Second Assistant Directors gathered for their annual brunch meeting hosted by the Western AD/UPM Council’s Second AD Committee at the Guild’s Los Angeles headquarters on May 14. This year’s get-together was entitled Work Smarter, Not Harder and was a seminar on how to achieve that goal.

Following greetings from Western AD/UPM Council Chair Liz Ryan and Second AD Committee Co-Chairs Jennie O’Keefe and Tim Engle, the attendees gathered into smaller discussion groups, each of which covered a separate subject.

Technology explored making the best use of modern tools like using Twitter to update the cast and crew on the schedule, and was moderated by Tim Engle and Marc Newland. The Job delivered helpful tips like laminating call sheets on a rainy day, and was moderated by Jennie O’Keefe and Staci Lamkin. AD Lifestyle covered everything from how personal fitness can improve your job performance to tips for living green, and was moderated by Lisa Chu and Ari Oyola. And Career Resources clued the attendees in to what’s available such as the Safety Bulletins on the CSATF website, and the legendary Jeffords Rules, and was moderated by Jo Ann Lowrie and Alicia Hailey.

After these sessions, everyone reconvened in the boardroom and each group presented the ideas developed for their subject. The day ended with an informal networking session.