Associate Director/Stage Manager David Charles will become the 34th recipient of the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, which will be presented at the DGA Awards ceremony in February. The Schaffner Award is given to an Associate Director or Stage Manager in recognition of their service to the industry and the Guild.
A DGA member since 2000, Charles’ service to the DGA began when he was elected as an Alternate for the first of his eight terms on the Western AD/SM/PA Council. He went on to serve two consecutive terms as a Council Member and three terms as the Council’s First Vice Chair. He has also served as a member of the BA/FLTTA Negotiations Committee in 2020 and 2023, on the Return to Work Committee and is currently a Co-Chair of the Guild’s Reality Television Committee.
Asked about his commitment to DGA service Charles responded, “From the moment I joined, my fellow members strongly encouraged me to attend meetings and Guild functions. I found the more I participated, the stronger my connection became to the industry. I also learned that through volunteering I could help in affecting positive change. In 2005, when I started working in reality television, I realized that the genre lacked the organization and professionalism that support from the Guild would provide. In an effort to help create more jobs in Reality Television for myself and my peers, I familiarized myself with the Guild leadership and staff, volunteering to help in any way I could.”
Among those efforts he counts being selected to serve on the DGA’s Return to Work Committee that was tasked with finding ways to bring the industry back during the COVID epidemic as his proudest achievement.
“I feel incredibly proud to have played a part in working with the brilliant minds whose innovative thinking led our industry back to work safely.”
Charles’ credits as a Stage Manager span commercially successful scripted and live television shows including Sesame Street, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Deal or No Deal, Shark Tank, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Last Comic Standing, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, America’s Next Top Model, The Masked Singer, Dancing with the Stars, and more. And in 2020, Charles was nominated for a DGA Award in the Reality Programs category for his work directing World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji.
Looking back over his career, Charles acknowledges the guidance he received from fellow DGA members who served as mentors along the way.
“There are so many brilliant and creative Guild members who have offered guidance and support to me over the years. Seth Mellman, Peter Margolis, Ken Stein, and Dency Nelson all played a huge part in my early success and I continue to learn from those I work beside.”
Looking forward, he offers this tip to others coming up.
“I advise new members to get involved, meet as many peers as they can, and observe other Directors, Stage Managers, and ADs on set. I’ve always found my fellow DGA members eager and willing to share knowledge and give advice to new colleagues.”
On being selected as the latest recipient of this prestigious award Charles said, “Receiving the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award is a tremendous honor. I believe there is great value in sharing one’s experience and knowledge. To that end, I’ve endeavored to pay forward all I’ve learned through volunteering, service, and mentorship. To see my efforts recognized by my peers, who I deeply respect, is quite humbling.”
Past recipients of the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award:
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