On June 14, Assistant Directors and Unit Production Managers on the East Coast got a primer on the basic workings of their Guild when the AD/UPM Council East held a Navigating the DGA orientation in the seventh floor boardroom of the Guild’s New York offices. The event also provided a forum for these members to discuss a variety of issues that affect ADs and UPMs with veteran members and have their questions answered by DGA staff.
The session began with an introduction and welcome from AD/UPM Council East Member Education Committee Chair Michael Reichman, who spoke about the work of the Committee that presents events such as this with the aim of furthering the knowledge of members in these categories. The attendees also learned more about the history of the Guild via a screening of the Martin Scorsese-narrated “Doubling Down” segment from the short film series DGA Moments in Time, directed, written and produced by Michael Stevens.
DGA Eastern Executive Director Neil Dudich and Assistant Executive Director Rachel Paster – the executive assigned to work with the Council – presented an overview of the operations and procedures of the Guild, and explained how the collective bargaining agreements and DGA Field Reps protect the membership.
UPM/DGA National Board Member Mary Rae Thewlis spoke about the governance of the Guild and broke down how the National Board and the Councils work together to maintain the DGA and deal with issues that didn’t exist when the Guild was founded 80 years ago.
The twin subjects of the responsibilities and privileges of DGA membership were covered by 2nd AD Bethann Schebece and 2nd AD/Council Alternate Les McDonough. Schebece handled the responsibilities portion, explaining such basic items as how members may only work for signatory employers and should always report their work to the Guild in a timely manner. McDonough then detailed some of the many benefits that come with a DGA card such as the Pension and Health Plans, the DGA publications and access to the screenings, special events, workshops and seminars.
In a production environment that sometimes finds work being done outside the studio, Council member and 2AD/Location Manager Michael Kriaris spoke about the importance of maintaining good community relations on a location shoot and how to avoid the “Not In My Backyard” backlash by being a good neighbor.
DGA Administrative Assistant John Hollahan led members on a brief tutorial of the services available via the DGA website.
Director and DGA PAC Leadership Council Co-Chair Gary Donatelli spoke about the importance of supporting the DGA PAC in its ongoing battle for the rights of DGA members through thoughtful legislation at all levels of government.
The orientation ended with a Q&A session moderated by Reichman where new members could have their questions addressed by Council members and DGA staff. All attendees were invited to stay for the dinner and AD/UPM Council East meeting which immediately followed.
About the Council
The Eastern AD/UPM Council is the elected body that represents the Assistant Director and Unit Production Manager members of the Guild who reside and/or work in film, television, commercials and new media the East and Midwest regions.