On June 28, the DGA 75th Anniversary Committee and the Eastern AD/UPM Council presented Beyond the Director’s Chair: A 75th Anniversary Celebration of the Director’s Team. DGA members and guests gathered in the Guild's New York Theater for an evening honoring the indispensable contributions of Assistant Directors, Unit Production Managers and Location Managers, who work to ensure a director’s ability to bring his or her vision to life. 

The evening began with a screening of video testimonials from 22 ADs and UPMs who revisited their most memorable moments and told brief stories about how they helped capture a Director's vision in film and television. Welcoming the audience, DGA Fourth Vice President Gary Donatelli said, “It’s called ‘The Directors Guild of America,' but it’s also the ‘Director’s Team Guild’ and we all know that. On behalf of all directors, I want to thank each and every one of you for everything you do to make us look good and make our work work.”

Donatelli was followed by Eastern AD/UPM Council Member Trish Adlesic and Council First Vice Chair Les McDonough, who were appointed by former Council Chair Louis Guerra as co-chairs of the committee tasked with planning the event. They gave a brief history of ADs and UPMs in the Guild that framed the context for the evening then introduced the panelists and moderator. 

After a brief screening of clips from their work, the evening was then turned over to DGA Award-winning director Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer) who moderated a panel of distinguished ADs, UPMs, and Location Managers.

The panelists were:

•  UPM Celia Costas, a DGA member since 1981 whose credits include Mike Nichols’ DGA Award-winning movie for television Angels in America, Oliver Stone’s feature Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, and Ang Lee’s feature Taking Woodstock
• UPM Carol Cuddy a member since 1991 whose credits include Martin Scorsese’s DGA and Academy Award-winning feature The Departed, Sydney Pollack’s The Interpreter, and Lee Grant’s Academy Award-winning documentary Down and Out in America
• UPM Burtt Harris a DGA member since 1964 whose credits include John Schlesinger’s DGA and Academy Award-winning feature Midnight Cowboy, Sidney Lumet’s DGA and Academy Award-nominated feature Dog Day Afternoon, and Elia Kazan’s DGA and Academy Award-nominated feature America, America
• 1st AD Michael Hausman, a DGA member since 1974 whose credits include Ang Lee’s DGA and Academy Award-winning feature Brokeback Mountain, Milos Forman’s DGA and Academy Award-winning feature Amadeus, and Jay Roach’s DGA Award-winning movie for television Recount
• UPM Kathleen McGill, a DGA member since 1995 whose credits include Ron Howard’s DGA Award-winning feature A Beautiful Mind, and Howard’s features The Da Vinci Code, and The Dilemma and
• 1st AD Joseph Reidy, a DGA member since 1979 whose credits include Martin Scorsese’s DGA Award-winning feature The Departed, Oliver Stone’s DGA Award-winning feature Born on the Fourth of July, and Darren Aronofsky’s DGA Award-nominated feature Black Swan

“I couldn’t get through a movie without the incredible creative help of the people whose work we are honoring here tonight,” said Benton, who got the panel started with the question. “What made you decide to go into this insane business? How did you get started?”

The panelists kept the audience thoroughly entertained as they shared their insights and recounted their experiences working on game-changing productions in New York and the eastern region.