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DDI-WWPD

Working with Producer/Directors

March 26, 2026

A Director Development Initiative Virtual Lab

Producer/Directors (PDs) play a pivotal role in episodic television and are tasked with managing key production details, such as scheduling and budgeting, while also supporting guest Directors and effectively collaborating with everyone on set. On March 26, DGA members received valuable information on how PDs can support guest Directors on set during the Director Development Initiative (DDI) lab, Working with Producer/Directors.

The online event featured DGA Past President Lesli Linka Glatter (Imperfect Women) and Directors Amanda Marsalis (The Pitt) and Craig Siebels (Cross) in a conversation moderated by Director Eli Gonda (Neon) that explored discuss the role of the PD — how they work best with guest Directors — and offer tips how to succeed on set and how to work with them to pivot and problem solve when challenges arise.

During the conversation, Glatter, Marsalis, and Siebels revealed how, as PDs, their work to support guest Directors and be a guide for the show begins in prep. They offered strategies for how to do this, including answering questions, sharing important show-specific information, and serving as advocates by building up guest Directors and championing them among the cast and crew prior to them coming to work on set. Together, they emphasized how the role of a PD is to empower guest Directors and to help them to succeed, with Glatter noting, “Our job is not to micromanage someone, it's to give them the freedom to fly, but armed with everything they need.”  

Following the discussion, Gonda led an audience Q&A that went deeper into topics such as strategies for how guest Directors can approach working with PDs across different shows and tools that PDs may use (e.g., lookbooks, decks) to effectively communicate with guest Directors.

DGA Members can watch the full video from
Director Development Initiative events by clicking here.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:

Lesli Linka GlatterDGA Past President Lesli Linka Glatter
Glatter’s directorial and producing credits include episodes of Imperfect Women, Zero Day, Love & Death, Homeland, Law & Order True Crime, Six, The Leftovers, The Playboy Club and The Chicago Code. Her directorial credits also includethe features Now and Then, The Proposition and State of Emergency; and episodes of The Morning Show, The West Wing, ER and Freaks and Geeks. She is a nine-time DGA Award nominee most recently in the 2025 Limited & Anthology Series category for Zero Day, “Episode 6” and previously in 2018, 2016, 2013 and 2012 for the Dramatic Series category for her Homeland episodes, “Paean to the People,” “The Tradition of Hospitality,” “The Star,” and “Q & A,” as well as in 1990 for Twin Peaks, “Episode 32006.” She previously won in the Dramatic Series category in 2020 for Homeland, “Prisoners of War,” in 2015 for Homeland, “From A to B and Back Again, and in 2009 for Mad Men, “Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency.” Glatter has been a DGA member since 1985 and served as the President of the Guild from 2021 to 2025.
 

Amanda MarsalisDirector Amanda Marsalis
Marsalis’ directorial and producing credits include episodes of Ransom Canyon, The Pitt, and Invasion. Her directorial credits also include the feature, Echo Park; the pilot of Naomi; and episodes of Cape Fear, Ozark, Westworld, and The Umbrella Academy. She recently won the 2025 DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for her episode of The Pitt, “6:00 P.M.” Marsalis joined the DGA in 2017.

 

Craig SiebelsDirector Craig Siebels
Siebels’ directorial and producing credits include episodes of Cross, Good Sam, Blood & Treasure, The Gifted and Burn Notice. His directorial credits also include episodes of Turner & Hooch, APB, MacGyver, Complications and Stitchers. Siebels has been a DGA member since 2011.

 

Eli GondaDirector Eli Gonda (moderator)
Gonda’s directorial credits include the feature films Sid Is Dead and The Outfield; and episodes of Neon, With Love, Freeridge, On My Block, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Husbands. He has been a member of the DGA since 2019 and currently serves as a Co-Chair of the Latino CommitteeThroughout the discussion, Lee posed key questions to the panelists, while also asking questions from the audience, covering topics such as which tools the panelists use to create their pitch decks and offered advice on how to approach pitching for different kinds of shows.
About the Director Development Initiative:

The Director Development Initiative is designed to provide current information on the Director’s craft in order to further the Guild’s goal to increase diversity and inclusion in the industry. The DDI Lab series is an ongoing initiative that hosts regular workshops virtually and in person.


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