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Setting Up a New Production or Project
The short answer
Contact Dolly Support to open a new show. A project under your studio needs only a name, an estimated budget and shoot dates, and is usually ready the same day. A new production may need an application, depending on whether it has its own EIN and bank account.
When it is ready, it shows up in the workspace switcher at the top left. Refresh the page if you don’t see it.
Studio, production and project
| What it is | Its money | |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | The parent company. It holds several productions or projects and can see across them. | Its own Dolly balance. |
| Production | One show with its own cards, crew, envelopes and settings. | Its own balance, or its studio’s (see below). |
| Project | A lighter show that lives inside a studio. It has its own cards, crew and envelopes. | Spends from the studio’s balance. |
Each production or project has its own chart of accounts, approvals and integrations, so plan to set those up for every new show.
Asking for a new project
Message Dolly Support with the chat button in the bottom right corner of Dolly, or email support@dollycard.com, with:
- The project name
- The studio it belongs under
- The estimated budget
- The shoot dates
A project can start spending as soon as it exists, because it uses the studio’s balance. Add money to the studio if the project needs more. See Adding Money to a Production Account.
A new production: three ways to set it up
| Option | Choose it when | What Dolly needs |
|---|---|---|
| New EIN and new bank account | You incorporated for this production and have a new EIN. | A full application: the entity’s documents, its EIN letter, a physical office address, and information on its beneficial owners. |
| Inherit an EIN from one of your studios, but open a new bank account | You did not incorporate for this production, but want its money kept separate. | The production details. It uses your studio’s EIN. |
| Inherit an EIN and pull funds from your studio’s bank account | The production should run on the studio’s EIN and the studio’s Dolly balance. | The production details. |
The application asks which one fits. It decides how much paperwork Dolly needs.
A physical office address means where the company actually works. A registered agent’s address is not accepted.
Dolly Support sends a checklist of the documents for a full application, and a secure folder to upload them to.
What happens after you apply
- Dolly Support reviews what you sent and asks for anything missing. The most common gaps are the EIN letter and a registered agent’s address in place of the office address.
- Dolly submits the application. It is often approved within a day, but can take longer if the review needs more information.
- When it is approved, Dolly sends a welcome packet and the transfer instructions for the new account. The production appears in your workspace switcher.
- Add money, set up your chart of accounts and approvals, then issue cards. See Issuing Cards and Inviting Crew.
If it has been more than a few business days since you sent everything, reply to your thread with Dolly Support and ask for an update.
Switching between shows
Click the show’s name at the top left to open the workspace switcher. Every studio, production and project you belong to is listed. Wrapped ones are in the Wrapped section at the bottom.
Dolly opens to your default workspace when you sign in. To change it, go to the show you want, open your profile menu and click the bookmark next to the show’s name (Set as default). It turns yellow. If Dolly keeps opening an old show, this is why.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I open a new production myself?
- Not yet. Contact Dolly Support with the name, budget and shoot dates, and say whether it has its own EIN.
- Can I move money from my last show to the new one?
- Yes. Tell Dolly Support where it should come from and go to. A project spends from its studio’s balance, so money in the studio is already available to it.
- Can crew keep their card from the last show?
- A card belongs to one show. Pause or close the old one and issue a new card on the new show, so charges land in the right books.
- I only see my last project. Where is the new one?
- Open the workspace switcher at the top left and refresh the page. If it is still missing, you may not have been added to it yet. Ask an admin on that show or Dolly Support.
- How do I rename a project?
- Contact Dolly Support. Names and shoot dates can’t be edited in Settings.
Keep reading
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