On August 18 ahead of their online meeting, the Women’s Steering Committee (WSC) hosted the discussion, Best Practices for Working with Fire, Water & Stunts - A Spotlight on the Women of Station 19.
Following a few words by DGA Past President Paris Barclay — who also serves as the Producer/Director of Station 19 — Directors Stacey K. Black, Tessa Blake, DeMane Davis and Nicole Rubio, Director/Executive Producer Krista Vernoff, UPM/Co-Executive Producer Sara E. White, UPM/Co-Producer Amy Schmidt and First Assistant Director Kris Krengel discussed how they keep the production running smoothly and safely on the action-driven series.
In a conversation moderated by Directors/WSC Activities & Events Committee Co-Coordinators Shaz Bennett and Rachel Raimist, the panelists covered multiple aspects of achieving the stunts and effects needed on the show.
Vernoff spoke on the richness that a diverse crew and directors has brought to series. Black described stunt work and discussions with writers to get scenes shot. Blake focused on bringing scripts to life whether and working with the actors. Rubio discussed the physical challenges of major stunts and working with teams to ensure safety. DeMane covered the details of working with fire and the importance of safety. Schmidt and Krengel spoke about the challenges of CGI versus real fire stunts, their roles in bringing in every Director up to speed on the series and ensuring the maximization of every shoot day.
Following the moderated portion of the conversation, the panelists fielded questions submitted by the online the audience.
About the Panelists:
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 Director Stacey K. Black
In addition to her work on Station 19, Black has directed episodes of Stumptown, All Rise, A Million Little Things, NCIS: New Orleans, The Fix, Midnight Texas, Bull, MacGyver, Major Crimes and The Closer. She has been a DGA member since 2010.
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 Director Tessa Blake
An alumna of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women, Blake’s other credits include episodes of The Blacklist, A Million Little Things and Riverdale. She has been a DGA member since 2015.
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 Director DeMane Davis
Davis’ other credits include episodes of Queen Sugar, The Red Line, For The People, How to Get Away with Murder and Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker. She has been a DGA member since 2017.
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 1st AD Kris Krengel
A DGA Member since 1994, Krengel has worked on all forms of productions including Gus Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho, Charles Burnett’s Selma Lord Selma, Betty Thomas’ Dr. Doolittle; series such as Beverly Hills 90210, Lost and The Last Ship and various commercials, music videos, video games, and television pilots.
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 Director Nicole Rubio
Rubio has directed over 30 episodes of including episodes of Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, FBI, Grey’s Anatomy and A Million Little Things. She has been a DGA member since 2013.
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 UPM/Co-Producer Amy J. Schmidt
A DGA Member since 1996, Schmidt has worked on everything from small independent films to large blockbuster studio releases such as Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday and Cameron Crowe’s Jerry Maguire.
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 UPM/Co-Executive Producer Sara E. White
White is currently working on her second season as Co-Executive Producer on Station 19. Some of her other UPM credits include features such as Justin Lin’s Fast & Furious, Jon Favreau’s Iron Man and Alan Taylor's Thor: The Dark World. She has been a DGA member since 2006.
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 Director/Executive Producer Krista Vernoff
Vernoff is the Showrunner and Executive Producer of ABC’s long-running hit series Grey’s Anatomy as well as the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Station 19. She made her directorial debut in 2016 with her award-winning short film Stars and joined the DGA in 2018.
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 Director Shaz Bennett (moderator)
Bennett’s directorial credits include feature film, Alaska is a Drag, based on her short of the same name; as well as episodes of the series Billions, Queen Sugar, Animal Kingdom and Bosch; and the short films Desert Rats, Top of the Circle and Tunnels. Bennett joined the Guild in 2019.
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 Director Rachel Raimist (moderator)
A DGA member since 2018, Raimist’s directorial credits include episodes of the series, Greenleaf, Truth to Power, Queen Sugar and Roswell, New Mexico; and the documentaries Stories of the Storm and Nobody Knows My Name.
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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 net-working events, screenings and seminars, and fosters relationships between the members to provide support, mentoring and networking opportunities. The WSC’s current Co-Chairs are Maria Burton, Hanelle Culpepper and Liz Ryan.