About Count Out Loud
Count Out Loud is the accountant for Australia’s creative industries. We work with a wide range of creative industry clients, from film and television production companies, documentary producers, post-production and VFX studios, content creators and creative freelancers across the country, the people making the work everyone else watches. Strength behind the spotlight is the whole idea, the financial backing that lets creative businesses do their best work.
Creative businesses earn differently to everyone else, with project-based revenue, seasonal cash flow, government offsets and income built on IP, which trips up plenty of accountants and it is exactly the kind of work we built our entire practice around. We have been a Xero Platinum Champion Partner since 2016 and our work runs from Producer Offset claims through to business structuring, tax compliance and Virtual CFO advisory. We are a technology forward practice, and we use a broad set of tools to keep the work moving and the thinking clear, rather than buried in spreadsheets.
The role
We are looking for a Manager who is ready to own the running of a portfolio and the people delivering it. You will lead complex client engagements across production companies, creators and creative businesses, take responsibility for quality and profitability across your book, and mentor the senior accountants coming up behind you.
This is a leadership seat. You will shape how the team works, guide the technical standard across your client base, and sit close enough to founders that your advice genuinely shapes their decisions. There is a clear path from here into Senior Manager and beyond for the right person.
What you will be doing
- Managing a portfolio of creative industry clients end to end, with responsibility for job profitability, resourcing and delivery
- Leading complex compliance and advisory engagements across production companies, content creators and creative freelancers
- Reviewing technical work and lifting the standard across the team, from income tax and BAS through to financial statements and structuring
- Advising founders on entity structuring, asset protection and the SPV setups common in film and television production
- Overseeing Producer Offset claims across the life of a production
- Leading Virtual CFO engagements, including cash flow forecasting, budgeting and KPI tracking
- Coaching and developing senior accountants, allocating work to build their capability and giving feedback that helps them grow
- Building lasting relationships with clients who want an advisor who understands their industry
What we are looking for
- CA or CPA qualified, with at least seven years in public practice or business advisory, including time at manager level
- Strong technical foundation across Australian tax compliance, structuring and financial reporting, with the judgement to handle complex matters independently
- A track record of managing a portfolio and owning client relationships and profitability
- Experience reviewing work and developing junior and senior staff
- Confident in Xero, ideally across the wider cloud accounting ecosystem
- A clear communicator who can talk to creative founders and producers like a human, without the jargon
- Genuinely curious about the creative industries, the work, the money behind it and the people making it
Experience in screen, media, or entertainment accounting is a real advantage, and familiarity with the Producer Offset and Screen Australia processes will put you well ahead. We are open to strong candidates from general practice at manager level who want to build a specialism, provided the leadership and technical foundation are there.
Why join Count Out Loud?
Your clients will be building films, television series, documentaries and creative businesses, so the work stays varied and rarely feels routine. We are a specialist team, which means your leadership is visible, your ideas land and the people you develop go on to do their best work.
You get flexibility around how and where you work, ongoing professional development and the chance to become a recognised name in one of the most distinctive corners of Australian accounting. For the right person, this seat leads somewhere.
How to apply
Send your CV and a short note on why creative industry accounting appeals to you. We review applications as they come in, so early interest is encouraged. Pop your favourite film or the last great thing you watched at the top of your note, we like knowing what moves you. Want a quiet chat before you apply? Call us on (02) 9043 1525.
Frequently asked questions
What qualifications do I need to become an accounting manager in the creative industries?
For this role you need to be CA or CPA qualified with around seven or more years in public practice or business advisory, including time managing at the manager level. We look for people who have run a client portfolio, reviewed technical work and developed the accountants coming up behind them. Knowledge of the Producer Offset and screen production structures is a strong advantage, and we support the right person to build that specialism with us if they are coming from general practice.
What does an accountant for creative industries actually do?
At Count Out Loud, we handle the tax, compliance and advisory work for businesses whose income does not follow a standard pattern, from film and television production companies through to content creators and creative freelancers. The work runs across project-based revenue and cash flow, government incentives like the Producer Offset, business structuring for IP and special purpose vehicles, and Virtual CFO advisory. Creative income is seasonal, project-driven and often tied to offsets rather than steady monthly revenue, which is exactly the kind of work we built our practice around.
Do I need screen or media experience to work at Count Out Loud?
Screen or media experience is a real advantage, but it is not essential for the right person at manager level. We welcome experienced managers from general public practice who have the technical and leadership foundation and want to build a specialism with us. Familiarity with the Producer Offset and Screen Australia processes will put you ahead, and we will back you to develop the specialist knowledge on the job.
What is the Producer Offset and why does it matter for screen accounting?
The Producer Offset is an Australian Government tax rebate that supports the production of Australian film and television. It matters because claiming it correctly means tracking eligible production expenditure carefully across the life of a project, often built straight into the accounting system. Managing these claims is a core part of what we do for our production clients, and it is one of the areas where a specialist makes a real difference.
Is the Manager role at Count Out Loud based in Sydney or remote?
The Manager role is based at our North Sydney office with hybrid flexibility, so you can split your time between the office and working from home. Our head office is at 1 James Place, North Sydney. We work with creative clients right across Australia, so the role blends time with the team in person and plenty of remote collaboration.
What is the career path for a Manager at Count Out Loud?
A Manager at Count Out Loud has a clear path toward Senior Manager, Associate Director and beyond, guided by our competency framework. The framework sets out the behaviours and outcomes we expect at each level, so you always know what growth to the next stage looks like. Managers who lead their portfolio well, develop their team and build strong client relationships have a defined route into senior leadership here.