LOS ANGELES, CA (July 2, 2020) – GHJ (GHJ) Partner Steven Sills was recognized by CalCPA as the 2020 “Entertainment Accountant of the Year.”
“Steve has had an extraordinary career in entertainment accounting,” GHJ Managing Partner Tom Barry said. “CalCPA could not have picked a more deserving professional for this award. Prior to merging his practice with GHJ, Steve’s accounting team was a leader in profit participation audits. He built an unparalleled practice and has a reputation to match.”
Announced annually at the CalCPA Entertainment Industry Conference, the Entertainment Accountant of the Year Award recognizes an experienced leader who has contributed to the growth of the industry through thoughtware, mentorship, community service and innovation. With over 40 years of accounting experience, Sills has a legacy of being a leader in participation audits. He has worked with nearly every major U.S. studio and has helped educate, mentor and encourage numerous accountants entering the field.
“I am honored to be recognized this year,” Sills said. “I have had a fulfilling career, and I am proud of the accomplishments and contributions the GHJ participation audit practice has made to the entertainment accounting field.”
It addition to being a skilled accountant and business advisor, Sills’s third edition of Movie Money: Understanding Hollywood’s (Creative) Accounting Practices came out this spring. The book has been an important reference in deal making and for educating accountants in the profession for many years. Sills is also known for his education focus in the industry, including speaking at universities and CalCPA, and is the go-to expert from an education standpoint on how the talent is paid by the studios.
“Steve has always been a mentor to me,” explained GHJ Entertainment and Media Practice Leader Ilan Haimoff. “He built an incredible practice here at GHJ, and left big shoes to fill when I transitioned to lead the practice. He is a great leader and continues to have a profound impact on the industry.”
About Steven Sills, Partner, Entertainment and Media
Steven Sills, CPA, CFE, CFF, has more than 40 years of entertainment accounting experience. His specialty involves audits of production and distribution of motion pictures and television programs on behalf of third party profit participants. As a consultant, he has given expert testimony in entertainment litigation, been a contract negotiator for profit and royalty participants and participates in settlement negotiations of audit claims.
Steve spent 13 years at the CPA firm of Laventhol & Horwath, before founding his own participations auditing firm in 1990. In 2007, his firm merged with GHJ.
Steve has been published multiple times including “Profit Participation in the Motion Picture Industry” in the Los Angeles Lawyer, “Participants in the Motion Picture Industry” in the Entertainment, Publishing and the Arts Handbook and Movie Money: Understanding Hollywood's Creative Accounting Practices.
Steven is an attorney, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner and Certified Financial Forensic. He has been a featured speaker at the California Society of Certified Public Accountants and New York CPA Foundation, as well as the UCLA and USC law schools.
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About GHJ
Founded in 1953, GHJ is a Los Angeles-based accounting firm that specializes in nonprofit, food and beverage, entertainment and media and health and wellness companies. Previous recipient of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Employee Champion For Life Work Harmony Award and named a “Best Places to Work” by the Los Angeles Business Journal eight times since 2008, GHJ is passionate about helping clients and its people #BeMore by focusing on building thriving businesses and creating a better future.
The Firm works as a business advocate for its clients — providing personalized service and building long-term relationships to help position our clients for growth. Through its affiliation with HLB International, a global network of independent professional accounting firms and business advisers, the Firm is able to partner with other top firms across major cities throughout the U.S. and the world. GHJ’ audit, tax and advisory teams leverage the HLB network to better serve its clients and give clients access to member firms in over 158 countries across the globe.
Also ranked as a top-20 largest accounting firm on the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Book of Lists, the firm has 14 partners and more than 160 staff members that serve over 3,000 clients. The firm is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the AICPA Governmental Audit Quality Center (GAQC), the California Society of CPAs and the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofit).
