Voltage Pictures, Jamie Carmichael, AGBO among LA-based Covid-19 relief efforts

Voltage Pictures, Jamie Carmichael and John Shepherd, and AGBO are among the latest Los Angeles-based fundraisers to join the multitude of relief efforts for Covid-19 underway in the US.

Voltage and Looks That Kill producer Austin Sepulveda have launched Operation Protect The Heroes to start production of 3D-printed face shields for local hospitals and essential workers.

Susan Downey and Robert Downey Jr.’s Random Act Funding is serving as the operation’s anchor funder, Kent Seton of the Edward Charles Foundation is on board as fiscal sponsor, and Vertical Entertainment as principal donor.

 

At time of writing Operation Protect the Heroes, in partnership with Asya Nur Celik and Burak Celik’s 3D Collaborative and the Southern California Institute of Architecture, has assembled 75 at-home 3D printers and made 4,500 face shields. The shields are based on a design by 3D Printing Design Group Budmen, which has been certified by the National Institute of Health and is the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s approved design. 

The initiative is working with R&D Design and Associates in New York to help scale up production to more than 2,000 shields a week and is working with Los Angeles-based production facility Fat Eye Studios to centralise operations. The initiative is seeking further donations to help underserved local hospitals including the USC Keck School line of hospitals, and other essential workers.

 

“I saw the great work that American High was doing with 3D printed face shields in upstate New York and knew that with their help this was something that we could mimic in Los Angeles,” said Sepulveda. “What I was not prepared for was the overwhelming outpouring of support that would follow. We have a dedicated volunteer core led by Russ Taylor and Paul Barney and have turned Brian Bohner’s Fat Eye Studios into an assembly hub for the face shields. The partnership with Voltage Pictures has been incredible from day one and I am excited to continue to supply PPE [protective personal equipment] to those in need.”

 

“I read about Jeremy Garelick and American High doing masks in NY so Jonathan [Deckter, Voltage president and COO] and I teamed with Austin to do this in LA,” said Voltage Pictures CEO Nicolas Chartier. “Cedars Sinai offices are in our building and we see nurses and doctors hard at work every day. We really appreciate the support we’ve received so far and encourage as many people as much as they can to help us scale the production even further. Also, hospitals need blood, please consider donating your blood, it’s free!”