About Us
About Us

Who we are
Show Starter™ Scheduling & Budgeting Plus is a revolutionary new Web application for front-end production deliverables in all arenas of the entertainment industry. The software allows users to create a schedule via a monthly calendar interface and complete the associated budget, cash flow and contact database AT THE SAME TIME. Because it is an interactive, Web 2.0-based application, Show Starter™ Scheduling & Budgeting Plus also allows users to access the software from any Internet-connected computer and share projects with other registered users for ease, accuracy and speed. And due to its advanced AJAX-driven functionality, the software functions with desktop-like speed and simplicity and offers advanced calendar modifications and budget reports, as well.

Show Starter™ Scheduling & Budgeting Plus turns what was once a week or more of work into a few hours of fun. We invite you to "play" with this extraordinary software by clicking "Try the Demo" on our home page.

Where we come from
Show Starter™ Scheduling & Budgeting Plus was created by DMA (Donna Michelle Anderson), a writer, producer and show runner of highly rated non-fiction television shows on such networks as CBS, Bravo, TLC, History Channel, BET, AMC, A&E and more, and the author of The Show Starter™ Reality TV Made Simple System, Vols. 1 and 2. While running and pitching reality shows, DMA worked closely with other show runners, line producers, network executives and production accountants to create, modify, update and track front-end deliverables across multiple versions. The lack of a single, simple, centralized solution for crafting and linking schedules, budgets and contacts inspired her to create Show Starter™ Scheduling & Budgeting Plus, the fastest, easiest, smartest new solution for production budgeting and scheduling.

Who we serve
Show Starter™ Scheduling & Budgeting Plus is a comprehensive solution for entertainment industry professionals working in film, television, theatre, new media and more. The application is a must-have for users at all levels. The blank template allows experienced users to speedily create their own charts of accounts, department and line items for repeated use and customization; the default template has built-in departments, line items and amounts for speedy creation and completion of front-end deliverables. Of course, we're researching and developing new features as the need and demand arises. If you have suggestions or comments, please mail them to: howabout@showstarter.net.

What we do
Show Starter™ Scheduling & Budgeting Plus's objective is to make the creation, updating and sharing of front-end deliverables speedy, simple and smart:
  • Scheduling Interface | the Schedule view appears in the intuitive monthly calendar format that is standard for production projects in the entertainment industry. Departments are color-coded for easy visualization on the calendar, and the calendar can be filtered for departmental updates and distribution. Drag-and-drop phase weeks with built-in line items and amounts makes populating the calendar a snap, with budget totals updating with each addition to the schedule. And Show Starter™'s patented "Control+Click" functionality allows users to instantly open gaps in the middle of calendars or move entire weeks and departments as a single unit, for speedy date changes.
  • Budgeting Interface | Cash Flow - the Cash Flow view is a revolution in front-end deliverables itself. Rather than cobbling together a weekly cash flow spreadsheet from a printed calendar and budget, Show Starter™ users complete their cash flow sheet at the same time as they build the schedule, through line item entries in the phase weeks. For spreadsheet lovers, entries and changes also can be made via the Cash Flow view, and those will immediately be reflected in the Schedule.
  • Budgeting Interface | Master Budget - The Master view allows users to see and instantly print their master budget but precludes the global editing that often challenges the integrity of the associated cash flow and schedule.
  • Budgeting Interface | Reports - Our many report options allow the user to output asset reports so they can share scheduling information with production without revealing costs, aggregate shared expenses across multiple departments, print staff and vendor lists and more.
  • Contacts - For both the experienced user and the production newcomer, Show Starter™ has integrated a contact database with vetted industry staff and vendors who can be associated with line items. A notes section allows users to track communications with and quotes from contacts. And users can add their own contacts to their database for private use across all projects.
How we do it
Show Starter™ Scheduling & Budgeting Plus is a Web-based application for several reasons:
  • By being online, we avoid incompatibility issues with operating systems glitches and updates
  • By implementing Web 2.0 capabilities, we allow users to share projects, vastly improving the accuracy of team documents, and to upload information to the site for access from all computers.
Right now, Show Starter™ is a tiered subscription service, competitively priced, for access by a wide range of users. To keep our fees low, we enforce strict policies around sharing user IDs:
  • Secondary authorization is an emerging standard for Web-based apps, including issuing physical tokens, or "dongles," to further confirm user ID after a password has been entered. Show Starter™ may use mobile phone-based tokens or other authentication methods, to safeguard accounts and prevent misuse.
  • Sharing an ID is expressly set forth in the Terms of Service as a usage violation and will result in immediate termination for cause.
At Show Starter™, we are proud of the innovation and hard work that created and continues to develop our spectacular software - software that will turn what once was more than a week's worth of work into only a few hours of time. For that reason, we ask our users to honor our request not to share their IDs. We believe, and we think you will strongly agree, that the time and money you will save using our extraordinary application will more than offset the one-time license registration fee.

Why we do it
Since 2005, DMA and Show Starter™ have been offering "reality production instruction" and "insider guides from the inside" of the entertainment industry to simplify unnecessarily complicated practices, processes and protocols, democratize access to and advancement within the industry, and demystify the business so more professionals can experience success in this exciting industry. DMA travels nationwide and year-round to speak to professional groups, festivals, production companies and more, offering advice, guidance and motivation to rise and excel in the field of entertainment. With Show Starter™ Scheduling and Budgeting Plus, she hopes to break through yet another barrier to entry and efficiency in the industry - and free users' time up for the creative possibilities of their careers.
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