High-stakes Fundraiser for Motion Picture Industry
The Motion Picture & Television Fund is among the few resources available in Southern California for those in crisis due to the Hollywood strike.
Offering assistance and care for entertainment industry professionals, including financial help, the nonprofit organization is hosting a summer party on Sunday to raise funds. The event will be held at NeueHouse in Hollywood, with tickets starting at $175 at mptf.com/nextgen.
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“It’s sad that it comes to this, but it’s inevitable at the same time,” actor Camilla Belle, a longtime MPTF volunteer, said of the strike. “The ripple effect that this has on the community at large is really heartbreaking. I think all of us really hope that some sort of agreement can happen sooner than later.”
She’s hosting the fundraiser as a board member of MPTF NextGen — a diverse group of industry professionals working to empower the next generation of Hollywood — alongside Darren Criss, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Matt Bomer, Yvette Nicole Brown, Lana Condor, Max Greenfield, Olivia Holt and Glen Powell.
“The funding directly goes toward helping those in need right now,” she went on. “It couldn’t be more of a dire need….And I think it’s an opportunity for everyone to come together to support.”
Belle, who began working with MPTF as a kid, hopes to bring awareness to the charitable organization and its services. “People don’t realize MPTF is actually a source to help financially.”
Founded in 1921 by Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, the organization was initially known as the Motion Picture Relief Fund, explained MPTF chief development officer Courteney Bailey.
“The film industry at that time was transitioning from silent films to talkies,” she said. “And what we’re seeing now is how it’s changing with streaming and mergers. But at that point, [sound film] was a huge change. And they were starting to realize that not everyone was transitioning over, the salaries were not equitable.”
MPTF has grown to offer residential living and care (behavioral health, skilled nursing, memory and dementia services) — for those 70 and older with 20 years in the entertainment industry — at a 22-acre campus in Woodland Hills. They have about 250 residents at any one point, said Bailey. They also operate child care and a school, the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation Children’s Center, for entertainment industry families.
Several high-profile stars, including Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, have also donated funds to help through the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. But MPTF services are for all in the field, not just writers and actors, and they’re busier than ever helping those impacted by the strike as Hollywood experiences a new wave of impactful changes. Due to the strike, many are struggling with basic needs, paying rent, as well as dealing with mental health struggles.
“It’s not just about giving a check,” Bailey said. “It’s about checking in with the person.…We support the SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild, but there are so many other people out of work who are not choosing to strike. They’re just out of work. So, we’re helping them. We will triple our call volume this year.”
They typically get 15 to 20 calls a day. Now, some days they have 200 to 300, she added. In the past, callers have been 65 and older. Now, the majority are under that age.
“We are tasked to raise $26 million a year,” she added. “The point of raising that much money is to operate this incredible campus but also to take care of those who need us.”
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