We recently connected with Hillary Cohen and have shared our conversation below.
Hillary, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
Every Day Action (EDA) was created and founded by myself and Samantha Luu, two Directors Guild of America Assistant Directors hoping to change the way Hollywood sees food waste. We both have spent over a decade of working on film and TV sets, continually asking why the leftover gourmet food from catering was being put into a dumpster instead of being donated. We were always met with the same standard excuse, “It’s too complicated and we might get sued. It’s much simpler if we just throw it out.”
In the middle of the COVID pandemic, I approached Sam with an idea. While the film industry became more and more green – proud of the plastics and paper it might save- I started asking, “What about the people?!” We decided to take action and during the pandemic shutdown filed the paperwork to become an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In the autumn of 2020, Every Day Action was born.
While distributing food to an individual in need is actually very much LEGAL (thanks to The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act), we knew it was important for EDA to go above and beyond for the protection and peace of mind of all parties. That’s why we created a contract for each studio or production to sign; providing an extra layer of liability insurance and fully releasing the production of any legal ownership or responsibility of the excess food.
In addition to EDA’s food reallocation program, we also wanted to help those already working in the entertainment business with daily employment options. Production Assistants and Background Artists are part of the blueprint of a set – a crucial role in every production; yet most can barely afford to live in the town in which they work. In an effort to address wage disparity in the entertainment business, we created Every Day Action’s Film Industry Driver Program. EDA proudly employs these artists and provides “our own” with vital supplemental income opportunities between gigs.
Those who are unhoused- they are people with a story. They could be your uncle, a friend, a co-worker- everyone struggles at some point and everyone deserves the same help, love, respect, and access to basic human resources. The United States has access to so much- there is absolutely no reason that anyone should be struggling to feed themselves. We’ve built a broken system and Every Day Action is working to help those who have been lost in it.
We want to inspire people on a daily basis to help others- to ask themselves “what can I do for someone else today.” To push themselves to put down their phones, stop yelling at each other behind a social media message board, and do. I imagine a world of Every Day ACTION.
Many people feel that helping someone is “too complicated” or are worried about what might happen to them if they step outside of their comfort zone to assist another; circling back to that same response from a film set- “what if we get sued.” If you have the means to help someone who is struggling in front of you, how can you ignore them? See them. Ask them what you can do to help. Even if it’s just to listen to their story and offer them a moment of human connection.
At the end of the day, Los Angeles is a city with an insane amount of resources. I want to make sure that we are reallocating what we already have properly so we can reduce waste and help the hunger crisis at the same time. Food is a basic human right and I want to work for there to be Every Day Action in every large city. We need to stop throwing out what we can continue to use and help those in need with what we already have.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I wanted to work in the entertainment business since I was 5, with no family connections of any kind, I worked towards that goal everyday. By the time I graduated high school I had performed in over 30 musicals/plays and had even directed my own short student play.
In college I double majored in film and theater and spent my summers working towards the same goal. 4 internships and a year and a half working at a modeling agency later, I was accepted in the DGA training program where I completed 400 days on multiple shows including Mad Men, The Mentalist, Private Practice, Men of a Certain Age, and The Office.
Most of my AD career to date has been spent working on the TV show NCIS: Los Angeles. I began as the Add’l 2nd in 2012, was the Key 2nd AD for 8 years, and then a COVID producer for 3 more. In the 11 years I worked on the series I was also the UPM for 10 episodes.
I feel like my career up to this point, all the learning, hard work, growing, etc led me into creating the successful nonprofit Sam and I are running today. Seeing so much food waste daily and working directly with those affected by wage disparity became something I could no longer work alongside and simply ignore. COVID brought my life to a pause and the time to really reflect on these issues. I felt pulled to make a change and wanted to attempt to address both simultaneously.
Every Day Action hires Production Assistants and Background Artists to drive and deliver the food, whenever possible to those in need; addressing wage disparity within the entertainment business by hiring Hollywood’s most underpaid. Reallocating the food not only reduces waste on a film set, but provides thousands of nutritious meals for those struggling with food insecurity. Additionally we support many other nonprofit organizations across LA. Since we serve a 90-mile radius of outreach, we are able to donate to shelters and other feeding the unhoused. This reduces their overhead cost and allows for them to serve higher quality meals at no cost.
I am most proud of the amount of people we are able to help- not just with basic food, but DELICIOUS high quality food they also deserve to eat. Every Day Action is about inspiring others to help someone daily while actively fulfilling that mission ourselves daily. We deliver thousands of meals a week, hold an annual cooking Thanksgiving event, and distribute around 1000 emergency kits to the unhoused annually.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One of the biggest mottos Sam and I have is ” not today, but maybe tomorrow.”
On our first food run we pulled up to an encampment in Venice, CA with about 150 meals. Sam and I delivered the meals to one side, but when we turned to feed the other we realized we were out of food. We had to walk away from encampment with people shouting after us, “What about me? I am hungry too.”
Heartbroken Sam and I considered emptying our own bank accounts further to purchase more food for those we were unable to feed.
Realizing that we were not able to do that either, we both just cried and talked about a day where we might be able to feed not just the entire encampment but multiple encampments across our city. “Not today but maybe tomorrow.” we said. Maybe tomorrow we will have enough…
funding
time
volunteers
help
food
supplies
In running a nonprofit you never have enough of what you need- you make due with what you have and you pour your heart into your work because you care.
Everyday Sam and I use that motto when things get really tough and it always helps us though.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Being the DGA, being an AD, there is no room for error. You are not able to make mistakes because those mistakes might either cost someone their life or the company thousands of dollars. I lived and still do live a life where mistakes, error, it is not part of what we do.
Working with that high level of precision takes an insane amount of skill and focus, and can also be incredibly exhausting.
Sam and I worked full time for most of running EDA, creating and building the company and outreach as we go day by day. There were weeks where we were working 16 hour days daily and coordinating up to 15 food pickups at the same time. Some days- we just didn’t have enough volunteers, or someone would change their plans, or a “wrench” was thrown at us and we simply had to pivot.
Allowing myself to fail from time to time has to be ok, and it is ok. While it is something I still really struggle with, it is something I am forcing myself to be ok with.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youreverydayaction.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/every_day_action/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/youreverydayaction/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillary-cohen-97b73820/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/every_dayaction
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@everydayaction8918
Image Credits
Kathy Schuh Jack Herman