April 30, the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) meeting featured the discussion, First to the Finish: In Conversation with Annetta Marion.

During the discussion moderated by FOWC Director Category Representative, Lisa Cortés, Marion spoke about the making of her new non-fiction series, First to the Finish, which takes us into the world of motorsports, as three women pursue their dreams at the 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship Season.

“The project was really ‘Fast to the Finish,’” said Marion. “I got the call on a Wednesday or Thursday, interviewed Friday, was invited to meet Mazda, was offered the job as Director and Showrunner. We were traveling and shooting the following Monday or Tuesday to go Daytona International Speedway to start. Mazda had chosen the talent already, and the idea that we were going to be covering the race as well as the hometown visits was established as the style of the show. When I started, I was focused on creating relationships with the talent out of the gate because everything was happening very quickly, not only for us, the production team, but also for them. I also focused on locking the tone and visual style because everything goes from that—the production plan, how we craft the show.”

In addition to First to the Finish, Marion’s directorial credits include episodes of Oprah’s Master Class, Mission Juno and The 47th Floor. She also produced and second unit directed Davis Guggenheim’s documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. A DGA member since 2009, Marion serves on the Eastern Directors Council, as an alternate on the DGA National Board and was a former co-chair of the Focus on Women Committee.

About the Committee:

Originally a sub-committee of the Eastern Directors Council, in 2020 the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) was designated an official and permanent committee of the DGA National Board for women members residing in the Eastern Region. The Committee would like to remind members that while their events are designed with a special focus on women Directors, all DGA members are welcome to attend.

• For more about the FOWC and to see coverage of other events, click here to visit the Committee's webpage.