We got a sneak peek into what life in Vancouver's entertainment industry is like as a CPA

When you think of a CPA, you probably picture someone working at an accountancy firm. But CPAs actually do way more than that.

Becoming a CPA opens doors to all kinds of exciting and perhaps unexpected career paths. Many work in interesting industries, solving complex challenges and figuring out how to evolve, pivot, shift, and grow their companies. They're the secret weapon that keeps a business thriving!

We spoke to Justin Lee, CPA, and CPA Candidates Susannah Yip and Connor McCormack — all of whom work in a non-traditional environment — to get a sneak peek at a day in their work lives and learn more about some of the exciting career options open to aspiring CPAs. 

Working at Blueprint

Lee, Yip, and McCormack, all work at Blueprint, one of the largest hospitality, entertainment, and events organizations in Western Canada.

Blueprint's events department alone hosts 400 events every year, ranging from smaller concerts in nightclubs to multiday festivals like FVDED in the Park and Badlands. Lee started his career in public practice, but always had a keen interest in entertainment and would frequently attend shows and festivals hosted by his eventual employer.

"When I saw the opportunity to work with Blueprint I realized this would be a great opportunity to apply my accounting skills and work in an industry that I was passionate about," Lee tells Daily Hive.

Connor McCormack (Bobo Zhao Photography)

McCormack's story has a similar start — he began in public practice and enrolled in the CPA program to deepen his accounting knowledge. But, he soon realized that this path just wasn't right for him.

While bartending at a Blueprint-owned venue, McCormack's manager mentioned there was an opening for an accountant at the head office. That's when everything clicked. "This was exciting to me as it married my almost 10 years' experience in hospitality with my career education," he says. "I quickly learned that this was the exact industry and field I wanted to pursue a career in."

An evolving day-to-day on the job

Justin Lee (Bobo Zhao Photography)

As Senior Financial Controller and department head for the Accounting and Finance Team, things can get very fast-paced for Lee. "I work very closely with executives and shareholders on delivering the financial information they need to run their businesses. Whether we're discussing the financial performance of our concerts from the past month, budgeting ticket sales and expenses for a festival happening next year, or reviewing a potential venue acquisition, it's truly an environment where there's no average day."

Yip's days are just as action-packed. An average day starts with filtering through e-mails and prioritizing what needs to be completed for the day, before diving into everything from answering vendor inquiries about invoices to working with the production team to settle show finances.

"A lot of coordination happens behind the scenes amongst different internal departments and external vendors for an event to be put on, so each event will have its own issues and challenges," she says. "No two events are the same, which makes it exciting when faced with new and different situations."

McCormack adds: "There are many other requirements and opportunities including being on-site at our music festivals and events, collaborating with other businesses in the field, and contributing to the health and success of any/all our businesses in any way we feel we can."

A career they're passionate about

Susannah Yip (Bobo Zhao Photography)

For McCormack, navigating the CPA program while working in a different industry than most of his fellow candidates has been interesting. "In our field, we get to see different challenges in real-time and how they compare to the case studies outlined in the program. I value the alternate perspective on operating and reporting challenges from an accounting point of view."

Lee is all about using his accounting skills to work in unexpected ways. "I love applying the technical and accounting frameworks we've learned through the CPA program at something unorthodox like a music festival. When you attend a show it's not common to think about the business aspects or the financial implications. Meanwhile, we're solving many problems in the back-end!"

For Yip, it's the people she works with that make the job special — from the Blueprint founders and executives to the bartenders and servers at the clubs and bars. "Everyone is passionate about music and the entertainment industry; they love what they do. My teammates in the accounting department have all been very supportive with my growth within the company."

No limits: Advice for future CPAs

Connor McCormack, Justin Lee, and Susannah Yip (Bobo Zhao Photography)

The takeaway? CPAs are needed in all types of exciting industries. They are a necessity for public practice, the public sector, and for all businesses. There are truly endless opportunities that match all types of lifestyles.

"If accounting is something that you are passionate about, don't limit your career pursuit to any one facet of the field," McCormack says. "Try to explore and align other personal interests and aspects of your life into finding the most beneficial use of the CPA program that fits who you are as a person."

Ready to start your own CPA journey? Head over to bccpa.ca to learn more about your next career move.