More Than a Safety Net

When her homeowners association hit her with a fresh property assessment and a $17,000 bill, WGAW member Jonterri Gadson had to scramble. She had heard of the Entertainment Community Fund (ECF) and reached out for financial assistance in the form of an emergency grant.

What Gadson discovered, beyond the immediate financial lifeline, was that the ECF offers far more than emergency support. Initially, she only knew about the organization’s financial aid programs, but she soon learned about a range of classes and support groups covering topics from money management to personal wellness. She took a class on financial literacy—and was immediately hooked.

From left: Financial Resources and Wellness panel moderator Jonterri Gadson, and ECF panelists Tina Hookom, Nicole Fox, Ross Berg, and Richard Frankfather.

“The instructors were understanding of the artists there,” Gadson said. “We were all kind of feeling the same way. I felt so understood.”

It’s that understanding of creatives in the entertainment industry that gives the ECF its credibility. Formerly called the Actors Fund, the organization changed its name in 2022 to better reflect the broader community it serves.

On Tuesday, August 19, with more than 100 members in attendance, the WGAW hosted a Financial Resources and Wellness panel discussion for members featuring ECF representatives who highlighted the organization’s full range of offerings.

Tina Hookom, Director of Social Services at the ECF, summarized it best:

“We do a lot of things. Some of it may or may not resonate with what you may need right now in your career, but we’re pretty confident it might resonate with one of your colleagues,” Hookom said.

Representatives from the ECF’s Social Services, Creative Workforce Management, and Benefits departments presented resources available to WGAW members. These included counseling, career enrichment, health insurance navigation, and financial management.

The ECF’s financial wellness programs include workshops and webinars such as “Managing Cash Flow,” “Managing Debt and Credit,” “Tax Prep for Creative Professionals,” and more. What contributes to the ECF’s effectiveness is its understanding of the unique way writers and other creatives make—and, sometimes, don’t make—a living.

Social services workshop topics include anxiety, personal wellness, and navigating career changes. One existential dilemma many writers encounter in their careers is that they’re now living their dream as Hollywood writers, but do not know what to do when the work isn’t there.

There’s even a workshop exploring whether to continue in the industry titled “Are You on the Fence With Life in the Industry?”

“It may all feel uncomfortable and a little new,” Hookom said. “Sometimes our lives make us stretch in ways that we just don’t want to stretch. We’re there to talk about that and support you through those uncomfortable stretching moments.”

The ECF also partners with the Motion Picture & Television Fund to help navigate the labyrinth of health insurance.

All workshops are free, confidential, and available through the ECF’s online portal—anyone can sign up.

Neil Garguilo attended the panel hoping to learn more about bridging lean periods between jobs.

“You’re waiting months for deals to close or to sell something on spec, you’re shopping for a long time,” Garguilo said. “Having resources to help plug that gap between employment periods is so essential to sustainability long-term.”

Garguilo, a five-year WGAW member, noted that while work has been steady, he wants to be prepared for when it isn’t.

“I know that I’ve been incredibly fortunate,” he said.

Mithra Alavi, a writer who hit a dry spell in 2024 and lost her health insurance coverage, reached out to the ECF without knowing “what my options were going to be.” Through the ECF, she was able to secure health insurance and also attended the panel discussion to learn more about the organization’s services.

During the panel, Hookom spoke of the entertainment industry’s current contraction and the challenges that come with uncertainty.

“We are navigating really uncharted territory, and it can be really hard to reach out for help or to realize that this may be a moment that you need to engage in asking for help,” she said. “If you are in that moment, we really want you to know we’re here, and we really want to hear from you and figure out how we can help.”

Gadson, who has taken advantage of much of what the ECF has to offer, also moderated the panel for members. 

“I just hope that they realize that there’s this resource,” Gadson said. “I know a lot of us are paralyzed with fear, so I hope this helps people understand that there’s help.”