November 5, 2015
DGA members living in the Midwest received updates about the Guild’s activities directly from President Paris Barclay during the Chicago-Area General Membership Meeting on November 5 in the Hotel Allegro. Hosted by the Chicago Coordinating Committee (CCC), the evening was part of the Guild’s ongoing effort to provide opportunities for Chicago-area members to network with their peers, meet Guild staff and contribute to the discussion of how the DGA can best represent them.
The evening began with a cocktail reception where the attending members had the opportunity to meet and greet. Then DGA Associate National Executive Director Russ Hollander introduced President Barclay, who began by expressing his joy at being back in his hometown.
“I am particularly proud to be here for the first-ever Chicago-Area General Membership meeting,” said Barclay. “Tonight my goal is to bring you up to date about what’s happening at your Guild, and specifically how these issues affect you, our Chicago members.”
After acknowledging the work of the CCC and thanking them for their efforts on behalf of their fellow members, Barclay spoke on a variety of subjects including an overview of the growth in episodic television and residuals, the future of new media, how the diversity of genres affect the region, and accessed how the Guild’s service plan for members in the Midwest is working after a year of implementation.
“We now have a team of five executives and field representatives assigned to represent you,” said Barclay. “More sets are being visited; more contract grievances are being resolved; more training and special events are happening than ever before; and you are better integrated into the organization as a whole. We are proud of the increased level of service and representation the Guild is providing to its Midwestern members, and we look forward to maintaining this high level of service in the future.”
The meeting concluded with a Q&A where Barclay, DGA Associate National Executive Director/Eastern Executive Director Russ Hollander and DGA Special Assignments Executive Mike Ryan fielded questions from the attendees.
About the Committee:
The Chicago Coordinating Committee was formed in the mid-1960s to coordinate Guild activities in the Chicago Area, including acting as liaison between members and the Guild, disseminating information, and promoting public awareness of the Guild. The Committee is Co-Chaired by Directors Jef Kos and John McNaughton. The CCC members are Directors Nadine Aloisio-Sorenson, Alyson Koch, Harlan Shapiro, Marc Shaykin, Cheryl Stutzke, Rosie Cruz Weaver, and Thomas Wekonky Jr.; AD/UPMs Gretchen Brown, Valerie Bulinski, Al Cohn, Lorin Fulton, Forrest Futrell, Richard Lederer, Natasha Parker, Nick Rafferty and Monoleto Wilborn; and AD/SM/PAs Guy DiBenedetto, Cynthia Malek and William Natale.
photos by Jeff Kash