Pennsylvania's CPA Players bring levity to accounting profession

Darth Vader, CPA? Rick and Ilsa always having Paris and tax write-offs? Hannibal Lecter dining on his CPA with fava beans and Chianti? Memorable scenes from classic movies have all undergone a remake, thanks to the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA). PICPA has released three videos for 2011 showing what happens when CPAs take on The Empire Strikes Back, Casablanca, and The Silence of the Lambs.

 

"These new videos are part of our annual image enhancement campaign," says Jeffrey Berdahl, CPA, chair of PICPA's CPA Image Enhancement Committee. "The campaign was designed to increase public awareness and understanding of the professional services CPAs provide. Using humor and video isn't something people expect from CPAs, so it's interesting to watch the reactions. Now with social media, we can see comments, tweets, and more." The ultimate goal of the videos is to send viewers to IneedaCPA.org, a consumer portal which links to tax resources, free brochures, and the free Ask a CPA service.

 

The short videos don't feature actual CPAs but actors playing CPAs playing actors. It doesn't take too long to realize that these actors, also known as The CPA Players, are experts at injecting financial lingo into each scene's dialog. The CPA Players tackle these memorable movies:

 

Casablanca – Maybe if Rick and Ilsa had the chance to "play it again" that plane ride to Paris would have turned into a tax write-off. See the romantic, and very foggy, scene.

The Empire Strikes Back – Darth Vader, CPA? In the un-audited version of this Star Wars classic, Luke finds out who his real financial professional is.

The Silence of the Lambs – Would Hannibal Lecter chow down on his CPA? Maybe if served with a side of fava beans and a nice Chianti.

 

To get more details on how PICPA is using social media, contact Kathleen Miller at kmiller@picpa.org or (215) 972-6188, or Jacqueline Barnard at jbarnard@picpa.org or (267) 675-6255.