MPTF Seeks Aid for Struggling Entertainment Crew Amid Strikes

The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is calling for immediate aid to support below-the-line crew members affected by the ongoing Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes. MPTF President & CEO Bob Beitcher has highlighted these workers as the often overlooked but deeply impacted party during these strikes, facing threats to their livelihood including the risk of losing their homes, cars, and affordances for utility or medical bills.

Aimed at the broader entertainment community, an open letter from Beitcher starkly underscores the “awful and devastating” financial toll the strikes have taken on the non-striking industry workforce, particularly the below-the-line crews. Beitcher illustrates the urgent need for donations at this time.

To date, MPTF has granted nearly $1 million in financial assistance to industry workers since the Writers Guild initiated their strike on May 2, later joined by SAG-AFTRA on July 14. The demand for financial support has surged in the first seven months of 2023, with requests to MPTF coming in at a rate six times faster than the same period last year. In response to this surge, the MPTF provides grants of $1,500 to eligible industry members towards covering their expenses.

About three months into the work stoppage with no end in sight, Beitcher expresses his hope for swift resolution between all parties to the strikes. The reality, however, dictates even after the ratification of collective bargaining agreements, industry employment rates will take several months to recover.

Recent exchanges between the WGA and management’s Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers offer a glimmer of hope for a new contract that could eventually put an end to the writers strike. Nonetheless, SAG-AFTRA is yet to receive an invitation back into negotiation.

Reaffirming the crucial role of the below-the-line crews in the entertainment industry, Beitcher's letter reveals that these workers account for 81% of recent requests for financial assistance and composed 92% of those who received financial aid from MPTF over the past 30 days.

Now, let’s ease off the clutch a little and navigate the winding Hollywood boulevard of opulence and dreams. The reality thrown into stark relief by this strike highlights the plain truth that not all that glitters in Tinseltown is gold: certainly not for the below-the-line crews who construct the sets and lights, position the mics, and keep the wheels of production turning round and round.

While strike headlines often favor the high-profile actors and writers, it’s the unsung heroes of the industry: the set designers that transport us to fantastical worlds, the lighting magicians that cast just the right shade of romantic moonlight: who find themselves in dire straits. As Beitcher's letter so wisely points out, it's time we acknowledge the crews behind the scenes, "the backbone of our industry," and how indispensable they are.

The strikes and their effect on these workers offer just another poignant reminder of the disparity often present in our industry. It's nothing new but is definitely a story swept under the red-carpet glitz and glamour more frequently than we’d like to admit.

It's a big ask, Hollywood, but one that seems fitting given the circumstances. Beitcher’s appeal isn't just for charity but for much-needed solidarity: an industry taking care of its own, cast and crew alike, regardless of whether their name appears on the credits of a box office hit or is featured in the small, end-roll text that most people don’t stick around to see.

The endgame here? Creating an industry that, when the spotlights dim, steps up to support all of its members: not just the ones the paparazzi are chasing. After all, if the heart and soul of every great film are in its storytelling, isn't it time that the stories of those working tirelessly behind the scenes are heard and responded to, just as effectively as the ones they help bring to life in front of us?