The DGA’s Women's Steering Committee (WSC) hosted a conversation with Director Kay Cannon prior to their regular monthly meeting in the Los Angeles Boardroom on May 29. Cannon was there to discuss being an emerging Director in today's industry, tackling comedy on the big screen in the form of her debut feature, the recently released Blockers, and directing so that your vision and voice come through on your projects.
Cannon’s Blockers stars Lesli Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz as overprotective parents who panic when they discover their three daughters have made a pact to lose their virginity on prom night. The trio join forces on a wild and chaotic quest to stop the girls from achieving their goal.
In a conversation moderated by Director/WSC Co-Chair A. Laura James (Bizaardvark), Cannon spoke about her journey to becoming a director and the making of Blockers.
Prior to making her directorial debut on Blockers, Cannon got her start training in the Chicago comedy scene at The Second City and ImprovOlympic. While writing and performing in Chicago she met future collaborator Tina Fey, and became a writer and producer on 30 Rock where her work earned her three Emmy nominations, three Writers Guild of America Award wins and a Peabody Award. Canon also served as a Co-Producer on Michael McCullers’ feature Baby Mama and wrote the screenplays for Jason Moore’s Pitch Perfect, Elizabeth Banks’ Pitch Perfect 2, and Trish Sie’s Pitch Perfect 3 (where she also served as a Co-Producer). From 2012-2014, Cannon was a Writer and Co-Executive Producer for the Fox network series New Girl, and also served as the Executive Producer, Creator and show-runner for the Netflix series Girlboss.
Cannon has been a DGA member since 2017.
ABOUT THE COMMITTEE:
The Women's Steering Committee (WSC) was created to advance the professional interests of its members, and to heighten their visibility and career opportunities in the entertainment industry. The WSC currently promotes diversity through sponsoring networking events, screenings and seminars, and fosters relationships between the members to provide support, mentoring and networking opportunities. The WSC’s current Co-Chairs are Mary Lou Belli, Maria Burton and A. Laura James.