On March 30, the Guild held a special farewell reception for retiring DGA Associate National Executive Director Warren Adler. Guild members, professional associates and DGA staff gathered in the Los Angeles DGA Headquarters’ atrium to bid Adler adieu after his thirty-two years of service.
The ceremony included colorful stories about working with Adler from DGA President Taylor Hackford, Secretary-Treasurer Gil Cates, and DGA Creative Rights Committee Co-chairs Steven Soderbergh and Jonathan Mostow, who also presented Adler with a gift from the committee, an engraved crystal trophy. Then DGA National Executive Director Jay D. Roth, whose relationship with Adler stretches back before his tenure at the Guild, shared tales from their long and rich history and how they watched it grow from a tiny workforce to the modern organization it is today. Finally taking the podium, Adler spoke about the satisfaction he’s experienced since answering the DGA’s ad 32 years ago.
“It is really has been a pleasure working for an organization that has members like the Directors Guild,” said Adler. “There probably is no other organization like it that has members who work with professional staff with such mutual respect and affection. When I first came to the Guild, I thought my job as the number two person would be to support Jay as the boss. I quickly learned it was the other way around.”
In closing, Adler prompted the audience to join him in a toast to the Guild’s 75th Anniversary and added, “with the open expectation that it will be strong and smart for another 75 years.”
