Quinta Brunson and Abbott Elementary Cast Launch Strike Fund for Series' Crew
Abbott Elementary's producers are making sure their crew is taken care of during the strikes.
SAG-AFTRA officially went on strike alongside the WGA in July, which has caused most productions in Hollywood to be put on hold. Many shows and films have been affected by the strikes as writers and actors advocate for better residuals, protection from AI, and more. One such series is the Emmy-winning sitcom, Abbott Elementary. Back in May, it was revealed that the third season could have fewer episodes due to the strike. Quinta Brunson, the show's creator and star, has been extremely supportive of the strikes and is one of the many famous faces who has been seen on the picket lines. This week, Variety revealed Brunson and the Abbott Elementary producers will be launching a strike fund.
According to the report, Brunson and executive producers Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Randall Einhorn along with producer Scott Sites have started a strike fund to help support Abbott Elementary's crew. You might also recognize Halpern and Schumacker as the executive producers of the animated Harley Quinn series.
The producers along with certain members of the Abbott Elementary cast created the strike fund to supplement the Entertainment Community Fund, which "has been working to provide financial assistance for industry workers amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes." Variety explains that Brunson and the producers have individually donated to the ECF, but they wanted an additional way to help their own 152-person crew, so "they pooled their resources as an additional safeguard."
"Actors started sharing their residuals and now people can see just how bad it really is," Brunson told the Associated Press in July while picketing in front of Warner Bros. where the comedy series is filmed. "The unions striking at the same time, it's making the world more aware; it's putting more pressure on studios and networks ... It's a good thing."
Abbott Elementary writer Brittani Nichols spoke with Democracy Now! back in May about how the strike could affect the series.
"We are going to continue to withhold our labor, and that means everything from not taking meetings to not putting anything in that pipeline to not showing up for work. And that means that shows might get delayed. Abbott Elementary was supposed to go back to the room this week," Nichols explained. "We are a show that writes while we air. And so, if this strike goes on for a significant period of time, our show will not come out on time. And that could change the amount of episodes, which people, I'm sure, will be very upset about. It could change the air date. It could change a lot of different things, because there just will not be things going into that pipeline, there will not be us participating in anything that will bring profit to this industry, and that is going to cause a disruption. That's what we're counting on."
Stay tuned for more updates about the SAG and WGA strikes.