On December 1, the Women’s Steering Committee (WSC) presented Women in Entertainment (WE) Talk, an informative and inspirational event at DGA Headquarters in Los Angeles.
Following a welcome from DGA President Thomas Schlamme and remarks from WSC Co-Chair Maria Burton, the event kicked off with discussions about navigating challenges and rising as game-changers with Directors Melanie Mayron (Jane the Virgin) and Ondi Timoner (Mapplethorpe). Then Burton served as the moderator for a conversation with DGA Fifth Vice-President Lesli Linka Glatter (Homeland) where they discussed Glatter’s journey into directing as a choreographer as well and how she uses every opportunity to mentor emerging talent.
The (WE) Talk event was followed by a networking reception.
WATCH VIDEO FROM THIS EVENT IN THE GALLERY BELOW
About the panelists
Director Lesli Linka Glatter
A DGA member since 1985, Glatter’s directing credits include the feature films Now and Then and The Proposition; the movie for television State of Emergency; episodes of the series The Newsroom, The Walking Dead, Justified, Ray Donovan, Masters of Sex, Nashville, True Blood, The Good Wife, Weeds, House, Heroes, The West Wing, NYPD Blue, ER and Freaks and Geeks; and the pilots for the series Grace, Gilmore Girls, In My Life, Pretty Little Liars, Six and Law and Order: True Crime. In addition, Glatter was the Co-Executive Producer/Director of The Chicago Code, The Playboy Club, Citizen Baines and The Leftovers and was the Executive Producer/Director of Homeland Seasons three through seven. After earning an Academy Award nomination in 1985 for her short film Tales of Meeting and Parting (shared with Sharon Oreck), in 1990, she earned her first DGA Award nomination for "Episode 32006" of Twin Peaks. She garnered an Emmy Award nomination and took home the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series for her 2009 Mad Men episode “Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency.” She won a second DGA Award in the same category for her Homeland episode, “From A to B and Back Again.” Glatter was nominated for her sixth DGA Award and her fourth Emmy nomination for her Homeland episode, "The Tradition of Hospitality." Recently, she earned her fifth Emmy nomination for her Homeland season finale, "America First." She currently serves as the DGA’s Fifth Vice-President; and also serves on the Guild’s Western Directors Council, the PAC Leadership Council and the Diversity Task Force. Prior to her work as a director, Glatter was a modern dance choreographer, working throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Director Melanie Mayron
In concert with an Emmy Award-winning acting career on shows like the groundbreaking ABC drama thirtysomething, Mayron forged an additional career as a director in movies and television. Her directorial work includes the features The Babysitter’s Club, Slap Her She’s French and Snapshots. She has directed over a hundred episodes for television including Pretty Little Liars, Seal Team, Jane the Virgin, Tell Me You Love Me, In Treatment, The Enemy Within, Grace and Frankie, GLOW, and the reboots of the series Charmed and Dynasty. She was nominated for the 1998 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children's Programs for her The Wonderful World of Disney episode "Toothless." Mayron has been a DGA member since 1990.
Director Ondi Timoner
Timoner won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for her documentary features Dig! and We Live in Public. Her other award-winning features include The Nature of the Beast, Join Us, Cool It and Brand: A Second Coming. She also directed Jungletown, a television series for Viceland. Timoner recently wrote and directed her narrative feature debut, Mapplethorpe. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Artist of A Total Disruption, an online network dedicated to telling the stories of innovators, entrepreneurs and artists. Timoner has been a DGA member since 2005, has served as an alternate on the DGA National Board and is a member of the DGA Special Projects Committee and Documentary Awards Host Committee.
Director Maria Burton (Moderator)
Named by Variety as a “talent to watch,” Maria Burton has directed five successful feature films including Just Friends, Temps, Manna from Heaven and A Sort of Homecoming. Her sixth feature, For the Love of George, is currently in post for a 2018 release. Other directing projects include the documentary Sign My Snarling Movie about the popular a cappella singing group, The Bobs; the short film Stephen Kanner: A Retrospective, about the visionary architect; and the web series Old Guy. Through her production company, Five Sisters Productions, which she formed with her real-life siblings, she has also worked on social and political campaigns including commercials for the #MarchingForward viral video, the Mamas for Obama campaign and the campaign for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking. She has been a DGA member since 2014 and serves as a Co-Chair of the Women’s Steering Committee.
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.