How Bryan Fellows Tracked 90 Days of Production Expenses

When award-winning producer Bryan Fellows landed a 90-day production spanning 16 cities across North America, he knew traditional spreadsheets weren't going to cut it. That's when he turned to Saturation and transformed what could have been a logistical nightmare into a streamlined success story.

Bryan Fellows is an award-winning freelance line-producer whose career spans live television, commercials, documentaries, music videos, and film production across nearly 60 countries. Beginning in live television, he has produced promotional content and campaigns for major global brands and sporting events, including serving as producer on all promotional content for FIFA World Cup 26. Bryan has worked with high-profile talent including Will Arnett, Jon Stewart, Jennifer Hudson, Killer Mike, Dirk Nowitzki, Javier Hernandez, and Karina LeBlanc. His production portfolio includes documentary work (The Matter of Life, Kingdoms in Time), television series (Darkroom as line producer, Adventist Health TV), National Geographic series Super/Natural (2022) executive produced by James Cameron and narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, and short-form content spanning music videos to branded material.

The Challenge: Multi-City Productions at Commercial Speed

"When it comes to producing, especially in the commercial sphere, which is what I do day in and day out, we have to turn things around so fast," Fellows explains. His production team faced the ultimate test: coordinating shoots across 16 cities, managing multiple crews, tracking expenses in real-time, and maintaining budget visibility. All while meeting the demanding timelines of commercial production.

Saturation: Trip-Based Organization That Actually Makes Sense

Breaking Down Complexity Into Manageable Layers

Bryan found that Saturation's flexible organization structure was perfectly suited for complex, multi-location productions. "What I did here is on the second layer, I broke it out per city. So you see there's 13 cities here," he demonstrates. But here's where Saturation's flexibility really shines. Saturation allows producers to organize by trip rather than forcing a rigid city-by-city structure.

"We're combining by trip instead of by city," Fellows notes. "That production team actually went to both of those cities. And that was like one encapsulated trip." This trip-based expense organization means teams can track costs the way they actually work, not the way traditional software forces them to work.

Tag-Based Filtering: Instant Budget Visibility

One of the most powerful features Fellows leveraged was Saturation's tag-based filtering system. "If you see the different tags, it's from the different city areas. You can see it here, it's LASF."

With a simple click, he could filter to see only relevant expenses: "I can select a tag here so I can go here to LASF. Only the line items that are referring to that tag are going to show up. That's really helpful." He could instantly see that the LA/SF trip totaled just over $63,000 with no formulas, no hunting through spreadsheets.

Real-Time Credit Card Integration: Capturing Expenses as They Happen

"The production company has credit cards that are synced through Plaid into Saturation," Fellows explains. This real-time credit card integration proved invaluable when managing multiple teams spending simultaneously across different cities.

"It was very easy for us to quickly, as we're going along, because all of us are spending. And sometimes, you know, we're in multiple different cities at the same time," he says. Teams could see which card was used for different transactions and "attach a receipt very easily. And it's pulled directly from that transaction, which is really, really nice."

This automatic syncing eliminates the traditional pain point of receipt collection and manual entry. It’s a game-changer for fast-moving commercial productions.

Seamless Vendor Payments with Automatic PO Connections

Beyond expense tracking, Fellows utilized Saturation's integrated payment system for direct vendor payments. "We actually used Saturation to pay vendors. We have ACH payments. And then you'll see that the payment transaction is connected to this PO."

This direct vendor ACH payment system with automatic PO connections creates a complete financial trail, ensuring every payment is documented and connected to its corresponding purchase order. "It's just so seamless," Fellows emphasizes. "So it's kind of like a one-stop shop for everything."

Managing International Complexity: Tokyo Meets New Orleans

The true test of any production management system comes when handling vastly different locations simultaneously. Fellows' production included shoots in both Tokyo and New Orleans. These are locations with different currencies, vendors, and logistical challenges.

"If we go to Shoot Crew, for example. We have two DPs – one is in Tokyo, one is in New Orleans. So we have the ability to split things out," Fellows demonstrates. Saturation's platform handled these complexities seamlessly, allowing for clear cost allocation and tracking across international boundaries.

The Results: 90 Days, 16 Cities, All Tracked

"It's been really, really seamless filming in all these different places and in the production van, trying to actualize," Fellows reflects. The ability to manage actualizations on the go. Whether in a production van or hotel room, it meant his team stayed on top of finances throughout the entire 90-day production.

The platform's comprehensive approach to production finance management provided:

• Instant spend analysis across all locations and entities

• Improved visibility for AP and spending across multiple teams

• Automated compliance for contractor payments and tax documentation

• Real-time budget tracking that eliminated surprise overages

Why Production Teams Choose Saturation

Bryan's experience here highlights why Saturation has become the go-to platform for modern production teams. As he puts it simply: "It's been a great tool. We've loved it."

The platform addresses the core challenges of production finance:

• Speed: Instant access to financial data when commercial timelines demand it

• Transparency: Clear visibility for clients and stakeholders

• Scalability: Works equally well for two-day shoots or 90-day marathons

• Integration: Connects budgeting, payments, and actualization in one platform

The Future of Production Finance Management

Bryan Fellows' successful management of a 16-city, 90-day production demonstrates how the right tools transform complex logistics into streamlined workflows.

For production teams ready to move beyond spreadsheets and manual processes, Saturation offers the comprehensive solution that modern productions demand. Turning what could be financial chaos into collaborative, transparent, and efficient production management.