Netflix has introduced a $100 million relief fund for workers in the creative community as, much like artist tours and concerts, television and film production have now come to a dramatic halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Netflix houses hundreds of thousands of crew and cast members, electricians, carpenters, drivers, hair and makeup artists and many more, all of which now find themselves without a job. In an admirable effort to alleviate the toll this will take on each and every individual, Netflix has created the fund to help support the hardest-hit workers on its own productions around the world.
Netflix’s chief creative officer Ted Sarandos broke the news in a company blog post on Friday (March 20). “Most of the fund will go towards support for the hardest hit workers on our own productions around the world,” he wrote in a lightly detailed message. “We’re in the process of working out exactly what this means, production by production. This is in addition to the two weeks pay we’ve already committed to the crew and cast on productions we were forced to suspend last week.”
While most of the fund will go toward Netflix’s own workers, they’ve commited to donating an extra $15 million to “third parties and non-profits providing emergency relief to out-of-work crew and cast in the countries where we have a large production base,” according to the statement.
Furthermore, the streaming giant shared that it will also be donating $1 million each to the SAG-AFTRA COVID-19 Disaster Fund, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Actors Fund Emergency Assistance, and $1 million between the AFC and Fondation des Artistes. Netflix also plans to work with existing industry organizations to create similar relief efforts in Europe, Latin America and Asia, where the company has a large production presence.
Sarandos ends his address with an important statement that can easily be applied to companies across the entire nation. He concludes saying that, “What’s happening is unprecedented. We are only as strong as the people we work with and Netflix is fortunate to be able to help those hardest hit in our industry through this challenging time.”
