On June 9, more than 100 DGA members attended a special Panel Discussion about the various Television Director Diversity Programs currently available via the major studios. The event, sponsored by the DGA Diversity Committees, was held in the Guild’s Los Angeles theater and provided information about Director Diversity Programs and other strategies designed to increase the hiring of qualified women and diverse TV directors.
Following an introduction from DGA Diversity Task Force and Women’s Steering Committee Co-Chair Bethany Rooney, the panelists took the stage to discuss the details about their various programs. The panel included: MTVN Music Group’s Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs Brad Hazzard; Disney-ABC Television Group’s Director of Creative Talent Development and Inclusion Janine Jones-Clark; Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Vice President of Creative Programming, Diversity & Inclusion Brett King; Warner Bros.’s Television Workshop Vice President Chris Mack; CBS Entertainment’s Vice President of Diversity Jeanne Mau, NBC Entertainment’s Manager of Entertainment Diversity Initiatives Grace Moss; and Fox Global Directors Initiative’s Creative Manager Gina Reyes. The conversation was moderated by DGA Assistant Executive Director/Director of Diversity Frank Bennett Gonzalez.
About DGA Diversity:
The DGA aims to increase and support diversity in the entertainment community through membership committees, networking opportunities and job training and mentoring programs. The Guild also regularly tracks and calls attention to the employment of women and minority directors on primetime drama and comedy television series.