When COVID hit in 2020 and Hollywood screeched to a hard stop, small businesses that service the film and TV industry didn’t know what to do or how long it would last, but they had places to turn. Local governments offered PPP funds to those struggling, businesses could maintain a modest baseline income, and as Hollywood collectively worked to develop COVID protocols, some businesses even brought on extra staff to accommodate the demand and new cleaning measures.
Three years later, as those same businesses clung to what’s left of their PPP funds, the extended work stoppage from the writers and actors strike has taken a similar toll. Some business owners would argue it’s not the same; it’s worse.
