Associate Directors & Stage Managers Tout Their Support Of New DGA Contract – Watch The Video

David Robb
·3 min read

The Directors Guild of America has released a new video of associate directors and stage managers touting their support of the guild’s tentative agreement for new film and TV contract. The pact, which covers directors and members of their teams, is being put to the members for ratification.

The new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, , which was reached on June 4, was unanimously recommended for ratification by the guild’s board, whose members include Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, 2nd Vice President Ron Howard and 5th Vice President Ava DuVernay. Members’ ratification voting on the pact will be completed on June 23.

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Click here to watch the video.

“I’m really excited about the contract that the DGA negotiated for us this year,” said associate director Crystal Sanchez. Pointing to the 5% pay raise in the first year of the three-year contract, she said, “That’s major.”

Here are some more of the testimonials:

“I’m voting ‘yes’ because stage managers finally get a piece of the residuals pie, and that’s important to me. I’m voting ‘yes’ because Juneteenth is a DGA holiday, and that represents how our union feels about diversity and inclusiveness.”
— Stage manager Tanya Person-Irby

“To me, there’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. It’s a ‘yes’ all the way down the line. Everything about this contract is absolutely the right thing for our members.”
— Associate director and stage manager Gary Natoli

“I’m voting ‘yes’ because I think the negotiating committee got a great deal.”
— Stage manager John Esposito

“I’m voting ‘yes’ for safety gains, for wage gains, and one safety gain that I’m looking forward to is firearm safety training for associate directors and stage managers, something previously unavailable to us.”
— Stage manager and associate director Sean Callahan

“In the new seventh-day and holiday pay provisions the rate of compensation has gone from 150% to 200%, which is significant.”
— Associate director and stage manager TJ Ganser

“I’m most excited that when I work on a high-budget SVOD show I’m going to be fully covered. All my terms and conditions – travel, production fee – all the things I need covered without even a question.”
— Associate director Julie Gelfand.

DGA leaders have called the agreement “a truly historic deal,” but not everyone agrees. Numerous dual members of the DGA and the Writers Guild have taken to social media in opposition to the pact. Writer-director Larry Charles, for instance, acknowledged that it’s “quite a good deal” for DGA members but said he’s voting “no” in solidarity with the ongoing WGA strike, which is now in its 45th day.

The DGA video, which was taped at a recent guild meeting of associate directors and stage managers in Los Angeles, doesn’t include any dissenting voices.

On Saturday, the DGA will hold its annual membership meeting in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton, followed by a June 21 membership meeting in New York at the DGA NY Theater.

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