Services / Executive Producing & Finance
Executive Producing & Finance
Getting the finance closed is where many projects stall. We structure and negotiate the finance agreements and coordinate the legal requirements for financial close, working with producers, financiers, sales agents and screen agencies.
Our Managing Partner, David Whealy, has executive produced more than $500 million of film and television, including The Bank Job, W., Killer Elite, Tomorrow, When the War Began, Bran Nue Dae and The Loved Ones.
We work with financiers, distributors, sales agents, broadcasters, production companies and studios in Australia and overseas, and advise on structuring international funding arrangements, applicable tax incentives and recoupment structures.
With expertise in all facets of film, television and documentary financing, we provide executive producing services to suitable commercial projects.
Talk to us
Tell us about your project, and we’ll talk you through how we can help.
How we help
- Executive producing services for commercial projects
- Packaging and finance plans
- International funding and co-financing structures
- Producer, location and PDV offsets
- Recoupment schedules and collection account arrangements
- Negotiating with financiers, sales agents and distributors
- Cross-border finance negotiation and advice, including foreign exchange (FX) and multi-jurisdiction finance structuring
Getting to financial close
How we help close the finance.
We don’t provide or source finance. We bring the parties, agreements and requirements together so that, when the money is there, the deal can close.
- 01
Plan and structure
The finance plan and recoupment, offsets, equity, gap, pre-sales and co-finance, and the production SPV that will hold it all.
- 02
Negotiate the agreements
Investment, loan and security, sales agency, distribution and co-production agreements, negotiated with every party at the table.
- 03
Satisfy the conditions
Chain of title opinion, E&O insurance and completion guarantee, notices of assignment, collection account and interparty terms.
- 04
Close and draw down
A closing checklist, coordinated signing and drawdown, and the recoupment schedule everyone has agreed.
When to call us
- You have a project with talent attached and need a finance plan
- You have financiers, sales agents or distributors interested and need the deals negotiated
- You are structuring a co-production or international co-finance
- You need a recoupment schedule or collection account
Selected work
- The Bank JobExecutive producer
- Killer EliteExecutive producer
- Tomorrow, When the War BeganExecutive producer
- Bran Nue DaeExecutive producer
Common questions
What does an executive producer do?
An executive producer helps package and finance the project: building the finance plan, working with financiers, sales agents and distributors, and negotiating the deals and recoupment terms that close the finance. David has executive produced more than $500 million of film and television.
Can my project claim the Producer Offset?
The Producer Offset is a refundable tax offset certified by Screen Australia for Australian projects that pass the significant Australian content test. It is 40% of qualifying Australian production expenditure (QAPE) for feature films made for cinema release and 30% for other formats, subject to minimum QAPE thresholds. We assess eligibility early so the budget, structure and contracts support the claim.
What are the Location and PDV Offsets?
Both are 30% offsets on qualifying Australian expenditure, certified through the Office for the Arts. The Location Offset suits large-budget productions shooting in Australia and has a $20 million minimum QAPE threshold; the PDV Offset covers post, digital and visual effects work done in Australia. Rules and thresholds change, so we check current guidelines on every project.
Why use a special purpose company for a production?
A production SPV holds the rights, signs the finance and production contracts and claims the offset, keeping the project’s liabilities and accounts separate from your other work. Most financiers expect one.