But because many productions were pushed into the first quarter, the stockpile means a slow second quarter is almost certain. Small-business owners are scrambling for others way to stay afloat. Oliver says she may go back to cooking for weddings and bar mitzvahs, which would mean a pay cut. Food styling for commercials, though more labor-intensive than for movies, is another option. But if a strike is called, this market could be flooded with 50,000 unemployed film workers trying to get jobs on commercials, she says.
Small caterers say they're supplementing film-studio clients with corporate clients.
According to Sandy Arabia, who works in the catering division of Tommy Tang, one of Los Angeles' top three catering companies, business has already come to a standstill, and his company had its first cancelations in years. But Arabia is confident it can fall back on corporate events. Normally I would be scared. But we have a good name, and our restaurants are consistently busy. Even in the last strike and the depression of the mid-Eighties, we were all right.