NOVEMBER | OPINION
Different boats , same storm
Andy Lenthall , general manager of the Production Services Association , says that with the entire events industry battling to survive Hurricane Covid the PSA has launched the Covid-19 Crew Relief Fund to help keep self-employed event professionals afloat .
National protests , international days of action ; what do you expect from a sector that creates events ? If people want to shout , we raise the volume ; if people need to shed light on an issue , we ’ re there to illuminate ; if the message needs scale , we ’ ll grow that image . I ’ m not the first to say it but we ’ ve done it on countless occasions for those in need , so who ’ s going to blame us for doing it for ourselves ? Hands up , make some noise ! Or , alternatively , create a simple , silent moment outside Parliament to enhance the calls for support .
Writing after Rishi Sunak ’ s pay as you grow scheme launch , you ’ d be forgiven for thinking that he ’ d missed the calls from the Treasury and DCMS select committees for something to plug the gaps in self-employed support . Likewise for sector-specific help for the affected part of the creative industry .
A wise man said in a meeting recently : we ’ re not all in the same boat , we ’ re all in the same storm and some are in bigger , better boats than us . It leaves us asking how bad it has to be before we get some kind of floatation device to help us through Hurricane Covid .
There are positives , though . As alert levels rose , the creative sector remained at stage four on its road map , with outdoor events allowed if they ’ re risk assessed and some socially distanced indoor activity allowed .
For every silver lining though , there ’ s a storm cloud . We ’ ve seen last minute cancellations by local public health officials on spurious grounds , and blanket event bans on all local authority sites are becoming a little too common . Words have been had , and we await a more ‘ enabling ’ approach to well organised , safe events .
In the meantime , there are individuals who have been feeling the pinch for a good while now . Our research shows that 20 % of self-employed techs and crew have received no government support , including Universal Credit , while 50 % have relied on government support as their main source of income . With that support now slashed and nothing to help those that fell into the chasms in support , darker days are coming in more than one sense .
Because of this Stagehand , the charity founded 21 years ago by PSA members , has launched its Covid-19 Crew Relief Fund to help those most in need . Its simple aim is to keep roofs over heads and food on tables . Fundraising has started and reached six figures , but to be fully effective , seven-figure sums are needed . With the support of the wider events sector , some artist and management support ( good conversations are being had ) and perhaps some help from fans , anything is possible .
One element of the fundraising campaign is our Virtual Tip Jar . A simple text lets you leave a tip for the crew at the last / best event you attended .
Andy Lenthall , general manager of the Production Services Association
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