Assistant Directors Training Program Announces Graduating Classes and New Trainees

Realizing a need for a diverse pool of properly trained Assistant Directors in the industry, in 1965 the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers established the Directors Guild-Producer Assistant Directors Training Plan (ADTP) on the West Coast. An identical program was established four years later in New York for candidates located on the East Coast.

The ADTP’s purpose is to provide equal access to men and women of diverse backgrounds to participate in an industry sponsored program that trains people to become Second Assistant Directors in the motion picture and television industry.

Each year the ADTP recruits applicants from across the United States and provides selected candidates with education, training and paid experience in professional settings, facilitating their development into successful Assistant Directors. The West Coast program typically accepts 15-25 trainees while the East Coast program accepts 8-10. Both programs’ ultimate goal is to provide the DGA and the industry with Assistant Directors of the highest quality and professionalism and trainees undergo 400 days of hands-on work experience on actual film and television projects. A rotation system places trainees on the sets of various features, television series and commercials under the supervision of DGA Second Assistant Directors, First Assistant Directors and Unit Production Managers until graduation. Trainees also attend a number of mandatory seminars on various aspects of the industry.

The ADTP recently announced the names of those accepted to the 2005 Program. They are: Michelle Butler, Rachel Caproni, Sonja Christoph, Audrey Clark, Chris Corrado, Allan Fortes, Cecelia Gunn, Anna Harris, Matthew Janssen, Helena Lamb, Rebecca Lombardi, Joshua Madera, Michael Mendez, Fred Mercado, Stacy Stuart, and Markus Von Allmen on the West Coast ADTP; and Ukeme Emem, Sean Farrell, Nicole Feder, Marissa Kaplan, Liam McKiernan, Lisa Meier, Katie Mulligan and Aurora Warfield in the New York Program.

The graduates of the class of 2003 are: Kate Boyle, Patricia Butler, Margot Coleman, Daniella Eisman, Yor-El Francis, Michelle Gritzer, Leah King, Dan Lazarovits, Jessica Lowrey, Michael Naylor, Jenny Nolan, Yuko Ogata, Gregory Pawlik, Jr, Joseph Payton, Rachel Smith, and Kea Watson on the West Coast; and Chris DeAngelis, Charlie Foster and Marcy Patterson in New York. Their names will now be placed on the Qualification List (QL), making them eligible for employment as a Second Assistant Director and for membership in the DGA.