30 new director-category members attended a special orientation at the DGA offices in New York. Hosted by the Eastern Directors Council on January 22, the event was designed to introduce these new members to the inner workings of their Guild and provide them with an overview of their economic and creative benefits and inform them about the community of fellow directors that is now available to them.
The orientation kicked off with a brief history lesson about the Guild told via a screening of Director Michael Stevens’ DGA 75th Anniversary short film, Moments in Time - Doubling Down, where Director Martin Scorsese narrated the story of how in 1939, DGA President Frank Capra forced the studio leaders to formally recognize the new Guild by threatening to lead a boycott of the Academy Awards.
After the screening, DGA National Vice President Vincent Misiano (Bull, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Eastern Executive Director Neil Dudich led the new members through a compact tutorial of the structure of the Guild and all the benefits and responsibilities that come with a DGA card. The discussion touched on a wide variety of subjects including how the Guild protects the economic, legal and creative rights of the members, where to reach out if you need help with an issue, the services available online via the DGA website, and the role of the Director.
The orientation ended with a Q&A session where Misiano and DGA staff fielded questions from the attendees. Then everyone was invited to stay for dinner and meet the directors elected to represent them at the Eastern Directors Council's quarterly meeting that immediately followed.
Per the DGA Constitution and Bylaws, each new member of the Guild is required to attend an orientation within one year after admission.
About the Council
The Eastern Directors Council (EDC) is comprised of Directors elected to address issues related to the working circumstances of DGA Director-members in the Eastern region and Midwest.