The Union Solidarity Coalition, WGARAGE Sale Launch Auctions to Support Entertainment Industry Members Amid Strikes
Auctions are one of the latest ways Hollywood workers are coming together to support their fellow industry members amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
The Union Solidarity Coalition and WGARAGE Sale — an effort launched by WGA writer Kit Boss to support below-the-line talent amid the Writers Guild strike — have launched separate auctions that give fans the chance to buy rare and classic memorabilia, props and more from their favorite shows.
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TUSC’s auction — which follows a similar, successful fundraising event earlier in July — will run through Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. PT, with proceeds from the TUSC Fund at the Motion Picture and Television Fund benefiting movie crew members in California facing a loss of healthcare connected to the writers and actors strikes that have brought Hollywood production to a halt.
The money from winning bids will support MPTF and its Entertainment Health Insurance Solutions, a joint program it runs with the Entertainment Community Fund that helps connect all industry workers with healthcare. As part of the support, EHIS and the MPTF will talk directly to members, getting them signed up for health plans, with TUSC paying their premiums.
Items being auctioned include an autographed poster of Spaceballs by Mel Brooks; Abbi Jacobson’s blue bodycon dress from Broad City; script evaluations from the Blacklist; a virtual writing workshop with Amber Tamblyn; hand-made crafts by Seth Rogen, Lena Dunham and Justine Bateman; a curated New York dining experience courtesy of Succession’s Nicholas Braun; an in-person meet-ups with Fleabag and Stranger Things‘ Brett Gelman; and a private hangout with Woody Harrelson at his West Hollywood dispensary The Woods or soon-to-open bar Holy Water.
WGARAGE Sale’s auction, which kicked off on Thursday, will see 100 percent of its winning bids benefit The Entertainment Community Fund. The auction — which ends on Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. — is offering movie and TV props, signed posters, memorabilia, cast and crew gifts, viewing parties, set visits, script review, voice acting lessons, animation cells and even custom strike signs, all donated by writers from fans favorite shows. That includes items from BoJack Horseman, Futurama, Seinfeld, Better Call Saul, What We Do in the Shadows, Succession, The Black Phone, Abbott Elementary, Bill & Ted, Bones and more.
The auctions come as IATSE teamed with the L.A. Food Bank and L.A. County Federation of Labor to host a three-hour food drive for workers impacted by the strike, with other food and financial efforts from Pay Up Hollywood, The Inevitable Foundation and Humanitas ongoing.
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