On April 5, Second Assistant Directors gathered in the DGA’s Los Angeles Boardroom for the AD/UPM Council West’s 2nd AD Committee’s eighth annual brunch. This year’s event, My Guild, My Money, and Me: It’s Gonna’ Be Awesome!, featured a panel discussion about how members can take more control over their finances.
Following a brunch/social mixer, Second AD Committee Co-Chair Marc Newland welcomed the attendees and introduced the day’s speakers; and Co-Chair Jennie O’Keefe presented the music video We’re The AD’s with a tribute to the late Abby Singer. AD/UPM Council West Chair Marie Cantin also addressed the attendees and spoke about her gratitude for an innovative and wonderful committee, which has demonstrated strong leadership and encouraged more membership involvement. Cantin, Newland and O’Keefe announced names of the new Committee Co-Chairs, Clark Credle and Jaysene Overton and new Vice Chair Shawn Pipkin, then Newland and O’Keefe did a short presentation about safety on the set and empowering 2nd ADs to speak up.
In the first panel of the day, Committee member Redelia Shaw moderated My Money - Choosing the right IRA, a discussion that featured DGA Member and Certified Financial Advisor Gary Strangis from the investment firm Edward Jones; and Pension Plans Manager Merri McAvoy and Audit and Eligibility Department Manager Maggie Der-Minassian from the DGA-Producer Pension and Health Plans. The conversation covered subjects such as the fact that $34,100 is the amount needed to earn health coverage and wrapped up with a Q&A where the panelists took questions from the audience.
After a short break, the conversations continued with new Committee Co-Chair Jaysene Overton moderating the discussion My Guild, which featured a review of the new DGA contracts by AD/UPM Council West 1st Vice Chair Cleve Landsberg; an introduction of DGA Field Reps Jon Drew, Steven Knauss, and Rebekah Courpet; and a report about the DGA PAC with a call for support of a California Film Incentive proposal petition delivered by new Vice Chair Shawn Pipkin. The topics discussed during this session included the top five frequently asked questions for both DGA Field Reps and the Contracts line, and information about the upcoming Navigating the DGA orientation on May 3.
In the final segment of the day, Committee Member Lisa Chu and O’Keefe presented And Me, a discussion that doled out tips like how to save time and energy; methods to protect yourself against identity theft online; and how to support a healthy lifestyle using everything from calming yoga techniques to smartphone apps.
The brunch concluded with the newly elected Co-Chairs joining O’Keefe and Newland to thank all the day’s participants and invite the attendees to stay around to network and review information valuable to 2nd AD members that was posted on several bulletin boards.
In addition to current Co-Chairs O’Keefe and Newland, incoming Co-Chairs Credle and Overton, and incoming Vice Chair Pipkin, the Second AD Committee membership includes: Katie Carroll, Paula Case, Christophe Le Chanu, Lisa Chu, Peter Dress, John Elmore, Timothy Engle, Christina Fong, Courtney Franklin, Craig Harris, Lance W. Lanfear, Staci Lamkin, Ari Oyola, Brian O’Kelley, Carrie Rudolf, Brian Relyea, Paul Schneider, Redelia Shaw and Topher Wolfe.