After Don Gold graduated college in 1956, he began working at local San Francisco Channel 13 as a stage manager on various broadcasts before moving to CBS, performing similar duties. Wanting to get further involved in the entertainment industry, he moved to Los Angeles and joined IATSE Local 33 and worked as a stagehand on various productions, before leaving to head back to San Francisco where he worked as a probation officer for several years. Throughout his tenure as a probation officer, Gold would take leaves of absence, which allowed him to work as a stage manager on a part-time basis. During this time he worked on The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, the movie-for-television Victory at Entebbe (1976), and hockey, baseball and basketball broadcasts for the Hughes’ Sports Network in San Francisco.
In 1976 he again moved to Los Angeles and joined the Directors Guild as an associate director and stage manager, working on the television series Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?, The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show, and Three’s Company. He also served on Marty Passetta’s directorial team for such specials as the Grammy Awards; Happy Birthday, Las Vegas; and Jerry Lewis’ Labor Day Telethon.
In 1979 Gold was hired as a DGA field representative, a position where he visited film and TV sets to ensure Guild members’ creative rights and working conditions were respected. During more than 30 years as a field rep, Gold primarily covered the Hollywood and Culver City areas of Los Angeles, as well as cities on the west coast including Salt Lake City, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. As a field rep, Gold worked on every DGA Negotiations from 1981 until his retirement in 2010, including the famous 1987 negotiation that resulted in the “five minute strike.” After Gold retired from his tenure at the DGA, he was reinstated as a retired AD/SM member. As a member of the Guild, Gold served on the Western AD/SM/PA Council from 1978-1979.