Prop maker Greg S. Gilday poses at a flea market he organized for film and TV crew members in Burbank, California, U.S., August 27, 2023.
BURBANK, California--"Set decorator for 20 years. Single mom of 15-year-old twins," said the sign above a table of cupcakes, cookies and other baked goods for sale. "Struggling to pay bills, especially my mortgage."
A prop master nearby was selling handmade quilts, normally a side gig, to help make ends meet. "I now work two part-time jobs just to barely pay rent and utilities," her sign read. The signs dotting a parking lot flea market described the hardships of crew members who have been out of work for months, collateral damage from twin strikes that shut down most scripted production across Los Angeles. Hollywood writers walked off the job in May, followed by actors in July. IATSE, the union that represents lighting technicians, costume designers and others who work on film and TV crews, estimates that even though its members are not on strike, they have lost close to $2 billion in wages after productions shut down. Members have pulled $44 million from their retirement plans to cover current expenses, the union says.
"Members are really starting to feel the pressure," said Dejon Ellis, business manager with IATSE Local 80. The motion picture and sound recording industries shed 17,000 jobs in August because of the strikes, according to U.S. government statistics. Through mid-September, lost output from the strikes was estimated at around $5 billion across California and other production-heavy states such as Georgia and New Mexico, said Kevin Klowden chief global strategist at the Milken Institute, a think tank that studies the economy. Writers and actors can apply for assistance from their unions, and some crew members are eligible for state unemployment benefits. But that is not enough to cover basic costs of living, many entertainment industry workers said. Daniel Fox, owner of North Pole Props, was liquidating his entire inventory at the crew-member flea market. His business had barely survived COVID, he said, and it was costing too much to store items that were no longer in demand. "We definitely waited as long as we could," Fox said as shoppers browsed his collection of furniture, glassware and other props. "We just can't hold on any longer." Laura Seaman, the quilt maker, said she took a part-time job at the fabric store where she buys supplies. She also landed a role playing a monster at the Knott's Berry Farm theme park during Halloween festivities. "I make enough pretty much for rent, and that's it," she said. Around 65 people impacted by the strikes were selling memorabilia, baked goods, props or household items pulled from their own closets, according to flea market organizer Greg S. Gilday.
Gilday, a prop maker, said he had about $2,000 in debt when writers walked off the job in May. By late August, that had jumped to more than $25,000. He sold a motorcycle and was trying to earn more cash from his collection of Star Wars toys, vintage magazines and other items. Film and television workers also have been competing for jobs as cashiers, waiters or babysitters. Tiffany Puterbaugh, a costume designer and stand-up comic, said the large number of people affected by the strikes left few opportunities. "There's no bartending jobs because every single person that is affected is like 'oh, I'll take any job that's available,'" Puterbaugh said. "There's nothing." Puterbaugh said she has been selling furniture and vintage clothing collected from her work. "I've been a literally starving artist for many years, so I get what it's like to be like scrappy and do side hustles," she said. "But this is really something I've never really experienced."
