Natasha Lyonne, Ben Stiller and More Set Solidarity Night Fundraising Event to Benefit Crew Members Affected by Strike (Exclusive)
The Union Solidarity Coalition, a group founded by writers and filmmakers moved by solidarity on the picket lines, has set a fundraising Solidarity Night for Sat. July, 15 to raise money for crew members affected by the ongoing writers’ strike. The event will be held in downtown Los Angeles from 6-10 p.m.
All proceeds from Solidarity Night will go to the TUSC Fund of MPTF, benefitting film crew members who are at risk of losing their healthcare during the work stoppage.
A host committee including Lulu Wang, Boots Riley, Ben Stiller, Jay Roach, Daniel Kwan, Bob Odenkirk, Joe Robert Cole, Natasha Lyonne and many others will welcome attendees to a mixer to underscore TUSC’s mission of inter-union solidarity in the TV and film industry, “creating a space for writers, directors, actors and crew to interact in a casual space where entertainment takes on a different meaning than just a Hollywood system in desperate need of reworking.”
Comedian and actor Paul Scheer, a key organizer of the event, will appear alongside Andrea Savage, Zoe Lister Jones and Patton Oswalt to preside over Solidarity Night, which will also include food and drinks donated by actors and filmmakers including Bryan Cranston, Bon Jovi, Kate Hudson, Rian Johnson, Channing Tatum, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Craig Mazin. There will also be a live performance by cult band Fishbone, DJ sets, t-shirts by artist Brendan Donnelly, a raffle including Taylor Swift tickets, and the launch of an online auction full of unique items.
Tickets can be purchased here. Members of IATSE and the Teamsters Union can attend the event free of charge.
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The Union Solidarity Coalition was founded by writer/directors who were moved to connect with crew affected by the 2023 WGA strike, with that early group comprised of Susanna Fogel, Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Lena Dunham, Crystal Moselle, Tara Miele, Alex Winter, Frankie Shaw, Amy Seimetz, Josh Locy, Justine Bateman, Antonio Campos, Malik Vitthal, Paul Scheer, Zoe Lister-Jones, Andrea Savage, Tony Phelan, Julie Plec and Sarah Adina Smith. While the founding members all work in different genres and styles, they are on the same page when it comes to looking at the strike as the catalyst for creating TUSC, and they feel this is just the beginning of a larger, urgent movement of solidarity between all of the industry unions, and also co-workers who aren’t part of a union, as they face a national labor crisis.
Right now, their focus is to offer direct financial support to crew members who have lost health insurance due to strike-related shutdowns. They have established the TUSC Fund at the Motion Picture Television Fund, where social workers and insurance experts stand by to help crew who face the urgent loss of healthcare, especially those dealing with chronic health issues and mental health challenges.
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