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January 2025
**Check out the blog update below, highlighted.
The LA Fires
You know how I said I thought 2025 was jinxed.
Well, as soon as I returned home from emergency C-spine surgery, LA caught on fire.
The Pacific Palisades, Altadena... It was horrific, terrifying, and apocalyptic.
I immediately reached out to everyone I knew in CA to see if they were okay. I reached out to all of my LA business contacts, those at Netflix and Utopia Distribution where my script is being considered and offered support in any way imaginable.
Steve Schklair, one of THE ONLY WAY OUT's producers, lost his entire community in the Eaton Fire. Although he had two guardian angels, Sheriff's deputies, save his house from burning down, he still lost his guest house and all his patio furniture outside. And, tragically, everything that remains in his house is covered in toxic chemicals and soot and will require remediation before it's safe to touch.
My producer's family is now hopping from one Airbnb to another until they can determine what's next. My producer was told it would be 6-12 months before any rebuilding could take place due to the amount of toxic waste clean-up that needed to happen before the area was deemed safe.
He feels lucky because his house was one of only a few in his entire community that did not burn to the ground. Restaurants, grocery stores, schools, churches, small businesses, etc. Almost everything is gone, and what's not gone is buried in toxic ash and soot.
(BLOG UPDATE! January 31, 2025: This is a really wonderful feel-good story about THE ONLY WAY OUT'S PRODUCER meeting the angels who saved his home in the Eaton Fire! Check it out! Homeowner meets rescue team who saved his home in the Eaton Fire – NBC Los Angeles. The story was run by NBC4 Los Angeles by Sahana Patel and Lolita Lopez • Published January 30, 2025 • Updated on January 30, 2025 at 7:55 pm.
The same is true for the Pacific Palisades. The places I used to frequent when I lived in CA, the places I know and loved are now gone. I'm just grateful not to have lost anyone in the fires, but that's not the case for everyone. 28 people died in the fires. 28 people.
For those who have survived, their losses, especially those who lost a loved one, are beyond words and I'm beyond heartbroken. These fires were absolutely devastating.
Getting back to my goal of selling my script in 2025...
A large percentage of people who work in the film and television industries live in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, and the vast majority of those people tragically lost their homes in the fires. We all know Hollywood was hurting before the fires, but now... I don't even know where the industry stands and how it will recover.
However, what I do know is that it will recover because, as they say, "the show must go on." Of course, I still wonder how it can go on when so many people are hurting, struggling to find the basic necessities to live, food, water, shelter, and clothing all while navigating disaster relief and insurance claims?
I know the industry is pulling together to help, but what these fire victims are going through is so beyond overwhelming that I can't imagine Hollywood, or any other business, will get back to normal anytime soon. So, until then, I'm looking into what I (someone stuck at home in a cervical collar) can do to help fire victims from here in Colorado.
Here are a few ways we can all can help from the comfort of our own homes:
For a full list, check out:
LOOK FOR THE HELPERS
If there is one positive to come out of this, it's how many amazing people there are in this world. The outpouring of support from celebrities and noncelebrities has been incredible.
In tragedies like this, real heroes rise.
Real heroes are people who aren't concerned about media attention. They're people who truly want to make a difference and it's those people with whom I'd like to work because I feel we'd make a great team and would come up with a way funnel some of the profits from THE ONLY WAY OUT into philanthropic causes.
Anyone who knows me will agree that I, too, am a helper. I volunteer for as much as I can. My husband and I were Community Emergency Response Team members in CA so we could assist First Responders with emergencies. We haven't joined here in CO due to scheduling conflicts, but we could and would still help in an emergency.
I've organized food drives for our local food bank, put together Meal Trains for a lot of people in tough situations. I've shoveled sidewalks, pulled weeds, cared for animals and I've even picked up dog poop for elderly, sick and injured neighbors.
I'm also often running a meal to someone who is sick or injured and I regularly donate clothes and other items directly to people in need in our community. And, back when I could, I did a done a lot of fundraising bike rides and runs for various causes.
I'm also a person who stops to help victims of accidents. And I always lend a nonjudgmental ear to anyone, friend, family, or stranger who needs listening to (which is why I hear a LOT of interesting things about people). I also make contributions to reliable charitable organizations. In other words, when there's a need, I do my best to help, and I'm teaching my kids to do the same because that's what makes the world a better place.
In terms of THE ONLY WAY OUT, these are the actresses I dream of working with due to their incredible talent, expert trailblazing, philanthropy, and how they've chosen to use their platform to champion women, women of color, and countless other incredibly important causes to do their part to help make the world a better place.
Here's my dream list that was reinforced by these actresses' actions during the LA Fires.
HALLE BERRY
When I first wrote THE ONLY WAY OUT, Halle Berry was #1 on my list to star in the film. From the time I was a teenager, I've always admired her not only as an incredible physically fit actress, but as a trailblazer and an amazingly philanthropic human being. The amount of fundraising she's done and continues to do for breast cancer research and ovarian cancer research is astounding. Years ago, I ran a Revlon 5K in LA, a benefit for breast cancer research and I was thrilled to discover that Ms. Berry was the spokeswoman. It was such a privilege to be there. She's an inspiration!
Ms. Berry also works hard to raise awareness around diabetes, health, fitness, perimenopause, and menopause (the symptoms of which are often dismissed). She's an incredible women's health advocate.
Also, whenever there's a need or some kind of tragedy, Ms. Berry's one of the first to step in and help. I recently read she cleared out her closet and donated everything to LA fire victims, and that she offered to let LA fire victims stay at her house for as long as necessary. She also makes financial contributions to a laundry list of charitable organizations and nonprofits.
JENNIFER GARNER
And then there's Jennifer Garner. She'd be amazing in my film and she's another wonderful human being I'd love to meet. When there are people in need, Ms. Garner is also always there, working hard, getting her hands dirty. Although she lost a loved one in the LA fires, she chose to dive in to service by serving food to the firefighters.
Anywhere there's a natural disaster, Ms. Garner's seems to be there helping out, working with organizations like Save the Children. She does a lot of work to combat childhood poverty meal insecurity. Her company, Once Upon a Farm, even partnered with Save the Children and brought1 million meals to struggling children across rural America in 2024. Ms. Garner also contributes financially to many nonprofits and charities.
And I hear she's nice. Really nice.
EVA LONGORIA
And let's not forget the powerhouse Eva Longoria, who would also be amazing in THE ONLY WAY OUT. Ms. Longoria, where do I begin? She does so much for Latina women through her Eva Longoria Foundation, and her other philanthropic efforts are astounding. She's contributed a significant amount of money to support frontline workers, farm workers, day laborers, and families impacted by the fires.
She has empowered the Hispanic and Latino communities, is the spokeswoman for Padres Contra al Cancer, an organization that focuses on helping the entire family when their child has cancer. She's even made significant financial contributions to the organization and often visits children with cancer in the hospital. She also participated in the "Montblanc Signature for Good" charity initiative benefiting UNICEF's battle against illiteracy. She has received countless leadership awards, awards for her service, while continuing to blaze new trails in the film industry.
ANGELINA JOLIE
Next, there's Angelina Jolie. Another of my all-time favorite humanitarians. Is there anything Ms. Jolie hasn't done to help make the world a better place? After the fires, she and her son, Knox, were getting water and essential supplies to people affected by the fires. She served as a UNHCR Ambassador, and her list of charitable contributions is astounding.
Ms. Jolie is an amazing actress, writer, producer, and director who has made a real impact on people all around the world. She has gone on missions with UNHCR and made the single largest contribution they've ever had from a private individual. She has done over 40 missions in 30 countries to help refugees and call attention to the ongoing humanitarian crises in these countries. She's a staunch advocate of human rights and women's rights and so much more. She's also a huge proponent of educating women about women's health.
Each of these women is doing what they can to make the world a better place, and I truly admire their commitment to service and hope I can land one of them to star in THE ONLY WAY OUT.
But for now, I will continue to dream while I patiently await a response from my contacts at Utopia Distribution and Netflix, neither of whom I've heard from since before the fires. I can only hope they are okay.
2025 is shaping up to be an incredibly tough year, but every moment we move through puts us one step closer to overcoming each of these terrible obstacles. And every moment we move through proves that kindness still exists here in the US and everywhere else in the world. We will heal and we will come back stronger, more unified and more grateful as a result.
If you're interested in how I'm recovering, you can check out my YouTube Shorts at: Amy Giaquinto - YouTube. Stay tuned. I'm currently working on a MAMA FIX IT™ episode detailing my journey through surgery.
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To be continued...
Hope everyone stays safe. And one of these wonderful women signs on to your script.