On May 3, the AD/UPM Council West held a Navigating the DGA seminar for Assistant Directors and Unit Production Managers in the DGA boardroom in Los Angeles. The event gave both new and veteran members the opportunity to network with their peers, while learning more about DGA benefits, Guild activities and issues directly affecting members of these categories via detailed reports presented by experienced members and DGA staff.
Following the breakfast/networking mixer, AD/UPM Council West First Vice-Chair Cleve Landsberg welcomed participants, introduced the day’s speakers, and gave the presentation DGA News & Events which both recapped and previewed recent and upcoming happenings at the Guild.
UPM and DGA-Producer Pension & Health Plan trustee Phil Goldfarb delivered the Pension and Health News report, which spoke about the Plans and how members might make use of these valuable benefits.
Director and DGA Board Member Donald Petrie gave a PowerPoint presentation detailing the story of the Guild from its founding through today in his report DGA History.
AD/UPM Council West Chair Marie Cantin spoke about how the Council represents Assistant Directors and Unit Production Managers and how members can get involved in the various committees the Council oversees in Your Council at Work.
1st AD and former Commercial Committee Co-Chair Fred Childress explained how the Guild assists members working in that genre and spoke about the work of the AD/UPM Council’s Commercial Committee in his DGA in Commercials report.
1st AD Bob Lewis delivered the Qualifications Lists and Low-Budget Agreements reports which revealed how these important programs function and how members can make use of them to find work.
DGA Field Rep Rebekah Courpet explained how the DGA Contracts Department and Field Reps work together to protect the membership.
The seminar also featured a special conversation about stunt safety with 2nd Unit Director/Stuntman Mickey Gilbert. After a screening of clips from his work, Gilbert discussed his experiences working on various films as a stuntman and how to be conscious of safety protocols when working on a scene.
The Navigating the DGA seminar closed with a forum where the floor was opened to questions from the audience. All the attendees were also able to take home a packet with informational handouts about the DGA and its resources.