DGA Monthly - Volume 6 - Issue 7 - July 2009 | News | DGA Annual Membership Meetings in Los Angeles and New York

President Apted delivers his final state-of-the-Guild address in LA

In his final President’s Report, Apted looked back over all that had been accomplished by the Guild in the six years of his tenure including: the negotiation of two remarkably successful contracts; the passage of the first federal tax incentive designed to combat runaway production; a successful Late Scripts campaign in episodic television that greatly reduced a problem that was threatening the creative rights of television directors; the launching of two new publications: DGA Quarterly and DGA Monthly; the establishment of an international agreement and founding of the London Coordinating Committee; the complete renovation of the Guild’s New York Building and Theater, and the upgrading of both the New York and Los Angeles theatres to state-of-the-art D-Cinema and 3D digital projection systems.

He also previewed the issues facing the DGA in the future including: the economy; the general uncertainty of labor in the industry; and the future potential impact of New Media and online piracy.

Secretary-Treasurer Gil Cates in NY

1st Vice President/PAC Leadership
Council Co-Chair Paris Barclay in LA

National Vice President Steven Soderbergh speaks to the members in New York

The State-of-the-Guild report at the New York meeting was delivered by both DGA National Vice President Steven Soderbergh and DGA Secretary-Treasurer Gil Cates. The meetings in both locations also featured the following series of reports from Guild officials:

Financial Report Los Angeles - DGA First Vice President Paris Barclay
Financial Report New York - Assistant Secretary Treasurer Scott Berger
Directors Guild Foundation Report Los Angeles - DGA Foundation Treasurer & former DGA President Gene Reynolds
Directors Guild Foundation Report New York - DGA Second Vice President William M. Brady
PAC Report LA – DGA Third Vice President/PAC Leadership Council Co-Chair Taylor Hackford
PAC Report New York - DGA Fourth Vice President Gary Donatelli
Western AD/UPM Council Report - Western AD/UPM Chair Cleve Landsberg
Eastern AD/UPM Council Report - Eastern AD/UPM Chair Louis J. Guerra
Western AD/SM/PA Council Report – Former Western AD/SM/PA Chair Scott Rindenow
Eastern AD/SM/PA Council Report - Eastern AD/SM/PA Chair Dennis W. Mazzocco
Special Projects Committee Report Los Angeles - DGA Board Member/Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan
Special Projects Committee Report New York - East Coast Special Projects Committee member Debbie Elbin
Pension and Health Plans Report (both locations) - DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans CEO Mack Clapp

DGA National Executive Director Jay D. Roth and other members of the Guild’s management team and staff were present at both meetings to provide answers and insight to inquiries from members attending the meetings.

After the reports, the floor was opened up to questions from the membership. Both events ended in a cocktail reception, giving attendees an opportunity to catch-up with their colleagues.

The overall feeling of an organization where the members, elected officers and staff all work together to determine the best future for all concerned seemed best summed up by the finale of Apted’s address. Quoting the poet Robert Frost, Apted said, “‘In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life….. it goes on’. So when I ‘go on’, I won’t be going away, as the Guild is too big and important a part of my life, and I look forward to working with you all as the Guild ‘goes on’ to face the challenges of this rapidly changing world and strives to build a strong and resilient future for us and for our industry.”