Shawn Hamilton spent over 20 years working as a production accountant in New York and New Jersey, keeping track of budgets and managing tax credits for television programs and movies. During that time, he also worked at Amazon.com, where he observed the way they used technology to create connective tissue throughout the organization.
That’s when an idea struck. Since the production-related accounting software he had been using was outdated and required a lot of dragging and dropping, exporting and importing, printing and scanning, he imagined a way to bridge this “Frankenstein” accounting approach. Hamilton created a new software, specifically tailored to production finance, that could track and manage costs, maximize revenue and productivity, while factoring in tax credit dollars.
There were, of course, challenges along the way as with many new businesses. Hamilton didn’t have a technology background and needed a tutor to teach him code, so he brought on a lifelong friend and product expert, Jason Thurman, as a co-founder. Like many startups, Conduiit also required seed money. After a lot of work, Hamilton and his team put the pieces together and were able to raise over a million dollars in startup investments.
From his home base in Jersey City, Hamilton, the president of this New Jersey-based small minority-owned business, along with his dedicated team, feel they have identified their niche market and crafted a superior product. “Most other technology providers in the industry are selling payroll or payments solutions, not anything comprehensive,” says Hamilton. “Conduiit offers just that.”
As he looks around the streets of his neighborhood, Hamilton feels this is the best place to do business. “New Jersey has great production incentives, a strong tech community, and supportive government agencies. It’s been a perfect place for us to develop and launch.”
So far, Conduiit has been catching on. A few productions that have shot in New Jersey have already been working with the software, such as the Netflix series How To Fix A Drug Scandal and Apple TV’s The Recruit, both of which filmed rin the Garden State. Other productions that utilize Conduiit include John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight (HBO), Generation Hustle (Max), Murder on Middle Beach (HBO), The Vow (HBO), The Ruling Class (HBO), and the indie film Black Flies (acquired recently by Open Road Films).
“The more our clients use Conduiit, the faster the word is spreading,” adds Hamilton with a smile.
To learn more about Conduiit, visit their website today (www.conduiit.app) and reach out to Shawn Hamilton ( info@conduiit.com / 917-691-1634). For those interested in taking a closer look at the software, you can book a live demo right on the website: www.conduiit.app
For the full article, visit: https://nj.gov/state/njfilm/spotlight-2023-10-4.shtml
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