On May 15, more than 70 DGA members participated in an evening of networking and conversation at Guild Headquarters in Los Angeles during the annual Building a Bridge for the Future mixer. The event provided an opportunity for director’s team members to make connections and establish relationships for the future.

Hosted by the DGA Inter-Committee, which brings together elements of the Guild’s Diversity Committees to explore avenues for leveling the playing field for DGA members, the event featured one-on-one sessions with production team members who have hiring authority as well as open discussions in the DGA Boardroom. While open to all DGA members, this event was specifically designed for the Guild’s women and ethnically diverse AD/UPM and AD/SM/PA members.

The mixer kicked off with an informal reception, after which event coordinator Alicia Zaragoza and DGA Executive in Charge of Diversity Programs and Committees, Frank Bennett Gonzalez welcomed the attendees and explained the logistics of the evening. Then UPM/Producer Dwight Williams, who was also one of the participating VIP guests, spoke how the Building a Bridge for the Future mixer offers a chance to build associations that members can carry through their careers.

“This evening is only one of many events your members have put together for the sole benefit of our membership,” said Williams. “It is specifically events such as this mixer this evening which bring us together, one-on-one in front of potential employers where we get to display our mastery of our crafts; our understandings of the complex, ever changing cinematic wizardry which is our day-to-day work worlds and our abilities to organize and create those environments on sets, stages and locations where our director members can excel at their craft.”

With that idea in mind, the attending DGA directing team members met with the participating VIPs and were able to get acquainted during the one-on-one sessions.

The 2019 Building a Bridge for the Future VIPs were:

• UPM/Producer Franny Baldwin – (Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return)
• UPM/Producer Greg Bartlett – (An Inconvenient Truth)
• Director Paul G. Casey – (Real Time with Bill Maher)
• UPM/Producer Tara L. Craig – (Friendsgiving)
• UPM/Producer Robert Del Valle – (Cloak and Dagger)
• UPM/Producer Gerard DiNardi – (Us)
• UPM/Producer Elaine Dysinger – (Dead Again in Tombstone)
• UPM/Producer Brian Frankish – (Righteous Kill)
• UPM/Producer Cathy Gesualdo – (Treehouse)
• Director Lenn Goodside – (Let's Make a Deal)
• UPM Franklyn Gottbetter (The Kominsky Method)
• UPM/Producer Michele Greco – (Deadly Class)
• Stage Manager Garry Hood – (Dancing with the Stars)
• UPM/Producer Mark Moran – (Pet Sematary)
• UPM/Producer Carrie Lynn Morrow – (The Romanoffs)
• UPM/Producer Richard H. Prince – (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
• UPM/Producer Jeanine Rohn – (End Times Girls Club)
• UPM/Producer Liz Ryan – (Station 19)
• UPM/Producer Daniel Sollinger – (Immortality or Bust)
• Production Executive Amanda W. Timpson – (Project Runway All Stars)
• UPM/Producer Dwight Williams – (Girls Trip)
• UPM/Producer Melissa Wylie – (You're the Worst)

After getting acquainted with our members during the one-on-one sessions, each of the participating VIP guests also received a resume booklet of all the attendees and were able to continue to socialize with them in the informal reception that continued after the event.

In addition to event coordinators Stephenie Galvan and Alicia Zaragoza, this year’s “Table Talk Hosts” were: John P. Aguirre, Christopher J. De Celle, Courtney M. Franklin, A. Laura James, Jessica Lowrey and Jonathan X. This year’s “Event Volunteers” were: Pamela Altieri-Paterra, Merry Chen, Christopher J. De Celle, Kevin Huie, Vanessa Rose Ioppolo, Lucille OuYang, Barbara Roche and Ellen M. Rosentreter.

About the DGA Inter-Committee

The DGA Inter-Committee brings together elements of the Guild’s Diversity Committees. For more information about these committees click the links below:

• African American Steering Committee  - Co-Chairs: Courtney Franklin, Carl Seaton and Salli Richardson-Whitfield
• Asian American Committee  - Co-Chairs: Cellin Gluck, Michael Goi and Lily Mariye
• Eastern Diversity Steering Committee - Co-Chairs: Alrick Brown, Lee Daniels and Joyce Thomas
• Latino Committee - Co-Chairs: Regina Ainsworth, Rami Rivera Frankl and Alejandro Treviño
• Women’s Steering Committee - Co-Chairs: Mary Lou Belli, Maria Burton, A. Laura James