Event Safety Insights Issue One | Fall 2016 | Page 46
Bringing
Help and Hope in
Times of Need
Editors note: Is your non-profit focused on creating a safer live event
industry? Let us know at [email protected]
Behind the Scene is the industry char-
ity that provides financial assistance to entertainment technology professionals who are
seriously ill or injured. Along with the financial
relief, BTS brings a sense of hope for the future
that can be almost as powerful.
Lee, a BTS grant recipient wrote, “I am the
sound man - that guy whose name you may
not remember. I was blessed for over 30 years
to mix the sound for music in countless cities
and countless countries. I’ve had the privilege
to share that music with the best musicians in
the world. The crews I have worked with are
my family.
“Then, all of a sudden I got sick. I was dying.
My liver failed because of an auto immune disease. It hit hard and moved fast - WOW! Just
imagine the thought of being penniless and
homeless and hopeless and unable to help
yourself. Your medical condition is completely
out of your control and it is all happening within days. You can understand the emotions I felt.
Thankfully a live donor, who volunteered half
of his liver, and the doctors and nurses at USCUH were able to save me.
“I couldn’t believe that when I needed help
Behind the Scenes was there and didn’t turn
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their back on me. I am the crew guy, not the
superstar. Without Behind the Scenes I would
not have made it - that’s a fact.
I can never thank them enough for their help,
and I can never thank them enough for the
compassion they showed me in my true time
of need. What an honor it is to be part of this
community. It is a feeling that I can’t describe.
For everybody who contributes to Behind the
Scenes, thank you. You helped save my life.”
Our industry is not an easy or safe place to make
a living, but in many ways that is why we love
it. So many of us survive from gig to gig counting on good health and our ability to continue working until we’re ready to stop at a time
of our own choosing. Nobody is prepared to
hear the doctor say “you need to have surgery
and your recovery will take four months” or for
the accident that happens late at night when
everyone is tired or while riding your bike on
your rare day off and a car comes out of nowhere.
Behind the Scenes was created so our industry could care for its own when tragedy strikes.
Grants are tailored to each individual’s needs
and can be used for basic living expenses such
as rent/mortgage, utilities and transportation;