On April 7, 2011, DGA National Executive Director Jay D. Roth announced the promotion of longtime Guild executive Marcel Giacusa to the position of Associate Executive Director.
"I'm proud to announce the promotion of Marcel Giacusa to Associate Executive Director," said Roth. "Marcel is one of the most dedicated, capable employees the Guild has ever had. We're very lucky to benefit from his knowledge, expertise and energy as he and his staff tirelessly work to provide our members with facilities and an environment in which to enjoy the many advantages of being Guild members.
As head of the Operations Department, Giacusa is responsible for all building and theater operations, management and leasing activities in Los Angeles and New York. Giacusa also serves as the National Executive Awards Administrator, responsible for producing the annual DGA Awards ceremony in Los Angeles and the biennial DGA Honors event in New York.
Giacusa began working at the DGA part-time while in high school and during college. After graduating from UCLA, he took a full-time position at the Guild. He was a key member of the team that oversaw the planning and construction of the new Los Angeles headquarters building in the late 1980s, including the state of the art theaters. In the early 1990s, he began producing the DGA Awards, managing the shift from the dinner dance it was at the time to the modern awards show format it is today. Giacusa also supervised the recent renovation of the New York building and theater.
Recently, Giacusa oversaw the upgrade to the LA headquarters building operations that helped the DGA achieve a Silver LEED Certification for environmentally-conscious practices.
In his new position, Giacusa will continue to oversee the DGA's Los Angeles and New York building and theater operations including maintaining the theaters' state-of-the-art condition, producing the annual DGA Awards and DGA Honors, running the membership screening program which screens hundreds of films for members in LA, New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and San Francisco every year, and overseeing logistics and budgets for all DGA events in LA and New York. He reports to National Executive Director Jay D. Roth.
