Hat Trick Productions

Like so many companies in the TV & Film sector, Hat Trick was using disparate systems throughout the group. They were frustrated and slowed down by systems that were lacking and no longer a good fit for them. With the group growing, they also needed a system that would streamline processes internally and enable full reporting functionality from one set of data.

The system had to be fully kitted out from a financial and production costing perspective and at the very least replace the functionality from the existing Sage Systems.

The key requirement revolved around production costing. Production Accountants needed full service access within the single unified system to maintain and monitor accurate records of planned and projected expenditure. At the same time, the information should be viewed as part of the overall finances for the group to make life easier for key decision makers.

Additional requirements included generation of Rights Payments to the sponsors of each production and integration with Movie Magic (EP) which is used for financial planning of productions.

The Solution

We had a clear understanding of the requirements at Hat Trick, and the Microsoft Dynamics 365 software provided a great platform for the business solution. The inbuilt flexibility allowed Creative to add the special security and processing required, whilst preserving the standard system for the normal accounts maintenance for TV and film companies. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a true multi-currency, multi-company system, and the reporting functionality via the dimensional analysis is second to none. As the product has the Microsoft look and feel, this speeds the internal uptake of the system within the Hat Trick group. 

The ease with which we can import data into Microsoft Dynamics made integration with the Movie Magic system particularly straight-forward.

The Outcome

There are three main criteria that concern companies just like yours when looking to implement a new system: risk, timeframes (implementation and ‘internal take-up’) and return on investment.

We have a rigorous method for collecting and migrating data from legacy systems to safeguard data from being lost or corrupted in any way – a TV and company’s worst nightmare. The structure of Microsoft Dynamics 365 adds to the confidence, since most of the processing rules are supplied ‘out of the box’ and are tried and trusted by a large and varied customer base.

Thanks to the collaboration and partnership of Creative and Hat Trick Productions, the project ran smoothly and timeframes for the initial implementation of the financial system were met. The internal take-up of the new system was also a success thanks to the shrewd project management internally at Hat Trick by Claire Snedker, alongside training and support provided by Creative.

Testimonial 

“Creative have allowed us to automate many of our day to day processes, which has enabled us to gain real time information quickly. We are excited by the further enhancements that this solution has to offer to ensure that we constantly improve our processes.”‍

- Claire Snedker, Post Production Accountant, Hat Trick Productions