The Business of Being an Assistant Director, the 12th Annual 1st AD Luncheon

October 27, 2018

A Western AD/UPM Council 1st AD Committee Event

DGA 1st ADs celebrated twelve years of gatherings at Guild headquarters in Los Angeles during their annual 1st AD luncheon on October 27. Hosted by the Western AD/UPM Council’s 1st AD Committee, the event provided the attendees with valuable information on the business aspects of being an Assistant Director, via panel discussions with veteran 1st ADs and financial experts.

1st AD Committee Co-Chair Mark Hansson (Amazing Stories) welcomed the attendees and guest speakers. Speaking on behalf of his fellow Co-Chair Alan B. Curtiss (Something Borrowed) who was unable to attend, Hansson also introduced Council Chair Cleve Landsberg (Kingdom), DGA Assistant Executive Director Steven Knauss, the executive assigned to work with the Council, and DGA Field Rep Faith Santilla, who serves as an advisor to the 1st AD Committee.

After giving an overview of how the day would proceed, Hansson introduced the event’s 1st AD panelists: Fernando Altschul (Narcos), Nicolas Harvard (Yellowstone), Greg McCollum (numerous commercials), Taylor Phillips (Counterpart), Drew Ann Rosenberg (Young Sheldon) and Laura Sylvester (Are You Sleeping?). The financial expert panelists: Accountant Sean Laughlin, CPA Samuel J. Levin, Bookkeeper & Accountant Ashley Pishock and CPA and Business Manager Andrea Wolcott, were introduced by 1st AD Committee member Kelly Cantley-Kashima, who joined Hansson and Committee member Carol Vitkay as moderators.

In the first conversation, Cantley-Kashima engaged the financial experts on tips to best set yourself up regarding taxes. The discussion also touched upon areas such as: how to deal with various costs and fees, the pros and cons of incorporating and the importance of allotting more time to record keeping.

In the second conversation, Vitkay invited the AD panelists to weigh in with their perspectives on having an agent and the overall business of being an AD. This part of the discussion broached subjects that included: optimizing your paycheck and negotiating your deal, the benefits and pitfalls of retaining an agent for deal-making, better ways to market yourself, and consulting the Pension Plan on retirement options.

About the Committee

The ADAD/UPM Council West 1st AD Committee meets to plan events, exchange information, share ideas and address issues facing 1st AD members. In addition to Committee Co-Chairs: Alan B. Curtiss and Mark Hansson, the 1st AD Committee Members are: Tony Adler, David Bernstein, Nicole Burke, Kelly Cantley-Kashima, Steve Danton, Bruce Franklin, Katterli Frauenfelder, Jim Goldthwait, Warren Gray, Van Hayden, Kevin Koster, Larry Lerner, Linda Montanti, Michele Panelli-Venetis, Korey Pollard, Cindy Potthast, Louis Race, Scott Robertson, Artist Robinson, Daniel Silverberg, Tracey Smith Baumert, Babu Subramaniam and Carol Vitkay.

For more information click here to visit the AD/UPM Council section and log in as a member to view the committee pages.

Pictures

photos by Elisa Haber

View slideshow

12th Annual 1st AD Luncheon panelists (L-R Front row): Bookkeeper & Accountant Ashley Pishock, 1st ADs Greg McCollum, Taylor Phillips, Nicolas Harvard, Laura Sylvester, Drew Ann Rosenberg. (Back row): Accountant Sean Laughlin, CPA Samuel J. Levin, Business Manager & CPA Andrea Wolcott, 1st AD Committee members Kelly Cantley-Kashima, Mark Hansson (Co-Chair) and Carol Vitkay and 1st AD Fernando Altschul.

DGA 1st ADs gather in the Los Angeles Boardroom for the Western AD/UPM Council’ s 12th Annual 1st AD Breakfast.

1st AD Committee Co-Chair Mark Hansson welcomes the participants.

AD/UPM Council West Chair Cleve Landsberg speaks about the work of the Council.

1st AD Committee member Kelly Cantley-Kashima introduces the financial experts and moderates the conversation about on the pros and cons of forming a corporation for business dealings.

1st AD Committee member Carol Vitkay invites the AD panelists to weigh in with their perspectives on what has helped them in their business of being an Assistant Director.

1st AD Fernando Altschul has worked in both film and television over the past three decades. His upcoming credits include Catherine Hardwicke’s Miss Bala, Christopher Landon’s Happy Death Day 2U and Justin Simien’s Bad Hair.

1st AD Nicolas Harvard has nearly 50 credits as a Second Unit Director or Assistant Director including features such as Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash and Susanna Fogel’s The Spy Who Dumped Me; movies for television such as James Ponsoldt’s Thin Ice; and series such as Yellowstone.

DGA 1st ADs learn more about the business of being an Assistant Director during the Western AD/UPM Council’s 12th Annual 1st AD Breakfast.

1st AD Greg McCollum has spent the majority of his career working on national ad campaigns at the highest level. His clients have included Nike, Pepsi, Chevrolet, Ford, Gatorade, Microsoft, Apple and Coca-Cola.

1st AD Taylor Phillips has been working in the film industry for more than 20 years. He has worked on television shows including Hawaii Five-0, Fargo and Legion; and features such as Peter Hedges’ The Odd Life of Timothy Green, and the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men.

Drew Ann Rosenberg has served as an Assistant Director on projects such as George C. Wolfe’s DGA Award-winning movie for television, Lackawanna Blues and Curtis Hanson’s Academy Award-nominated feature: L.A. Confidential.

DGA 1st ADs learn more about the business of being an Assistant Director during the Western AD/UPM Council’s 12th Annual 1st AD Breakfast.

1st AD Laura Sylvester has worked on features, movies for television, one-hour dramas, single-camera comedies, multi-camera comedies and commercials and enjoys the different challenges that each of these mediums brings.

Sean Laughlin is an accountant at Mejia & Kaplan, LLP, a small business management firm in Beverly Hills providing accounting, bookkeeping and tax preparation services to various clients across the entertainment industry.

CPA Samuel J. Levin has more than 30 years of experience serving members of the entertainment industry.

DGA 1st ADs learn more about the business of being an Assistant Director during the Western AD/UPM Council’s 12th Annual 1st AD Breakfast.

Bookkeeper & Accountant Ashley Pishock specializes in live music touring and film production.

Andrea Wolcott is a business manager and CPA with Mejia & Kaplan, LLP, and has a Master of Business Taxation degree from USC.

A 1st AD asks a question about the business of being an Assistant Director during the Western AD/UPM Council’s 12th Annual 1st AD Breakfast.

2nd AD Joseph MJ Moore and 1st AD Kendall L. Nichols chat with DGA Field Rep Faith Santilla, who serves as an advisor to the 1st AD Committee.

Director P. Jay Zabriskie and 1st ADs William Lambe and Jason Allen enjoy the Western AD/UPM Council’s 12th Annual 1st AD Breakfast.

1st ADs Bob Wagner and David Geiger enjoy the Western AD/UPM Council’s 12th Annual 1st AD Breakfast.

12th Annual 1st AD Luncheon panelists pose with members of the Committee (l-r front row): Bookkeeper & Accountant Ashley Pishock, 1st ADs Greg McCollum, Taylor Phillips, Nicolas Harvard, Laura Sylvester, Drew Ann Rosenberg and 1st AD Committee member Carol Vitkay (moderator). (Back row): Accountant Sean Laughlin, CPA Samuel J. Levin, 1st AD Committee members Kelly Cantley-Kashima (moderator) and Nicole Burke, Business Manager & CPA Andrea Wolcott, 1st AD Committee Co-Chair Mark Hansson, 1st AD Fernando Altschul and 1st AD Committee members Cindy Potthast, Linda Montanti, and Tony Adler.

Calendar

8/9/2025 - 8/15/2025