Cinematographers Guild Publicists to Skip Awards Show, Support COVID Hardship Fund

Labor News, Industry News

Reprinted from The Hollywood Reporter by Etan Vlessing on February 17, 2021.

Publicists with the International Cinematographers Guild have canceled their annual awards luncheon to instead support their Local 600 Hardship Fund amid the pandemic.

The ICG Publicists Awards traditionally recognizes the best film and TV campaigns of the year and includes high-profile cameos by Hollywood A-list stars. But this year ICG publicists have chosen to assist fellow industry publicists and guild members who have suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic and need support.

“As our members continue to struggle with health and economic uncertainty, it was an overwhelming choice to make the ICG Hardship Fund our 2021 community goal in lieu of this year’s awards and help assuage the painful realities of our friends and colleagues who have lost their jobs,” ICG Publicist Awards chair Tim Menke and co-chair Sheryl Main said in a statement.

The Hardship Fund provides grants of up to $1,000 to Local 600 members in need, based on lost work during the industry’s coronavirus pandemic shutdown, financial difficulty and good standing. …

THR 2/17

About Jeffrey Burman 861 Articles
Jeff Burman served on the Guild’s Board of Directors from 1992 to 2019. He is now retired. He can be reached at jeffrey.s.burman.57@gmail.com.