Do you list yourself or your production company?

George Ebersole · August 16, 2016

So, in the Reel Directory, and LA 411 and NY equivalent, I see a lot of DPs or camera ops people listing themselves as both a production company and DP.

I'm curious why that is, and for those people who don't, I'm wondering if there's a professional advantage to just listing yourself and your skill set.

Thanks for any reply.

David Mullen ASC · August 16, 2016

Sometimes when you register for some trade events, it's hard to leave blank the field in which you identify yourself with a company name, so some people just make up a production company name for the field, or just repeat their names.

But I think in more cases, it's a situation where these individuals actually have created a DBA for tax reasons and sometimes take on occasional jobs more as an independent producer/cinematographer or they have a side business for content creation or perhaps selling educational workshops, etc. Probably half or more of these people don't actually generate any work for their production companies. Perhaps some also have a screenplay in hand that they hope to get made into a movie and have set-up a production company just for that project. Maybe some are trying to get around being paid as an employee and want to be treated as an independent contractor for tax reasons (the studios and the IRS have been cracking down on this practice for years now.)

Personally, I've never incorporated myself or created a DBA, etc.

George Ebersole · August 16, 2016

Yeah, thanks David. When I was a young buck trying to network I just passed out business cards with my name and number, and just told people what I knew and what I didn't. I didn't file a fictitious company name thing for myself, nor list myself in the directories as a one man production company.

But I've seen so many people do it, that it got me to wondering if it was like one of those unspoken things you were supposed to do.

I'm finally going to get some training to update my skill set, but it's like once I do, then do I go "hog wild" and list myself as "Ebersole Productions" or just George? I think just George is the way to go.

p.s. I think you mean IRS ... the IRA huh? :D I wonder if the NSA surfs this website for key words, LOL