Master Your Craft

Production moves fast, and your tools should too. 

In this episode of Master Your Craft, host Shannon Cruz is joined by Cast & Crew’s Alex Bair, Director of Product Solutions, and Kody Schmidt, Product Manager for Hours+ (Timekeeping). They discuss the biggest 2025 Hours+ (Timekeeping) updates designed to help production accountants move faster, stay compliant, and get more done with less stress. 

From real-time cap tracking to flexible approval workflows and timecard overrides, these new tools put more control in the hands of production teams where it belongs. 

Key insights from this episode:
 
  • Leveraging automation for smarter production finance 
  • How to fix timecard issues fast without breaking your workflow 
  • The impact of proactive cap tracking on crew and compliance 
Chapters: 
(00:00) Meet Alex Bair and Kody Schmidt 
(01:25) The most impactful updates coming to Hours+ this year 
(03:05) Approval workflows made for self-service 
(05:44) Allowance cap tracking in real time 
(08:11) East Coast incentives and compliance features 
(11:02) Enabling flexibility and efficiency in production workflows 
(16:02) Hours+ for international productions 
(17:58) Future plans for Hours+ in 2026 
(19:55) Rapid-fire round: How Alex and Kody work and unwind 
 
Want a tailored 15-20 minute product walkthrough? Check out this link: https://info.castandcrew.com/2025-product-recap  
 
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What is Master Your Craft?

This show goes beyond the basics of production, uncovering the expertise and stories that drive the entertainment industry From big-name industry leaders to behind-the-scenes pros, each episode reveals how different aspects of production, from financing to performance, come together to create something extraordinary.