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For most people, figuring out what to do with a beautiful mid-century modern credenza and a planeload of hydroponically grown mint plants would be a nice problem to have. For Eva Radke, Founder and CEO of ArtCube Nation, they were challenges that launched a business—and a revolution—in the world of film and television production.
“I had somehow gotten a permit to land a prop plane full of mint plants from Florida into New York. I think I promised my firstborn!” Radke recalls. “But when the show wrapped, I couldn’t give the plants away, and they ended up in the dumpster. And that’s when my life changed forever.”
Frustrated but inspired, Radke started a project that would eventually become ArtCube Nation, an online platform for art department jobs in film, theater, and events and a bustling set dressing marketplace for selling, purchasing at a discount, or giving away materials from a finished project to one in pre-production. Automated financial operations from BILL are helping this groundbreaking organization and community continue its run of success.
Frustrated by the widespread waste she encountered as an Art Department Coordinator for the stage and screen, Radke launched a Google Group in 2007 to help production professionals sell and exchange set dressing and construction materials. Over time, this humble message board evolved into ArtCube Nation, a hub for materials exchange and jobs in the film industry for freelancers and vendors.
“One day in 2015, the most nervous day of my life, I sent out a message to the members of the group and asked them if they would be willing to pay me $5 a month to build a platform just for us,” recalls Radke. “And they did.” ArtCube Nation, which recently launched version 4.0 of its platform, now operates in more than 100 cities around the world.
As a solopreneur with many talents, Radke had the chops to bring her vision to life. But the one skill she doesn’t have is managing finances. Enter Bookkeeper Brigot York, stage right.
York quickly identified the need to upgrade the company’s financial operations. “Previously, accounts payable (AP) was all done manually by text, and there was a lot of duplication or things being missed and behind,” York explains. “We needed to make AP more efficient, and we also needed more support for international payments.”
York had experience using BILL with previous clients, so it was a no-brainer for her to bring in BILL Accounts Payable and BILL Accounts Receivable for ArtCube Nation.
BILL Accounts Payable immediately improved the invoice approval process and team collaboration in general. BILL has eliminated the time-consuming back-and-forth of invoice approvals, which is important because Radke lives in New York and York lives in Oklahoma.
“BILL provides much better communication. If I have questions about an invoice, I can put a note in BILL and quickly resolve the issue,” says York.
“BILL provides much better communication. If I have questions about an invoice, I can put a note in BILL and quickly resolve the issue.”
With BILL, Radke can see all the information related to an invoice right there in the app. “BILL has been really great for me in terms of being able to see and approve,” says Radke. “I especially like the BILL app. I love it because I can use it on my phone—I don't want to work without it now.”
BILL also makes it easy to keep track of documentation, which stays with every invoice. “With BILL, the books stay current, everything gets put through, nothing is late,” says York. “If anyone needs more information about an invoice, we can document it right there in BILL. We have an easy-to-access, digital paper trail.”
“If anyone needs more information about an invoice, we can document it right there in BILL. We have an easy-to-access, digital paper trail.”
ArtCube Nation uses BILL Accounts Payable to pay recurring charges related to running a website, including insurance, servers, plugins, and design tools like Figma. They also use BILL to pay invoices from their development team, advertising, company events, and office expenses.
BILL Accounts Payable makes it easy for York to manage this wide variety of vendors. “BILL is just user-friendly. They listen to our feedback and the products are just very easy to use,” she says.
York also relies on BILL to manage international payments to vendors. For example, the company works with a team of developers in Ukraine. “One of the reasons we wanted BILL is because they handle international payments just beautifully,” says York.
“One of the reasons we wanted BILL is because they handle international payments just beautifully.”
Now that BILL is streamlining financial operations, Radke is free to focus on building the ArtCube Nation community instead of worrying about the accounting process.
“I feel more connected to our finances because BILL helps keep me in touch with what is going on. And I know that the books are up to date and accurate,” says Radke. “BILL makes it easier for us to focus on future plans for expansion.”
“BILL has been really great for me in terms of being able to see and approve. I especially like the BILL app. I love it because I can use it on my phone—I don't want to work without it now.”
