The Hollywood Commission, an organization that works collaboratively with 26 companies, unions and guilds, academies, and talent agencies to end harassment, discrimination, bullying and abuse in the entertainment industry– and WIF, an organization working towards gender equity in the screen industries, jointly announced today that the WIF Help Line will become the Entertainment Industry Helpline, and its operations will be transferred to the Hollywood Commission.
In this new chapter for the Helpline, the Commission's comprehensive resources for entertainment workers will support the sustainability of this critical resource.
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This comes on the heels of the Hollywood Commission's launch of MyConnext, an easy-to-use, secure, independent, and anonymous online resource and reporting tool for entertainment industry workers to confront workplace misconduct. One of the features of MyConnext is the Ombuds, a human voice that can help guide workers from participating organizations through the site and give general information about how reporting works. Alongside this service, the helpline—open to every entertainment industry worker—will play an equally vital role.
"The Entertainment Industry Help Line is a critical part of our ecosystem, filling a gap for some of the industry's most vulnerable workers," said Malia Arrington, executive director of the Hollywood Commission. "It is a vitally important independent voice, providing guidance to all industry workers on a range of questions, from understanding options to finding the right support. As part of making the Helpline available to all workers, it will also be an important component of Respect on Set. In addition, alongside the features of the MyConnext platform, this asset will become a critical source for workers across the industry. We are proud to continue our work alongside our friends at WIF toward an entertainment industry that is a safer, more equitable place for all."
"When we started the Help Line in 2017, it was clear that the industry needed this resource and no one else was doing it," said WIF Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Schaffer. "After nearly seven years and an expanded mandate, the time is right to pass the baton. The Hollywood Commission – with its broad base of support from the industry's biggest companies – is the right home for a helpline that is open to all workers who experience bullying, harassment, discrimination, or abuse."
With the Entertainment Industry Helpline under its operational umbrella, the Hollywood Commission will include it in Respect on Set, its suite of services that will offer producers a code of conduct, education resources, and a third-party reporting structure – measures of worker protection that are often unavailable on independent productions.
WIF will continue to support the Entertainment Industry Helpline and its ongoing services, including legal and counseling resources for anyone who has experienced harassment, abuse, or discrimination while working in the entertainment industry. This new collaboration between WIF and the Hollywood Commission marks an alliance in advancing a standard culture of safety in Hollywood. Services provided by the Entertainment Industry Helpline will remain the same, and anyone interested in setting an appointment or calling can find information at Hollywood Commission.
The Help Line was originally created by WIF in December 2017 in response to the lack of resources for people who experience harassment or abuse on set or in other entertainment workplaces. In 2022, it expanded to offer support and resources to those who have experienced any kind of discrimination, harassment, or abuse while working in the entertainment industry. In July of 2023, WIF began offering resources and support for strike-affected workers through the Help Line.
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