Catherwood LibraryILR School

As the exodus of movie, television show and commercial production from Hollywood continues, the effects are being felt beyond the ranks of blue-collar workers and less-than-famous career actors whose struggles with ever diminishing employment have been highlighted by the efforts of the Screen Actors Guild to deal with this problem. Increasingly, set designers, directors, costume designers, other highly experienced production workers and better known actors that cannot be easily replaced are finding that they are forced to follow productions to overseas locations for months on end---leaving behind families dealing with the stress of absentee spouses and parents. The result, according to at least one therapist in the area, is a rising tide of alcoholism, drug abuse, broken marriages and troubled children, among the families of Hollywood workers who have been spared the troubles of unemployment only to face troubles resulting from the strains of remaining employed.