our support for the growing number of freelancers and small production companies entering the industry – people who need accessible, expert financial advice from day one.
The SPA award was a milestone, but it was not a destination. It confirmed that the approach we have taken since 2012 – deep specialisation, genuine industry engagement, and a commitment to being the best accounting partner the screen industry has – is the right one.
Work With an Award-Winning Screen Industry Accountant
Whether you are a first-time producer navigating your initial offset claim, a freelance editor wondering about the best business structure, or an established production company looking for a financial partner who truly understands your industry – Count Out Loud is here to help.
Ready to work with accountants who know the screen industry inside out? Contact Count Out Loud today or call (02) 9043 1525. Visit our expertise page to learn more about our specialist capabilities for film, TV, and creative industry clients.