DGA Announces Special Award Winners for 77th Annual DGA Awards

December 12, 2024

Los Angeles – The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced today the recipients of two special DGA Awards, recognizing exemplary service to the Guild and for extraordinary career achievements. The awards will be presented at the 77th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 8, 2025.

Unit Production Manager (UPM) Mary Rae Thewlis will receive the Robert B. Aldrich Award, which recognizes extraordinary service to the DGA and its membership, and UPM Thomas J. Whelan will receive the Frank Capra Achievement Award, which is given to an Assistant Director or UPM in recognition of notable career achievements in the industry and for outstanding service to the DGA.

“We are so proud to honor Mary Rae and Tom for their unwavering dedication and selfless service to their Guild and fellow members,” said DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter.

“For more than 30 years, Mary Rae has led with both kindness and strength, bringing her experience, talent, and passion to Guild service – all while maintaining a successful and demanding career,” continued Glatter. “As former National Vice President, she brought her trademark good humor backed by steely resolve to tackle difficult issues – our secret weapon to ensuring the best outcome for DGA members. Her legacy of leadership on the National Board and the Eastern AD/UPM Council has left an indelible mark on our Guild, exemplifying the service and dedication on which our Guild was founded, making her a most deserving recipient of the Robert B. Aldrich Award.”

“Tom’s remarkable career is matched only by his own deep commitment to uplifting others through his service to the DGA,” remarked Glatter. “Tom has fostered a close-knit community through his leadership of the Eastern AD/UPM Council, and he has helped create a more inclusive and supportive Guild.”

“Together, they embody the spirit of collaboration, dedication, and excellence that makes our Guild thrive. We congratulate them for being selected as the recipients of this year’s outstanding service awards,” concluded Glatter.

2025 Robert B. Aldrich Award: Mary Rae Thewlis

A DGA member since 1993, Mary Rae Thewlis’ service to the DGA began when she was elected as an alternate for the first of her thirteen terms on the Eastern AD/UPM Council. She went on to serve six consecutive terms in numerous elected positions including Chair, 1st Vice Chair to Secretary/Treasurer.

She was first elected to the DGA National Board in 2005 as an Associate Board Member, going on serve as a full Board member before being elected as the Guild’s Fourth Vice President in 2017 before being tapped for the post of National Vice President of the Guild in 2019.

Thewlis’ other Guild service includes serving a Trustee of the DGA Pension and Health Plan (first appointed in 2007), the DGA Training Plan (first appointed in 2004) and the Directors Guild Foundation (first appointed in 2014). Her committee appointments through the years include: the Diversity Task Force, the Eastern Diversity Steering Committee, the 75th Anniversary Committee and the East Coast/West Coast Residency Committee. Thewlis also served on the DGA Negotiations Committee for the 2001, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2023 negotiations cycles, and as a delegate to the DGA Biennial Conventions and, most recently, as a Co-Chair of the DGA Honors Committee.

Thewlis began her career as a trainee in the DGA Assistant Director Training Program where she worked on features including Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence and Andrew Bergman’s Honeymoon in Vegas. Her more recent credits include serving as a UPM and Producer for the hit FX series The Americans and prior to that, for more than thirteen years on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Thewlis has also worked as a UPM, Assistant Director or Producer on such feature films as Jon Avnet’s Up Close & Personal, Jeff Pollack’s Above the Rim; and television series such as 666 Park Avenue and the mini-series Lisey’s Story.

For her service to the Guild and her professional accomplishments, Thewlis was the recipient of the DGA’s Frank Capra Achievement Award in 2016.

2025 Frank Capra Achievement Award: Thomas J. Whelan

After starting his industry career as an Assistant Location Manager, Whelan joined the DGA in 1997 as the Location Manager on Richard Pearce’s movie for television Thicker Than Blood. He would go on to forge a career with features such as Miloš Forman’s Man on the Moon, Kasi Lemmons’ The Caveman’s Valentine, Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, David Mamet’s Heist, Terry George’s Reservation Road, and Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married.

His UPM credits include the series Blue Bloods, Gotham, Evil, Night Sky and Diarra from Detroit. Whelan was also part of the DGA Award-nominated teams on Barry Levinson’s movie for television You Don’t Know Jack and episodes of Sex & the City.

Whelan’s busy professional career never dissuaded him from Guild service. He was first elected as an alternate member of the Eastern AD/UPM Council in 2000 and would go on to serve for over twenty years as a Council member or alternate, including three years as 2nd Vice Chairperson, three years as 1st Vice Chairperson and three years as Council Chair. He is the Founding Chair of the Council’s 2nd AD/Location Manager Committee, served as Co-Chair of the Eastern Internet Liaison Committee, the UPM Committee, and the Proposals Committee; and served on the Council’s Location Manager Exploratory Committee, Sustainable Production Committee, Waiver Review Committee, and Member Education Committee. Whelan served on the DGA Website Advisory Committee, and for six cycles on the BA/FLTTA Negotiations Committee from 2008–2023. Additionally, he was elected twice as a Second Alternate on the DGA National Board and is a member of the DGA PAC Leadership Council and a Trustee to the DGA Foundation.

77th Annual DGA Awards Key Dates

• Tuesday, January 7, 2025: Television, Commercial and Documentary Nominees Announced.
• Wednesday, January 8, 2025: Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film Nominees Announced.

Past recipients of the DGA Robert B. Aldrich Award: