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Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections

March 8, 2017

An Eastern Region Special Projects Committee Panel Discussion

In an election year where little went as anticipated, DGA Members interested in how the Directors of news broadcasts were able to keep the information flowing were able to find out how they did so during the Eastern Region Special Projects Committee’s panel discussion, Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm during Elections. Held in the Guild’s New York offices boardroom on March 7, the event featured Directors who were tasked with covering this unprecedented and unpredictable election cycle, from the conventions and debates, through election night.

Following a welcome from Eastern Region Special Projects Committee Chair Raymond De Felitta, DGA Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Scott Berger — who works as an Associate Director at CBS News —  introduced veteran Director Eric Shapiro, who served as the moderator of the discussion.

Illustrated by clips from their work, Shapiro introduced the evening’s panelists: Directors Shanta Fripp from CBS (Republican National Convention), Eric Siegel from ABC (the Presidential Debate at Hofstra University), Brett Holey from NBC (a Town Hall Debate), Sarah Brooke from NBC (Election Night with the Clinton campaign team at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan), TJ Asprea from CBS (Election Night), and Randi Lennon from CBS (the Presidential Inauguration).

The panelists then engaged in a lively and informative discussion where they shared their experiences of how they managed to follow the stories wherever they led, and revealed how they cut through the spin to deliver the news.

Following the moderated portion of the panel discussion, the directors all took questions from the audience.

WATCH VIDEO FROM THIS EVENT IN THE GALLERY BELOW
About the Panelists:

TJ Asprea, CBS
After getting his start at his local TV station where he developed his passion for directing, Asprea was hired at Court TV and directed many infamous trial verdicts. A DGA member since 2014, he has also directed Iraq war coverage, Imus in the Morning, Scarborough Country, Morning Joe, and is currently directing the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley and CBS News Special Events.
 

Sarah Brooke, NBC
Brooke is the Director of NBC’s Meet the Press, the most-watched Sunday public affairs program. Prior to joining NBC News in 2015, Brooke was the vice president of studio operations for The Blaze, a conservative multiplatform news and entertainment network founded by talk radio personality and entrepreneur Glenn Beck. She previously worked for Fox News Channel, where she served as the Director of multiple programs, including The Glenn Beck Program and The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. Brooke has been a DGA member since 2005.
 

Shanta Fripp, CBS
Fripp began her career at CBS as an assistant in the market research department before she became a Production Associate at the CBS News Early Show. She climbed the ranks to a Hard News Associate Director and control room AD. In July of 2016, Fripp directed the pool feed for the Republican National Convention. She is currently the Director of CBS This Morning Saturday and the back-up Director and control room AD on CBS This Morning. Fripp joined the DGA in 2002.
 

Brett Holey, NBC
As Senior Director for NBC News, Holey oversees the directing team, production and aesthetics for the national broadcast news organization. He also directs NBC News election coverage, breaking news and primetime programming. Previously, Holey served as Director and Senior Broadcast Producer of the NBC Nightly News and Director of Special Projects for NBC News where he helped drive the network’s digital initiatives including NBC Mobile and NBC2Go. Holey’s work has earned him 13 Emmys, a number of Edward R. Murrow Awards and a National Headliner Award. He has been DGA member since 1984 and has served on the Eastern Directors Council since 2011.
 

Randi Lennon, CBS
A DGA member since 2005, Lennon is the Director of CBS This Morning, a show she launched in 2012 and earned her a Daytime Emmy in 2016 for “Outstanding Directing in a Talk Show, Entertainment News or Morning Show.” Lennon also directs breaking news special reports as well as special events such as the Inauguration for CBS News. Lennon started her career in 2001 and has worked at almost every network as a Production Associate or Associate Director and served as a Director on The Early Show on CBS.
 

Eric Siegel, ABC
Siegel is a veteran Director of programming and entertainment of all kinds including: Papal visits, election nights, town halls, political debates and conventions, prime-time news magazines, morning shows, Sunday roundtables, musical performances, parades, and evening and late night news. His work as a Director, Art Director, and Production/Scenic Designer has been recognized with 11 Emmy Awards, a Dupont Columbia Award, a Peabody Award, and over 25 Broadcast Designers Association awards. Siegel has been a DGA member since 1982.
 
Eric Shapiro, CBS (moderator)
During Shapiro’s five-decade career at CBS, he directed and oversaw the design and redesign of most of the programs on the CBS News schedule, including the Early Show, Face the Nation, 48 Hours, America Tonight, the CBS Evening News and countless special events. On September 11th, he spent 16 hours in the Director’s chair for live cover-age of the attack on America. Shapiro has attended every political convention since 1972 and directed all of CBS News’ political coverage from 1992 until his retirement in 2014. He has been honored with Emmy Awards for his work on the first Gulf war, for his innovative use of virtual set technology and for his coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing case. A DGA member since 1965, in 2013 the Guild presented Shapiro with a Lifetime Achievement Award in News Direction.
About the Committee:

Special Projects is the educational and cultural arm of the Directors Guild of America. It provides opportunities for creative exchange with programs for members and industry colleagues to celebrate the history and achievements of its members, advance their professional skills, and prepare them for the technological changes of the future. The Eastern Region Special Projects Committee is chaired by Raymond DeFelitta. The Committee Members are Ted Bogosian, Gary Donatelli, Daniel Hank, Dennis W. Mazzocco, and Susanna Styron.

Pictures & Video

photos by Krista Kennell

View slideshow
Watch Highlight
FULL TALK (1:23:16): Director Eric Shapiro leads a panel discussion on covering the U.S. presidential election cycle, from conventions to inuauguration, with Directors TJ Asprea, Sarah Brooke, Shanta Fripp, Brett Holey, Randi Lennon, and Eric Siegel.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Director Eric Siegel talks about the considerations of a live-news director providing unilateral or pool coverage at a convention of a major political party.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Director Brett Holey talks about the importance of choosing camera operators who know when to stick with a plan and when to leave it.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Director Randi Lennon speaks about the complicated production of filming the presidential inauguration.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Director Sarah Brooke speaks about how she shifted her coverage of presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s Election party as the polling results came in.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Director Shanta Fripp talks about directing the Republican National Convention, where her attention to detail led to capturing one of the most iconic images of the political season.
Watch Highlight
HIGHLIGHT: Director TJ Asprea explains the preparation necessary for CBS’ coverage of the 2016 presidential election.
Directors Eric Siegel, Brett Holey, Randi Lennon, Shanta Fripp, Eric Shapiro (moderator), Sarah Brooke, TJ Asprea, and DGA Eastern Region Special Projects Committee Chair Raymond De Felitta at the panel discussion, Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections.
DGA Eastern Region Special Projects Committee Chair Raymond De Felitta welcomes the audience to the panel discussion, Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections.
DGA members gather in the New York boardroom for the Eastern Region Special Projects Committee’s panel discussion, Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections.
DGA Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Scott Berger introduces the Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections moderator, Director Eric Shapiro.
Director Eric Shapiro (moderator) introduces the Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections panelists with clips from their work.
Directors Sarah Brooke, Brett Holey, Eric Siegel, Shanta Fripp, and Eric Shapiro (moderator) discuss their work at the panel discussion, Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections.
Director Shanta Fripp from CBS gives insights from coverage of the Republican National Convention.
Director Eric Siegel from ABC speaks about covering events such as the Presidential Debate at Hofstra University.
Director Brett Holey from NBC reveals how he covered a Town Hall Debate.
Director Sarah Brooke from NBC recalls her work covering Election Night with the Clinton campaign team at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.
Director TJ Asprea from CBS details how they covered the returns on Election Night.
Director Randi Lennon from CBS speaks about choices made in covering the Presidential Inauguration.
Director Sarah Brooke is greeted by veteran NBC News Associate Director Judith Farinet following the Eastern Region Special Projects Committee’s panel discussion, Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections.
Director Eric Siegel chats with Director Eric Shapiro (moderator) following the Eastern Region Special Projects Committee’s panel discussion, Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections.
Director Randi Lennon chats with an audience member following the Eastern Region Special Projects Committee’s panel discussion, Commanders-in-Chief: Directors Take the Helm During Elections.

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