2020-03-26 The Hollywood Reporter

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 26 MARCH 26, 2020

Behind the Headlines

The Report

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In October, John and his

co-host Craig Mazin started

talking about the problem

of low assistant pay on the

Scriptnotes podcast. Listeners sent in

stories of unpaid overtime, blithe bosses

and having to cover writers’ lunch bills.

These issues weren’t new. But as they

heard more of these stories — and

researched the hard numbers — it

became clear that the ladder was broken.

Assistant wages had remained stagnant

while Los Angeles had become vastly

more expensive. Assistant pay had gone

from unfortunate to unsustainable.

Meanwhile, TV writers Liz and her

co-founder Deirdre Mangan had created

the hashtag #PayUpHollywood to build

awareness surrounding the struggles of

Hollywood support staff. Together, the

organizations surveyed assistants to

find out how much they were really mak-

ing versus what they needed, and asked

them to submit expense reports that

tracked their income versus expenses.

Assistant treatment in Hollywood

improved. The spotlight

helped spur talent agencies,

including Verve and CAA, to

raise support staff rates and

implement new programs to

help assistants.

In January, we identified a

stunning but unsurprising

trend from the assistant-

submitted expense reports;

none of the submitters could

cover the cost of living in Los Angeles on

their take-home pay alone. Only a hand-

ful made enough to pay their bills, much

less put extra into savings.

And then a global pandemic hit.

Assistants and support staff went from

underpaid to unemployed as produc-

tions shut down and offices closed.

Unemployment benefits, if you quali-

fied, were not sustainable long-term.

We heard from people facing the choice

of paying for rent or food, paying

student loans or utility bills. But there

were small rays of hope. Showrunners

like Carina Adly Mackenzie (Roswell,

New Mexico) were giving extra finan-

cial assistance to their support staff

out of pocket. But many assistants

desperately needed relief and found

there was nothing for them.

We created the Hollywood Support

Staff COVID-19 Relief Fund with the

goal of raising $100,000 to offer support

staffers who qualified a modest stipend:

a one-time payment of $450 for those

eligible for unemployment or $900 for

those who weren’t. We knew we couldn’t

solve everyone’s financial anxieties, but

we could ease the burden of an over-

looked community. In response, the

entertainment community, from CEOs

and creators to PAs, raised more than

$500,000 (from GoFundMe and outside

sources) in three days. We now had the

funds to help more than twice as many

people as projected and were able to

increase the stipends for all qualified

applicants by 15 percent to 33 percent. It

is exhilarating. It is not enough.

If we as an industry don’t do more to

protect our support staff during this

crisis, we risk losing a generation of tal-

ent. The burgeoning gains we have made

in diversity and inclusion will disappear

as hopefuls from historically underprivi-

leged backgrounds are unable to afford

living on their low assistant salaries after

this long furlough. You will see more

crowdfunding initiatives in the com-

ing days. Support them if you can. But

we should never rely on crowdfunding

to provide long-term financial support

throughout an industrywide shutdown.

The best way to protect support staff and

the rest of our industry is by encouraging

‘Now We Need to Step Up for Our Own People’

While crowdfunding efforts may help, the best way to protect industry support staff is by encouraging employers

to keep them on the payroll wherever possible BY LIZ ALPER AND JOHN AUGUST

their employers to pay them. Companies

must find ways to keep staff on the

payroll wherever possible. Productions in

limbo need to make decisions that pro-

tect their workers over their bottom line.

The same skills that make Hollywood

run on time can help organize the

battle against COVID-19, so if someone’s

normal work can’t be done at home, pay

them for their work for charitable causes,

including organizing the response to this

national emergency. State and federal

action also is essential. California Rep.

Adam Schiff is urging Congress to include

protections for those who have lost work

due to coronavirus-related cancellations

and postponements in the entertain-

ment industry in the next relief bill.

When he calls for action, be ready.

We have proved ourselves to be an

industry that cares, that will not leave

behind the most vulnerable in a time

of need. We hold telethons to help the

victims of natural disasters. We hold

leaders to account for their promises.

Now we need to step up for our own

people. Companies must take respon-

sibility for the well-being of thousands

of entertainment workers waiting for

relief, both by paying them when pos-

sible and making sure state and federal

relief covers their work.

Liz Alper is a TV writer and co-founder of

grassroots organization #PayUpHollywood,

and John August is a screenwriter

and co-host of the Scriptnotes podcast.

Guest

Column

August

Alper

The Hollywood

& Highland mall

stairs on March 20,

a day after Los

Angeles County

announced a stay-

at-home order.

$353,537

Raised from

1,200 donors by

March 24 in a

GoFundMe relief

drive organized by

#PayUpHollywood

for L.A.-based

support staffers.

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