As the Hollywood labor strikes continue, the Union Solidarity Coalition Charity has launched a new auction campaign to help raise money to cover healthcare for crew members. And some of the items up for auction are pretty great, like a watercolor portrait of your dog by veteran and esteemed actor John Lithgow.
The current highest bid for that is $1,150 and expected to rise much higher before this event wraps up on September 22. Many actors, writers, directors, and producers are taking part. You can bid on a dinner with Bob Odenkirk and David Cross or to have Natasha Lyonne help you solve the New York Times Sunday crossword.
The Cast of Bob’s Burgers will sing a song written just for you or you could take a pottery class with Busy Phillipps. People can also bid on a fedora owned and signed by Tom Waits or have Adam Scott walk your dog for an hour.
Check out the full auction page to see all the items up for bid.
Hollywood writers in the WGA union have been on strike since May, with actors in the SAG-AFTRA union joining in July. There is no end in sight for the strikes, and video game actors could go on strike next. This is the first time since 1960–when Ronald Reagan was the president of SAG-AFTRA–that Hollywood actors and writers have been on strike together.
Actors and writers are seeking, among other tings, better pay, viewership-based residuals, and protections against the impact of artificial intelligence on film and TV production.
Speaking today, September 13, Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann said the strikes are “terrible” for everyone out of work and for Netflix’s bottom line. “I mean, at the end of the day, to move the business forward and to have great storytelling and fresh stories for our members, it really is about the partnership with those writers, with those producers, with those directors, with those actors,” Neumann said, as reported by Deadline.
It is unknown when the unions and Hollywood studios might return to the bargaining table to get a deal done.
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