Get the latest gossip

How a Widely Shared Spreadsheet Helped Raise $13 Million (and Counting) for L.A.’s Music Industry Wildfire Victims

Here's how a spreadsheet helped raise $13M for L.A.'s music business wildfire victims. Started by a publicist, the list now boasts hundreds of names.

As wildfires decimated the city’s Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods, many evacuees from those areas posted urgent updates on social media saying they and their families had just fled homes that, for many, no longer existed. The list is now being run by a small team, with assistance from Los Angeles NPR affiliate KCRW, which is hosting additional tabs that include a benefit concert calendar and forms to contribute or find equipment donations and pro-bono studio time. Matthew Willems, a producer and label owner who, along with his girlfriend, lost everything after their one-bedroom apartment burned down in the Altadena fire, and whose name is on the list, says that in terms of immediate financial aid, “The only thing that’s really working is my GoFundMe.”

Get the Android app