Many industries have suffered in response to the spread of the coronavirus, and many Hollywood productions have been put on pause for everyone’s safety. Now Netflix is coming through to help the workers of these production crews as they experience this moment of downtime.
According to Variety, Netflix has announced that it has created a $100 million relief fund to help benefit those within the “creative community.”
Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement, “The COVID-19 crisis is devastating for many industries, including the creative community. Almost all television and film production have now ceased globally — leaving hundreds of thousands of crew and cast without jobs. These include electricians, carpenters, and drivers, many of whom are paid hourly wages and work on a project-to-project basis. This community has supported Netflix through the good times, and we want to help them through these hard times, especially while governments are still figuring out what economic support they will provide.”
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There have reportedly been about 120,000 crew members that have been out of work since the spread of the virus.
Of the money that is going towards the fund, $15 million will go to “third parties and non-profits that offer emergency relief to out-of-work crew and cast in countries where there’s a large production base.” $1 million each will also go to the SAG-AFTRA COVID-19 Disaster Fund, the Motion Picture & Television Fund, and also the Actors Fund Emergency Assistance in the U.S.
Another $1 million will be split between the AFC and Fondation des Artistes.
Netflix is also working with organizations to help provide relief efforts in Asia, Latin America, and Europe where many of their productions are shot.
As we previously reported, Netflix has become essential to some viewers during this time of social distancing, and Netflix launched their “Netflix Party” feature, which allows people to watch something together, without even being in the same room.
Roommates, what are your thoughts on Netflix’s efforts at helping during this time?
Source: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/netflix-coronavirus-relief-fund-100-million-dollars-1203540530/
