MPTF Set For Location Managers Guild’s Humanitarian Award

Long known for its giving and service to the entertainment industry, the Motion Picture and Television Fund is on the receiving end this time. The 103-year-old MPTF will be honored with the Humanitarian Award at the Location Managers Guild International’s LMGI Awards this month.

The LMGI Humanitarian Award recognizes MPTF’s commitment to their exceptional work at the forefront of providing a wide range of health and social services to the entertainment community including healthcare, financial assistance, social services support, childcare and residential living for the elderly, among many others. The Bob Beitcher-led group will receive the honor during the ceremony August 24 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

“The Motion Picture & Television Fund has been a lifeline for countless industry professionals, offering crucial support and care since 1921, LMGI President John Rakich said in a statement. “We are proud to present them with the 2024 LMGI Humanitarian Award, celebrating their steadfast dedication to the health and well-being of our film and television communities.”

During the Covid pandemic and last year’s industry-squeezing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, MPTF was a guiding force in helping countless families navigate through challenges and providing support, enabling them to continue their work. MPTF’s on-campus food drive a year ago served more than 1,000 households. Since the strikes ended, the continuing job shortages have kept demand for the MPTF’s services at an all-time high for everything from rent, mortgage, and car payments to issues with stress and physical wellness.

“At MPTF, we take our mission of ‘taking care of our own’ seriously when it comes to our entertainment community’s members in need, said Beitcher, the group’s president and CEO. “We must always be ready to be a safety net for hundreds, even thousands, of workers and their families when a crisis strikes, whether it’s an individual one like an illness or financial struggle or an industry-wide one like job shortages, strikes, and the pandemic. It’s an honor to be recognized for the work our compassionate team does every single day.”