The DGA’s African American Steering Committee (AASC) is proud to announce the third class of The Learning Tree Fellowship Directing Program (TLT).
In 2020, the program was created and spearheaded by Director Jeff Byrd, Co-Chair of the AASC, in direct response to both the halt of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing racial unrest and reckoning in the US during that time and its impact on Black Directors. Its goal is to support, mentor, inspire and prepare emerging African-American Directors for the unique experiences they may face in their careers.
The Learning Tree Fellowship Directing Program was led by Directors Jeff Byrd (YellowJackets), Morenike Joela Evans (Grey’s Anatomy) and Courtney M. Franklin (The Sex Lives of College Girls) and the program’s name is inspired by the first film of trailblazing Photographer and Director, Gordon Parks.
The following eight Directors were selected for this year’s highly competitive fellowship program:
- Nandi Bowe
- Patrick Coker
- Alycia Cooper
- Ruganzu Howard
- Terrisha “TK” Kearse
- Arthur Muhammed
- Candice Vernon
- Eric Wilson
TLT Fellows met twice a week virtually with the program leaders who shared in-depth wisdom on all aspects of directing from networking and prep to representation. Special Guest Mentors including TV Execs, Showrunners, Production Company Execs and Directors meet with the fellows to share their journeys and answer their questions about the industry and the collaboration, creativity and craft required to best succeed as Directors. This year's guest mentors include Ahmadou Seck (VP of Scripted TV, MACRO), Pete Chatmon (AASC Co-Chair, Director/EP Power: Origins), Angela Barnes (Director/ Co-EP Ironheart), Rammla Mohammed (Creator & Showrunner, Reasonable Doubt), Anya Adams (Director/EP North of North) Bill Purple (Director/EP Fire Country) and Brett Dismuke (Head of Content, ALLBLK & WEtv) and Nikki Love (SVP, ALLBLK & WEtv).
“The one who takes a chance, who walks the line between the known and unknown, who is unafraid of failure, will succeed.”
— Gordon Parks
We believe that the peer-to-peer support and guidance that these talented Directors received from The Learning Tree Fellowship Directing Program will set them up for success on any project they direct as the industry continues to shift.
For more information about the AASC’s The Learning Tree Fellowship program, please email aasc@dga.org.
About the Committee:
The African American Steering Committee (AASC) was born of a desire to address the specific needs of the African-American members of the Directors Guild. One of the primary goals of the Committee is to establish a productive line of communication between African-American members and the creative community. The Committee meets monthly to plan events throughout the year celebrating the achievements of African-Americans, as well as forums with industry executives to proactively address what can be done to hire more African-Americans.
