Filming Nonprofit Making Donations

A nonprofit founded in April to bring money to community projects from video productions companies that use sites in the town for filming has made about $2,500 donations since its inception, according to its director.

Russ Fega, of the Home Shoot Home company, which helps out residents who want to rent their homes to production companies, founded the Altadena Community Chest as a way to spread the benefits of filming in Altadena beyond just those who sign up to host productions.

So far the company has made donations to the Foundation, Five Acres, Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy, Altadena Heritage, and Young & Healthy, a Pasadena-based nonprofit that helps area low-income children with free medical, dental and psychological care.

Most of the donations have come from film production companies, as well as some money from homeowners who financially benefit from renting space to the companies, Fega said.

Video productions on the streets of Altadena are not an unusual sight: an revealed that, in a 12-month-period, Altadena saw 643 permitted production days, meaning that on an average day two commercial productions were allowed to shoot somewhere in town

Though there have been complaints about traffic, noise or other issues related to filming, though there are also many from renting out their property to companies.

And while some of those complaints are probably inevitable, Fega said he hopes that the donations will give people something to like about the film industry.

"This way people know something good has come from the filming," Fega said.