Netflix in a move to show solidarity with actors and crew people who are workless after the entertainment industry’s Covid-19 fallout has announced a $100 million package.
Covid-19 has devastated many industries including the creative industry. Most projects across the globe have been shutdown conforming to their respective countries’ lockdown rules. Many of the crew members are hired as one-off project basis and paid hourly wages. Such staff has gone without work.
Netflix has announced this initiative through an official statement. The company believes the community has supported the company and in these hard times, Netflix wants to support the hardest hit workers. Netflix is also reported to have already committed two weeks’ pay to cast and crew of productions that have been suspended over the past two weeks. The company has allocated $15 million of the total fund for third parties and emergency relief providers to out of work crew and cast in countries where Netflix has a large production base.
Non-profits like SAG-AFTRA Foundation Covid-19 Disaster Fund, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Actors Fund Emergency Assistance in the US will receive a total of $1 million each from the Netflix fund and , and the AFC and Fondation des Artistes in Canada will collectively get $1 million.
In other countries where Netflix has a large production base, it is in talks with local entertainment industry organizations to form a community relief system.
