The AD/UPM Council East held a Navigating the DGA orientation for new Eastern Assistant Directors and Unit Production Managers on December 10 in the seventh floor boardroom of the Guild’s New York offices. The event was designed to give these members a basic primer on the workings of their Guild, while also providing a forum to discuss a variety of issues that affect ADs and UPMs with veteran members and DGA staff on hand to answer questions.
The session began with an introduction and welcome from AD/UPM Council East Member Education Committee Chair Michael Reichman. DGA Assistant Executive Director Neil Dudich presented an overview of the operations and procedures of the Guild and explained how the collective bargaining agreements and DGA Field Reps protect the members. DGA Second Vice President Gary Donatelli spoke about the governance of the Guild and explained the importance of supporting the DGA PAC in its ongoing battle for the the rights of DGA members. Associate National Board Member Kathleen McGill and Council Alternate Les McDonough spoke about the responsibilities and privileges of DGA membership and outlined the benefits that come with the Guild. DGA Administrative Assistant Gillian Robespierre led members on a brief tutorial of the services available via the DGA website. Council member and Location Manager Michael Kriaris spoke about the importance of maintaining good community relations on the job. The orientation ended with a Q&A session moderated by Reichman where new members could ask questions of the Council members and DGA staff.
All attendees were invited to stay for a holiday dinner and the Eastern AD/UPM Council meeting which immediately followed.