Netflix has created a $100 million fund to help with hardship in the creative community amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Most of the funds will go toward support for the hardest-hit workers on Netflix’s own productions around the world. “We’re in the process of working out exactly what this means, production by production,” said Ted Sarandos, a chief content officer at Netflix, in the company blog. “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.”
Netflix also plans to support the broader film and television industry, with $15 million of the fund to go to third parties and non-profits providing emergency relief to out-of-work crew and cast in the countries where it has a large production base.
Sarandos added: “We will 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 in the U.S., and $1 million between the AFC and Fondation des Artistes. In other regions, including Europe, Latin America and Asia, where we have a big production presence, we are working with existing industry organizations to create similar creative community emergency relief efforts. We will announce the details of donations to groups in other countries next week.”
He added, “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.”
