On November 14, AD and UPM members had an opportunity to get valuable information about their Guild during the online event, Beyond Orientation: How the DGA Works For You. In a first of its kind bi-coastal event hosted jointly by the Eastern & Western AD/UPM Councils’ Education Committees, key members of the Councils and Committees and DGA Staff went beyond what one would hear at a typical new member orientation, with in-depth presentations on a variety of subjects.
After Western AD/UPM Council member Cleve Landsberg introduced the welcomes from Eastern Council Chair Lyn Pinezich and Western Council Chair Linda Montanti, the day was filled with presentations including: DGA National Vice President Mary Rae Thewlis on the operations and procedures of the Guild; Assistant Executive Director Mary Hatch and Special Assignments Executive Faith Santilla on how the DGA staff, Field Reps and Contracts Department work together to protect the creative and economic rights of the membership; Associate Board Member Jennie O’Keefe Armas on reporting your work and online training modules on safety, harassment and COVID; Eastern AD/UPM Council’s Eastern Regional Committee chair Alison Rosa on the Committee’s work; DGA Board Member Kathleen McGill on the Guild’s Annual Meetings and negotiations process; Eastern AD/UPM Council Alternate Canella Williams-Larrabee on the Guild’s efforts to increase diversity and inclusion within the industry; Latino Committee Co-Chair Regina Ainsworth on the three-day Diversity & Inclusion Summit held by the Guild in September; UPM Phil Goldfarb on the Pension and Health Plans; Second Alternate Board Member Shawn Pipkin-West on the DGA PAC and an update on the status of the DGA Awards; Santilla on what is happening now as members return to work on the set in the COVID world; Assistant Executive Director Steven Knauss, Senior Field Rep Bart Daudelin 1st AD Kevin Koster and 2nd AD Les McDonough on the Qualification Lists; Knauss and Contracts Administrator Renae Robinson on the different DGA contracts that exist and streaming media; and Administrative Assistant Ian Stewart on the services available on www.dga.org.
The day wrapped with a Q&A session introduced by Eastern AD/UPM Council Member Education Committee Chair Michael Reichman and moderated by Montanti and Pinezich, where the online attendees had their questions addressed by Council members and DGA staff.
About the Councils
The Eastern and Western AD/UPM Councils are the elected bodies that represent the Assistant Director and Unit Production Manager members of the Guild who work in film, television, commercials and new media.