On October 15th, 2015 entertainment, business, labor and politics came together in New York City during the Ninth DGA Honors Gala. The evening celebrated the achievements of Director/Producer Ron Howard, Teamsters Local 817 President Thomas J. O’Donnell, Director/Writer/Producer Tyler Perry, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Film Editor Thelma Schoonmaker, with a star studded ceremony held at the Guild’s theater in Manhattan, and a VIP after-party at famed eatery Nobu 57.
In his welcome to the audience, DGA President Paris Barclay spoke about the reasons for the celebration and why the honorees were selected.
“Tonight’s honorees have each made an indelible mark on our industry: by providing opportunity, by safeguarding our livelihoods or by using entertainment to open a window onto the human experience,” said Barclay. “Many have done all three, masterfully. In addition to these amazing individuals, we also celebrate tonight the fact that film and television production is flourishing both here and nationwide.
After acknowledging that the excitement about the growth of the industry is shared by the DGA’s fellow unions and guilds — many of which were represented by senior labor leaders in attendance — Barclay thanked the leadership of DGA National Executive Director Jay D. Roth and Associate National Executive Director/ Eastern Executive Director, Russ Hollander, and their staffs before turning the proceedings over to DGA National Vice-President Vince Misiano, who also served as DGA Honors Chair.
After thanking the vision of former DGA National Vice-President Ed Sherin for being the driving force behind the creation of DGA Honors, Misiano expounded on what the evening was all about.
“DGA Honors was founded to recognize achievement but, just as importantly, to honor the concept of collaboration that those of us in this profession understand better than most,” said Misiano. “We understand that in the final analysis, we do this thing together, and that collaboration is the source of our success. That spirit defines the DGA Honors and we hope it will continue to do so long into the future.”
The audience enjoyed a comedic monologue from DGA Honors Host Alan Cumming before Barclay and Misiano made the first presentation of the evening to Senator Charles “Chuck” Schumer, who was being recognized for his longstanding role as a champion of job creation and other issues important to those who work in the New York film and television industry.
Actor Alec Baldwin served as the presenter for the DGA Honor to Thomas J. O’Donnell, President of Theatrical Teamsters Local 817 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union, who was recognized for his labor rights efforts and his contributions to production in New York.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio presented the DGA Honor to Editor Thelma Schoonmaker, who was being recognized for her trailblazing film editing career and collaborations on some of the greatest films of all time.
After a mid-show comedy break with Cumming, the festivities continued with Actress Phylicia Rashad presenting the DGA Honor to Director/Producer/Writer/Actor/Playwright/Author Tyler Perry. Perry was being recognized for his contributions to film and television including the creation of a thriving – and soon to be expanded – production center in Atlanta currently employing hundreds.
The final bestowal of the evening was a bit of a family affair as Actress Bryce Dallas Howard made the presentation to her father, renowned filmmaker Ron Howard, who was being honored for his countless contributions to American film and television.
Following the ceremony, DGA Honors attendees enjoyed the VIP after-party at New York’s exclusive Nobu 57 restaurant.
Past DGA Honors honorees have included influential filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, Sydney Pollack, Spike Lee, Curtis Hanson, Jonathan Demme, Arthur Penn and Robert Altman, as well as leaders in politics, entertainment and labor such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Ted Kennedy, Robert De Niro, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels, Sopranos creator David Chase, Jane Alexander, AFL-CIO president John Sweeney, and IATSE president Tom Short.
We thank our DGA Honors Sponsors
Gold Tribute Sponsors: Haddad’s Inc. • Henegan Construction Co. Inc. • International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) • Local 52 I.A.T.S.E. • NBCUniversal • Newman Ferrara LLP • Theatrical Teamsters Local 817 • Warner Bros. Entertainment •
Silver Tribute Sponsors: Broad Green Pictures • CBS Corporation • Citrin Cooperman • Disney/ABC Television Group • Entrust Capital • International Cinematographers • Guild, Local 600 IATSE • SAG-AFTRA • Vitech Systems Group •
Bronze Tribute Sponsors: Anthem Blue Cross •
Association of Independent Commercial Producers •
Bernstein Real Estate •
Bridgewater Associates •
Cohen Weiss and Simon LLP •
CVS Health •
Greenberg Glusker •
IngleDodd Media •
International Brotherhood of Teamsters •
Miller Kaplan Arase & Co. LLP •
Nigro Karlin Segal & Feldstein •
Segal Consulting •
Sony Pictures Entertainment •
Stacey Braun Associates, Inc. •
Theatrical Wardrobe Union Local 764 •
T.P.U. Local One, I.A.T.S.E. •
Teamsters Joint Council 25 •
Viacom/Paramount Pictures •
Washington Council Ernst &Young •