The work-stoppages by Hollywood writers and actors have not only halted productions — thousands of jobs supporting the entertainment industry have also been upended.
HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Josh Hornstein has been out of work since he was laid off at Quixote Studios as a rental agent this past July.
“Everyone is just trying to survive in this inferno,” said Hornstein.
As a rental agent, Hornstein would work with studio departments or productions to ensure they received the gear they needed but things began slow down when negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers failed to reach a new contract in May.
“It was a bit of a slow burn. But then, when the Writers Guild went on strike, everything just went kaput,” said Hornstien. “Everything was on fire. Jobs weren’t coming in. It got to the point where the company had 49 layoffs.”
Then in July the Screen Actor Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artist, the union representing actors went on strike.
The dual strikes have not only halted productions, it’s also upended thousands of jobs supporting the entertainment industry.
The economic impact on California is staggering according to Todd Holmes, an associate professor of Entertainment Media Management at Cal State Northridge.
“I am estimating a little over $3 billion as of right now and that number really includes not only directly the entertainment industry and those people that work in them but also a lot of related businesses,” said Holmes.
The impact includes businesses from caterers to florists to prop houses to rental studios and many more.
Holmes believes if the strike lasts any longer the economic cost will continue to grow and it will take the entertainment industry, still reeling from COVID shutdowns, longer to recover.
“Three to six months as of right now in terms of recovery time but obviously the longer this goes on the more that extends out to and it might extend out to closer to a year if this goes on potentially another month or so,” he said.
For now, Hornstein and others like him are doing what they can to survive.
“People like me and my roommate are looking for jobs and looking for anything that can come through,” said Hornstein.