MPTF Launches ‘Back to Work Campaign’ to Raise Money for Crew Members Impacted by Strikes

The Motion Picture and Television Fund has launched its “Back to Work” campaign to fundraise for crew members who were financially impacted by the work stoppage as a result of the writers and actors strikes.

“While the agreement between the WGA and AMPTP and the tentative agreement between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP are certainly encouraging, our crews will continue to struggle for many months to come,” MPTF president & CEO Bob Beitcher said in a statement. “The financial and emotional pain will not be flipped off like a light switch but will require months or longer to heal.”

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MPTF has provided financial assistance to crew members when they were left without work for months and sent an open letter to the industry in August advocating for further support for below-the-line workers. Top contributors to the “Back to Work” campaign include Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, John Wells, Casey Wasserman, Peter Rice, Karen Rosenfelt, John Goldwyn, Denis Villeneuve, Kevin McCormick, Betsy Beers and Gary and Susan Martin.

“We must come together to invest in the future of our entertainment community and workforce,” Wells said in a statement. “We’ve been working with the many talented members of our long-time crew to help us get through this difficult period and wanted to extend a hand to the entire crew community.”

Offering a variety of services to support industry members emotionally and financially, MPTF is currently providing financial assistance at $500,000 per week to crew members affected by the lack of work.

“’Back To Work’ came out of a recent MPTF board meeting, with many of our board members and long-time donors reflecting on the long tail this kind of work stoppage will have for our crews,” Beitcher furthered. “This organization was built by Hollywood to take care of our own in times of need. And the need is great now and will be for some time to come.”

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