Who is a freelance artist?

Help a Freelance Artist find a Tax Accountant

• I am getting pretty serious into the vfx industry and wanted to know where to look for accountant to deal with my taxes as a freelance artist... I am getting pretty serious into the vfx industry and wanted to know where to look for accountant to deal with my taxes as a freelance artist. I live in the Venice, Culver City, Marnia Del Rey area of good ole' California and just don't know where to beign to find someone who works with such artists and is not too expensive...any help will do... thanks

• Answer:

  In the absence of more knowledgeable advice, I reckon you could do a lot worse than opening the Yellow Pages and looking under "A". Treat it like any other job that you'd hire a contractor for - phone a few, set up appointments, explain your situation, ask for a tariff and a typical schedule for the kind of work you want doing, and perhaps ask for a reference or two. Maybe even ask some industry contacts (friends, studios who've expressed an interest in hiring you, the agent who gets you job offers) for a recommendation. And, as with all jobs you'd contract someone else to do, consider if it's possible to save a bit of cash and do it yourself. I'm not familiar with the US tax system or the relevant laws, but my employer is what we call a "sole trader" - he runs a business and is effectively a self employed shopkeeper, and he does a good chunk of the work on his taxes without having to involve an accountant. Probably different for you, but it's an option.