Pop Culture Auction Channels Fandom Toward Philanthropy

Cancer Gets Lost’s pop culture charity auction seeks to raise funds for ovarian cancer research by giving fans a chance to bid on entertainment memorabilia.

For over a decade, Cancer Gets Lost (CGL) has been integrating charitable philanthropic endeavors into the world of pop culture. Co-founded by Jo Garfein and Jared Wong, CGL was born from a desire to channel the communities forged in fandom toward positive, meaningful change. After attending the historic LOST: The Official Show Auction together in 2010 — in which ABC auctioned off over 1,000 set pieces, costumes, production art, and more from the hit series LOST — Garfein and Wong saw an opportunity to host an auction of their own where the proceeds would benefit a charitable cause.

CGL is a 501c3-sponsored organization that hosts online and live auctions of rare, iconic, and limited-edition pop culture memorabilia, including authentic film and TV props, autographed merchandise, exclusive fan art, and more. All the proceeds from each auction are donated to a different cancer charity, with the goal of helping to eradicate a disease that touches all of our lives.

Opening this April, CGL’s next online charity auction is gearing up to be one of the organization’s biggest events yet, with more than 70 different shows and films represented. CGL will be donating 100% of all proceeds from this year’s auction to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, an organization that is leading the fight against ovarian cancer in the lab, on Capitol Hill, and supporting women and their families.

Check out our exclusive interview with CGL co-founder Jo Garfein all about this year’s auction, as well as the organization’s history and future.

Culturess: How did the idea to combine pop culture memorabilia with charitable fundraising come about? 

Garfein: I am a proud nerd and pop culture sponge! About twenty years ago, I started to become somewhat of a collector, and had amassed a tiny assortment of LOST items by the time the show ended in 2010. At that time, a very good friend of mine was battling brain cancer, and I was feeling hopeless because I could not figure out an effective, productive way to help her.

Later that year, my wife and I attended the official LOST auction in Los Angeles along with hundreds of fellow fans, and witnessed first-hand just how vast the global interest was in collecting a piece of something related to a person’s favorite show. The lightbulb above my head lit up in magical, comical ways.

I connected with Jared at the auction (a fellow fan and online friend), and together we brainstormed what would become Cancer Gets Lost shortly thereafter. It took quite a bit of time to acquire items, promote our endeavor, and garner interest, but two years later we hosted our very first online charity auction, and it was a massive success.

We raised and then donated over $60,000 to the National Brain Tumor Society in honor of my friend Jackie, who sadly passed away mere weeks before our first auction opened. It was an astonishing amount of money for a project that two fans with big dreams put together in their spare time!

Jackie continues to inspire me and everything that CGL is doing. We are proud to honor the legacy of our favorite show with our fundraising endeavors, and to continue to raise money for cancer charities in honor of those we’ve lost along the way.

Culturess: How does CGL build its inventory of auction items? What does the collection process look like?

Garfein: Every single item in our charity auctions is kindly donated by fans, actors, writers, producers, etc.! To this day, word-of-mouth has been our number one marketing tool, and is responsible for our success in many ways. We promote our auctions exclusively on Instagram and Twitter, tagging relevant fan accounts and using hashtags to attract new potential bidders who are searching for tweets and posts about their favorite films, TV shows, characters, etc.

We regularly receive direct messages and emails from those interested in contributing items for our upcoming auctions. Our first step is to assess whether or not the items are from pop culture properties that are popular or have large online fan communities. We then research the current value of said items online and decide whether or not to accept the offer. The curation of a CGL charity auction is almost as much fun for me as the building of it!

In all seriousness, Cancer Gets Lost would not exist without the incredible generosity of kind humans that continue to reach out to donate items! Almost all of them do so because someone they know is either battling cancer or has lost their life because of it. Sadly, cancer is one of the only unifying issues out there; it brings people together, all in search of ways to help their loved ones.

I always say that “your junk is our treasure,” because it is very true. The crew t-shirt that had been sitting in your closet for years, or that signed photo you got at Comic-Con that you put in a drawer? After you donated it to CGL, someone won it in our auction and their winning bid was $100. That $100 will then get donated to a designated cancer charity by CGL; it will pay for gas for a family traveling out of town to bring their child to a clinical trial. That $100 furthers cancer research for possible cures. And so on.

Culturess: What sort of items can we expect to see in this upcoming auction?

Garfein: Our 2023 online charity auction will feature 150 items and packages. It is jam-packed with very cool and rare autographed collectibles like signed scripts and script covers from LOST, Severance, and Wheel of Time, and Marvel items signed by Hayley Atwell, Winston Duke, Kathryn Hahn, Jonathan Majors, Tatiana Maslany and Krysten Ritter!

We are also excited to include many rare Fringe and Ted Lasso items in this charity auction, as those fandoms have been tremendously supportive. In addition, we are featuring packages from newer yet sadly canceled one-season cult hits like First Kill and Paper Girls. We love how there are so many vocal online fan communities out there with positive intent, and their collective delight when they talk about items in our auctions is nothing short of amazing.

As we try to do with every online charity auction, we will also feature smaller and unsigned items that are more affordable, as there are always those that do not have the funds but want to be able to participate. Of course, we are very aware and sensitive to the fact that the world has changed so much over the last three years; that more people are out of work or can’t afford to make donations to charities as much as they used to. All CGL charity auction items are priced very low to start, because we like to provide opportunities for everyone to bid, and you would be surprised how low some bids remain — attainable items are always possible!

Culturess: What are some of your favorite items that CGL has gotten to auction off in the past?

Garfein: It will come as no surprise that I was very fond of many LOST items we’ve auctioned off in the past, including the actual fish biscuit machine from Season 3! What I love about that particular giant screen-used prop is that Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live) bid on and won that item, and frequently mentions it in interviews. He just might be the biggest LOST fan out there! Bobby is also a lovely, generous human being and lifelong friend of CGL.

As a big Star Wars fan, another item I absolutely loved auctioning off was an autographed black and white photo of J.J. Abrams and the cast of The Force Awakens! An iconic shot, enhanced by the signatures of those legends. Our wonderful friend Paul spent a great deal of time and money traveling to Cons globally in order to get this signed specifically for a CGL charity auction, and for that, we are forever grateful!

Culturess: CGL has hosted a handful of live auctions at pop culture conventions in the past. How do live events compare to online auctions? Is this a path CGL would like to continue to explore in the future?

Garfein: One of the things that I have missed the most during this pandemic has been attending pop culture conventions! On a personal level, they are nerd nirvana and I just love being surrounded by like-minded geeks with zero judgment. On a CGL level, conventions are spectacular places to both learn what shows/films are the hot tickets and acquire rare items that haven’t yet hit the market or are limited edition.

Hosting CGL charity auctions at fan conventions has been a true highlight, as there’s nothing like watching someone bid on and win an item in person — the joy is palpable and heartwarming! I of course feel the energy and love when I’m watching our auctions online, but it is an entirely different experience.

Now that many conventions are taking place once again with safety measures in place, I feel more comfortable returning to host auctions at them — if they ask! Which, to be honest, very few have. Most conventions do not feature a charitable angle or element; that continues to surprise me in 2023, given our current world and the overwhelming number of people out there that want to help others in some capacity.

Truly, I would love nothing more than to be invited to have a CGL table at a fan convention to host a small live charity auction — so please reach out if you’re reading this and are interested! Of course, it would help if CGL already had or could acquire items relating to the focus of said fan convention, but I am open to such conversations!

As always, know that we donate 100% of all auction proceeds to a different cancer charity after each CGL auction; every cent, every time. You never have to pay CGL a dime if we have a presence at your event; all we would need is a table and mention of the auction in your social media promotion! Full disclosure: we fund CGL ourselves and have never earned a cent. And we never will. This is a full-time passion project. Our focus remains entirely on fundraising for and donating all proceeds to various cancer charities.

Culturess: Much has changed in the world both socially and technologically since CGL got its start over a decade ago now. How has CGL, in its mission to channel fandom toward the greater good, adapted to the ever-evolving landscape of media and fan culture?

Garfein: I’d love to say that we’ve advanced alongside this very tech-savvy world, but CGL is still simply a website, Twitter, and Instagram-only organization! We do not have the time or funds to expand beyond that for now. But we do not feel like we are missing anything beyond a desire for more social media followers, because the interaction we engage with and feedback we receive is very consistent, positive, and constructive.

We used to have a Facebook presence, but it become untenable due to toxicity and negativity, so we made the choice to focus our auction promotion efforts elsewhere. And while Twitter has unfortunately become less of a safe space for many, CGL is lucky in the sense that so far — no one has misdirected their anger and targeted our cancer non-profit with unwarranted vitriol.

Culturess: What do you think makes pop culture such a powerful catalyst for positive change and activism?

Garfein: I believe that most people (me included) find genuine inspiration in many of the fictional characters that we see and read about, in song lyrics, art, and more. From books to music to graphic novels, movies, TV shows, and beyond — there are myriad lessons to learn from and positive depictions of people worthy of looking up to.

The sheer number of cast/crew/creatives across the wide spectrum of the pop culture landscape that understand exactly what their existence and presence means to the millions of fans out there is quite impressive. These are the folks that use their massive online platforms to promote giving back in many ways, from environmental causes to natural disasters to human injustices to supporting local small businesses, and so on. I find their collective usage of social media to be quite effective and commendable when they channel their following toward the greater good. As I always say, kindness is so impactful!

Culturess: Looking back on all CGL has accomplished over the years, what are you most proud of? What fuels you now as you look toward CGL’s future?

Garfein: To this day, I look back with great surprise and gratitude that this little passion project of ours has been so successful — and continues to be! While I’m very proud of the charity auctions we’ve curated, created, and shared with the world, I’m even more proud of the collective YOU (fans around the world that have made an actual difference in the lives of cancer survivors and their families via their donations to a wide variety of cancer charities)! CGL exists and thrives because of the kind humans that participate in online fandoms around the globe. Still mind-blowing, always appreciated!

What continues to fuel me, and thus CGL, is the unimaginable number of people out there battling cancer. Thankfully, there is still great interest in what CGL is doing. So many of the people that support our charity auctions have loved ones with cancer, facing chemo, or painfully long journeys toward life and health. It means the world to me that CGL is able to raise money for charities focusing on many different types of cancer, particularly the non-profits that many aren’t aware of.

The major cancer non-profits that you’ve actually heard about? They are well-funded and receive all of the press. But the majority of cancer charities out there are not well-funded and don’t have the means or team to promote their cause and fundraising focus. CGL finds it very rewarding to be able to raise an incredible amount of money for lesser-known but absolutely essential cancer charities.

Culturess: If you could get your hands on any iconic piece of pop culture memorabilia — either to auction off or for your own personal collection — what would it be?

Garfein: There are several items that were in the Official LOST Auction that I would have loved to own, but they were far out of my price range (and I’ve yet to see them reappear on eBay)! As for current pop culture memorabilia? I would probably pay far too much for any of the following: a screen used “Believe” sign from Ted Lasso, a small prop from the Rosebud Motel on Schitt’s Creek, one of Maeve’s ornate sherry glasses from Westworld, a poem written by the hand of Hailee Steinfeld’s (Emily) Dickinson, anything Cosima related from Orphan Black, or Valkyrie-related from the Thor films. Clearly, I’ve given this some thought before today!

As for iconic items that CGL would love to auction off, here are a few from our dream list:

• Marvel and DC shows/films, and popular sci-fi or fantasy shows like House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, Rings of Power, etc.: small, screen-used props or script cover pages signed by the casts.
• Anything official Ted Lasso! CGL has many kind friends working in TV PR, but sadly none at AppleTV+…yet!
• A Wynonna Earp prop, like a piece of screen used WayHaught clothing. Honestly, the LGBTQIA+ fan communities have been tremendously generous since day one with regard to cancer charity donations and CGL auction participation, so this particular auction item has been a goal of mine for many years!
• Crew-exclusive gifts from hit shows (branded t-shirts, bags, water bottles, hats, and jackets) are also very popular in our auctions, so we’d love to acquire more of those.

We prefer to feature smaller items in our charity auctions that are easy to ship both domestically and globally, so that shipping costs aren’t prohibitively expensive for the fans bidding on them. Thus, we no longer seek out larger props, etc.!

Culturess: Is there anything else you want fans to know?

Garfein: The 2023 Cancer Gets Lost Online Charity Auction will be open from April 23-30! It opens in Preview Mode on April 13 for fans to be able to view all items and register to participate. There is a very detailed auction FAQ available on our website for those interested in registering for this charity auction and learning more about our process!

Shows represented in the auction include Abbott Elementary, Agent Carter, Agents of SHIELD, Alias, All American, Arrow, Bates Motel, Batwoman, Blood & Treasure, The Boys, Cowboy Bebop, CSI, Daredevil, Dexter, ER, Evil, First Kill, The Following, Fringe, Game of Thrones, The Handmaid’s Tale, House, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Last Week Tonight, A League of Their Own, The Leftovers, Legends of Tomorrow, Loki, LOST, Lost Girl, The Magicians, The Mandalorian, Midnight Mass, Moon Knight, Motherland: Fort Salem, Ms. Marvel, My Hero Academia, Naomi, The Office, Only Murders in the Building, Orphan Black, The Orville, Outlander, Paper Girls, Person of Interest, The Punisher, Saturday Night Live, Schitt’s Creek, Seinfeld, Severance, Shadow and Bone, She-Hulk, Sons of Anarchy, Squid Game, Star Trek Discovery and Strange New Worlds, Stranger Things, Ted Lasso, Teen Titans Go!, The 100, The Walking Dead, WandaVision, Westworld, What If?, What We Do in the Shadows, The Wheel of Time, The White Lotus, Wynonna Earp, The X-Files, Xena, and Yellowjackets!

Films: The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Avengers: Endgame, Black Panther, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain Marvel, Dark Phoenix, Dune, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Harder They Fall, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, The Lord of the Rings films, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, Star Trek: Beyond, Star Wars films, Superman films, Thor films, and Watchmen (2009).

Plus, books, vinyl, and more — including a few items signed by Taylor Swift!

We appreciate your interest and are grateful for your support! We highly recommend that you follow @CancerGetsLost on Twitter and Instagram for frequent charity auction updates and item previews. And it would be tremendously helpful if you were to share tweets/posts with your fan communities and friends, when relevant to your interests!

The 2024 CGL Online Charity Auction will be LOST-focused, celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the show’s debut. Because We Have to Give Back!