Employee Spotlight: Joanne Vistante

Joanne Vistante, Senior Account Manager out of the Encino branch of entertainment business management firm Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, LLC (GRF), is well-known by team members for her refreshing enthusiasm and genuine passion for client services. Joanne’s diligence and love for the field stems from her mother, she says, and inspired her to develop a rigorous discipline that she continues to maintain today – both as a manager and as a mother, herself.

During her childhood, Joanne’s mother was employed as an Accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (or PwC, recognized as a Big 4 CPA firm). She recalls her mother worked long hours to ensure that Joanne and her older brother had what they needed.

“Seeing how hard she worked then inspired me to make sure that I would grow up to be able to take care of myself, whether I was on my own or with a spouse. I wanted to be self-reliant and independent, too,” Joanne says.

By the time Joanne finished high school, her mom was the proud owner of her own bookkeeping and small business management company.

Given that her mother was fluent in Japanese, she developed a client base of largely Japanese clients (such as chiropractors and lawyers in the Little Tokyo area, and Japanese manufacturers and distributors with American entities). Her expertise in American policies and taxation law was of particular interest, and showed Joanne the value of being part of a strong niche.

Joanne joined the family business as a part-time Bookkeeper to start, which afforded her an opportunity to gain comprehensive exposure to working with multiple clients and navigating various industries and environments – this, she would later come to discover, would serve as directly transferable experience for her next chapter in entertainment business management.

When she was ready to attend college, Joanne first completed general education courses at a local community college, Mount San Antonio College (Mt. SAC), before transferring to California State University, Fullerton (CSUF).

Joanne recalls commuting heavily for work and school, which extended her time in college but allowed her to travel extensively to see clients. She completed a degree in accounting – just like her mother did before her.

“At this point, the multi-tasking from my upbringing has become part of my personality… it’s part of me, it has allowed me to thrive in my career, and I wouldn’t change it. Balancing priorities and obligations just makes sense to me. It’s necessary, it’s important, and I choose to do it because I enjoy this work.”

Though Joanne believes her mother would have wanted her to become a CPA (Certified Public Accountant), a designation she was unable to make time to pursue during her career, Joanne acknowledges that neither her nor her mother have been held back in their careers without it.

“She still earned her seat at the table at PwC,” Joanne says of her mom. “Growth looks different for everyone; it depends on your goals and what you’re looking to get from your career and yourself. Yes, I considered becoming a CPA, but I was also juggling a family after college, and it was not something that made sense during that time for me.”

A CSUF professor referred Joanne to a career opportunity with a boutique business management firm, which was in need of a strong Bookkeeper. Joanne ended up spending 10 fulfilling and educational years at the firm.

“I am so, so grateful for that 10-year tenure because I learned so much,” she shares. “As a Business Manager in my former boutique firm, I was both the Bookkeeper and the Account Manager for my clients. There was an external firm that handled our tax work.”

“Toward the end of that time, though, I wanted a change of pace and to be able to take the next step in my career... That’s what ultimately led me here, to GRF.”

Joanne’s clients predominantly entail professionals in the film and television sectors, which is to be expected of the Los Angeles, California, area. Her clients keep her busy, but Joanne’s abilities to multi-task and manage time well have allowed her to balance her schedule between the office and her home life.

“I am a married mom with three boys, so my hands are always full with something,” Joanne laughs. “My work ethic has become my lifestyle. I already had that mindset ingrained in me from my mother, and living in Los Angeles further inspires you to feed into that hustle culture that’s so prevalent here. Now, it’s part of who I am.”

Joanne’s spouse, now retired, worked for a sizable gaming company that kept its staff rather preoccupied with a certain well-known wartime video game. When deadlines became increasingly tight, Joanne saddled both work demands and child-rearing for all three boys.

“It was hard, but I was used to hard. Time management, multi-tasking, organization, focus… that is what kept me going, despite all of the work it took,” Joanne remembers.

“A medical matter forced him to retire, just in time for the pandemic to hit. Since then, we’ve switched – he has shifted to focusing on the kids, and had to navigate their online classes, while I’m able to work. Having a hybrid office schedule really helps with that. Now, he tells me that he can’t believe I was ever able to juggle both work and the kids as well as I did!”

Given her willingness to go above and beyond, Joanne believes in cultivating a team culture that promotes appreciation and gratitude between all members. After all, she says, everyone on the team contributes to the clients’ success, so everyone should be made to feel like their contribution matters.

“Managers, don’t forget to say ‘Please’ and ‘Thank You’ along the way. Be nice to people, be courteous, and be grateful for their help. That goes a long way with people. Everyone is human, just like me and you, and they like to feel valued and seen. It doesn’t take much from you and helps them a lot.”

When it comes to internal growth, Joanne sees merit in practicing interpersonal skills to develop supervisory and leadership experience, and for overall career preparedness when it comes to working with high-profile clients in the entertainment industry.

She references the Account Supervisor role, a new title at the Firm, that serves to groom Senior Bookkeepers into Account Managers. As a Senior Account Manager, Joanne was tasked with identifying learning opportunities and areas of responsibility for the new role – an endeavor that played to her strengths as a mentor to a number of Bookkeepers through the years at GRF.

“Interpersonal skills, or social skills like communication, are so important for success as an Account Supervisor and, later, an Account Manager. Management is a very hard skill to learn, one that demands a good amount of emotional intelligence and care on your part. You have to learn how to take care of your clients, how to figure out what they need from you, how to make them comfortable enough to trust you, and be able to believe that you have their best interests in mind.”

For introverts who may find self-expression a little difficult compared to extroverts, Joanne maintains that communication is key.

“You need to know how to communicate, even if you need some training to help you get there, because in this field you will be working across divisions, locations and partners. It takes a village to help many of the clients we have.”

“Communication also includes being honest and open with others, owning any mistakes made, taking accountability for work, and reaching out when questions arise,” Joanne says. “A breakdown in communication can lead to a breakdown in collaboration.”

Similarly, Joanne recognizes how important it is to continuously seek out ways to maximize efficiency in daily tasks and needs. Given the fast-paced nature of the work, she recommends utilizing helpful features and ensuring sound, practical processes to help maintain high standards and feel more self-assured.

On a personal note, Joanne shares that she has spent 20 years with her best friend, her husband. She also enjoys spending time with her two best friends, both breast cancer survivors, and her children.

For a mental challenge, Joanne says that her favorite activity is putting together a puzzle – not unlike assembling a tax package during the busier months of tax season at Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman.

The “Employee Spotlight” series introduces our firm’s diverse, talented professionals and highlights their notable extracurriculars. We hope their stories provide a more personal perspective of life at Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman.