1st AD Jennifer Reiss and 2nd AD Jason Melius discuss the challenges of filming the season finale of CBS' All Rise, which was prepped and filmed entirely remotely.
2nd AD Joann "JoJo" Connolly doesn't take any part of her work for granted.
2nd AD Rachel Jaros keeps her game face on when it comes to assigning responsibilities on The Irishman.
2nd AD Eric Lasko appreciates the unexpected, both in life and on set.
Production associate Nate Hapke thrives on the fast paced environment at General Hospital
Late Night With Seth Meyers associate director Amy Mancini is usually busiest after three in the afternoon.
Stage manager David Auerbach enjoys the choreographed chaos of a typical morning at The Today Show.
Associate director Richard "Mercury" Melendez was tasked with creating and implementing a comprehensive safety protocol on Discovery's Man Vs Bear.
"I think the less words you use on headset the better," says Desus & Mero associate director Jodie Taylor.
Real Time with Bill Maher associate director Stacy Talbot recalls her scariest moment on the show, from four years ago.
UPM Bill Carraro met his biggest challenge yet on Ben Stiller's Showtime limited series Escape at Dannemora.
For Associate Director Jeremy Hardwick solving puzzles is all in a day's work on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.
Even after 17 seasons on The Voice, associate director Laura Lyons pays close attention to the information at hand.
1st AD Shawn Pipkin-West brainstorms simple solutions for seemingly complex problems.
1st AD Leo N. Bauer take his time on set.
Associate director Duncan White's reality tv experience informs his work on scripted series.
2nd AD Michelle Parvin loves the collaborative atmosphere on Amazing Stories.
UPM Suzanne Geiger is always prepared for whatever the day could bring.
On Venom, the devil is in the details for UPM Dana Robin
1st AD Michael J. Moore's scheduling system worked like a charm on A Wrinkle in Time.
Associate Director Susan Faith Locke-Shapiro's work doesn't end once cameras stop rolling on The Daily Show.
2nd AD/1st AD Michelle Gritzer on coordinating staged wrestling matches in GLOW
1st AD Rebecca Strickland filmed all around the world, including on international waters, for The Romanoffs.
1st AD Lisa C. Satriano uses cover sets rain or shine on Black Panther.
Stage manager Chris Kelly problem solves on short notice for Saturday Night Live.
Associate director Betsy Riley gets creative during Triple Crown races like the Belmont Stakes.
2nd AD John Silvestri loves solving problems on set.
2nd AD Dana Zolli ensures that communication remains clear when on location for The Sinner.
1st AD Gerard DiNardi has made a name for himself as a go-to horror AD.
UPM Jennifer Radzikowski discusses the artistry of her work on The Florida Project.
On the set of Grace and Frankie, UPM Joan Van Horn has her routine ready to go.
CBS Sports production associate Amanda Rodriguez loves the unpredictability of live sports broadcasts.
2nd AD Stefan Rand is always prepared while on the Chicago Fire set.
Whether on a blockbuster Marvel film set or a smaller character-driven drama, 2nd AD Kristina Peterson traffics in minutiae.
CBS Sports associate director Cory Fishman describes himself as a traffic controller.
For 1st AD Marty Eli Schwartz, making sure the actors feel comfortable is all part of the job.
Stage Manager Jerri Churchill strives "to always be the most well-prepared person on the set."
Time may not always be on her side, but 2nd AD Lisa Zugschwerdt makes the most of it.
Staging a big dance sequence on a busy L.A. freeway was just the challenge UPM Michael Beugg had been waiting for.
Associate Director Maureen Smith loves traveling with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2nd AD Jaysene Overton explains her unique way of finding background actors for difficult crosses on medical dramas.
Staging two live shows a week during seasons of The Voice is par for the course for stage manager Chris Hines.
Associate Director Ken Diego on the quick decision-making of the 2017 Oscars.
UPM Jon Paré knows how to act in the face of Mother Nature.
Associate Director Gady Reinhold makes sure the trains run on time at CBS
1st AD Carol Vitkay explains how she prepped for a house fire in How to Get Away With Murder
2nd AD Matt Haggerty always has his passport ready.
2nd AD Jason Graham recounts a memorable experience setting background on Girls.
For UPM Deb Dyer, nothing on the set of P.T. Barnum biopic The Greatest Showman was ordinary.
AD Anna Moulaison-Moore has mastered the quick learning curve necessary for reality competition shows.
1st AD Toby Hefferman on the "biggest challenge" of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
UPM Gwen Bialic's atypical work routine helps her move seamlessly from project to project.
2nd AD Courtney Franklin prioritizes a team mentality.
For Associate Director Allison Reames, each day brings a new, fast-paced challenge.
Stage Manager Annette Powlis is always prepared for live shows.
1st AD Lars Winther fights inclement weather on Marvel films.
Associate Director Jeri-Ann Wong talks to the animals on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
1st AD Chris Della Penna loves the challenge of the job.
Stage Manager Bill Miller is always busy—and that's just how he likes it.
Danielle Rigby’s love of all things equine has made her a better assistant director.
UPM Louise Rosner's 20-year career has taken her all over the world.
In quotes from previous issues, assistant directors, UPMs, associate directors, and stage managers, past and present, reflect on doing their jobs.
Kate Louise Moran worked her way up from a temp job at London Weekend Television, joined an associate director training program, and went on to have a long career in live TV.
UPM Meredith Zamsky spent her first years on the job in New York, but moved to Los Angeles in 2006 and worked on popular shows such as Castle and The Office.
1st AD Richard Styles spends lots of time traveling across the Atlantic from the U.K. to American locations like Oklahoma, Atlanta, and Beverly Hills.
While working the sometimes treacherous water locations on Baywatch, Ken Wada learned staying safe is a team effort.
In the late-'90s Eve Adair was one of the only DGA associate directors in Nashville working in variety television, due mostly, she says, to a series of happy accidents.
Not many ADs who have worked on four Martin Scorsese features can say they owe their career to their janitorial services. But that's how 1st AD Chris Surgent got his foot in the door.
Rick R. Johnson talks about what it’s like being a 1st AD on a variety of projects, from family features like, D3: The Mighty Ducks to hit TV dramas like Being Mary Jane.
Leslie Waldman discusses how she went from studying to be a teacher to becoming a veteran UPM on series such as Gilmore Girls, Weeds, and The Middle.
Eric Fox Hays discusses working in Louisiana on such shows as Common Law, Star-Crossed, and NCIS: New Orleans.
Bruce Moriarty explains how his experiences training horses prepared him in becoming a skilled 1st AD.
From Radio City Music Hall to the Oscars to Peter Pan Live!, Stage Manager Lynn Finkel discusses the excitement and pressure of working in live television.
Second AD Tony Eng discusses how his experiences being a DGA trainee on ER helped pave the way to working on such diverse TV shows as Liv and Maddie and How to Get Away with Murder.
1st AD David Webb discusses how his early interest in political science and journalism helped pave the way to working on such films as Argo, The Ides of March, and Milk.
UPM Laura Benson has worked on several TV shows based in New York, including The Blacklist, The Big C, and Ugly Betty.
1st AD Thomas Kuk says he loves the unpredictability of non-scripted television, working on dozens of reality shows, including Punk’d, Fear Factor, and Stars Earn Stripes.
Stage Manager Jonathan Marks has worked on some of the most successful live and live-to-tape shows on TV, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Price is Right.
Eric Henriquez has traveled all over America as a 1st AD—working in as diverse cities as New York City, Baltimore, and New Orleans.
1st AD Michele Panelli-Venetis' natural gift for organizing led her to a 30-year career working on films as diverse as Alvin and the Chipmunks and Endless Love.
Mark Little went from managing a helicopter courier firm to a 20-year career as a 1st AD, working with directors such as Brett Ratner, Jay Roach, Thomas Carter, and the late George Hickenlooper.
2nd AD Hope Garrison thrives on big challenges, which makes her an ideal 2nd AD -- working on such diverse productions as Glee, Mud, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
From variety, comedy, concerts, awards shows to the Olympics and even the Super Bowl, musicality has always been a key part of Associate Director Sandra Restrepo Considine's 20-year career.
In just a single decade, 2nd AD Francisco Ortiz has filled up his dance card with enough award-winning directors to last a lifetime.
Chris Hines describes stage managing variety shows as a constant balancing act with a variety of tasks and challenges coming your way.
1st AD Anne Berger credits directors Michael Watkins and Michael Dinner on Justified for teaching her to schedule big stunt scenes with special effects in a fraction of the time they’re done.
With a career that includes sterling art house indies and mega tentpole movies, Michael Lerman has seen the full horizon of the AD’s craft--and the view has never been less than incredible.
New York City-based Joaquin Prange says he entered the film business with the full intention of being a cinematographer, but "got hooked" working as a location manager.
In her nearly 20 years as a 2nd 2nd AD on a string of hit TV shows, Alicia Lewis has made “base camp” a safe haven in often roaring seas.
Over the last 20 years, Associate Director Dominick Tringali has been paid to see some of the most legendary moments in New York sports history.
Assistant Director Carla Bowen does what it takes to ensure a smooth production-even if it means sitting on a surfboard out in the ocean for six hours.
UPM Allegra Clegg enjoys the challenge of working on complicated films. Beneath her sunny demeanor is a keen negotiating sense.
Associate Director Kathy Fortine likens her job on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to an air traffic controller. “I have to make sure the landing gear is down, the lights are on, and the runway is clear.”
New York-based Julie Bloom says her favorite part of being a 1st AD is visiting places she’s never been.
As an AD in the busy production world of New York, no one gets more out of less than Doug Torres.
If there were an Ironman award for production professionals, Moore would have won hands down. His career began in 1916 as a child actor.
Richard Cowan, a film school dropout from Vancouver, Canada, says becoming a 1st AD by the tender age of 25 was a dream come true.
O’Keefe says the art of staging TV comedies has changed since she first came into the industry, in the late ’90s, when the DGA training program told recruits they would need pagers.
In a 25-yearlong career, Stage Manager Arthur Lewis has worked on live broadcasts of the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Olympic Games.
Mayer’s devil in the details approach is never more tested than during a presidential election year, when the “circus” that is a nightly newscast hits the road for debates and conventions.
1st AD Josh King, whose partial resume includes movies starring Mike Myers, Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy, says running comedy sets is rarely all fun and games.
On the set of the recent USA Network miniseries, Political Animals, 1st AD Richard Coad's biggest challenge was uniting crews from a trio of production centers in the most diplomatic way.
Working for 15 years as an associate director on Judge Judy has definitely influenced Karen Beck. Why else would she be willing to fess up to a gaffe she made decades ago as a booth PA that even her AD never managed to solve?
Her love for spontaneous filmmaking began on the streets of her hometown Baltimore, where she worked on her first feature as a production assistant on Barry Levinson's Avalon.
It took a degree in television from Emerson College, a three-year internship at Entertainment Tonight, and working for free as a PA in the Roger Corman moviemaking factory before Perritano set her sights on being a unit production manager. Since then she's never looked back.
That old cliché—timing is everything in the film business—rings true with 1st AD Handel Whitmore, who says he’s not sure where he might be if not for a Utah snowstorm.
Some are born to it, and others just fall in. For 1st AD Justin Muller it was the former. His grandmother was one of the first women film editors in Italy and his grandfather was head of publicity for MGM Italia.
Garry Hood has spent the last three decades as the head stage manager for the biggest award shows on TV. Even Michael Jackson (while being escorted to the restroom at the Kennedy Center) asked Hood how he managed to stay so calm during a live show.
First Assistant Director Peter Kohn laughs when asked what it is with him and water. "I have spent a fair bit of time around islands," he admits.
Former actor Dency Nelson has been a TV stage manager for some 35 years and has worked more than two dozen Oscar telecasts.
UPM Carol Cuddy has worked to get New York City location managers recognized by the Guild and helped engage the mayor’s office when it revoked movie parking permits.
One of Hollywood’s most sought after 1st ADs is Adam Somner, whose résumé before he even crossed the Atlantic included some of the most revered names in the British film industry.
In her 15-plus years in network television, 2nd AD Suzanne Saltz has pretty much seen it all, including those bygone days of single-camera shows.
Kathleen McGill's early years in production accounting cleared the path for her success as a unit production manager.
As one of the first female assistant directors in Hollywood, Daisy Gerber has been called a lot of things, but studio big shot was not among them.
Even with career highlights like working on The French Connection, Sophie’s Choice, and Naked City, William “Bill” Gerrity says receiving the DGA’s Frank Capra Achievement Award in 1983 was his greatest moment.
Charles Washburn, would never have come to Hollywood if not for experiencing the same racial bias in Chicago that blacks in the industry had endured for so many years.
Callow was among the original ADs to join the Guild in 1938 and became one of the savviest nuts and bolts production pros in the industry.
The first black member of the Screen Directors Guild and the second black stage manager to work in network television, Franklin was as determined as he was skilled.
The first Mexican-American admitted to the Guild (in 1937), Day was known for his professionalism - so much so that C.B. DeMille told him he'd never do a picture without him.
With one letter of reference and a British taxi, Stacey arrived in LA from England and worked his way up to AD, a profession he chose because it paid $5 more per week than DP.
Starting out cleaning lights at Biograph Studios, Jacobson worked his way up to 1st AD with on-the-fly solutions like substituting iced tea for whiskey to keep W.C. Fields sober.
"I must be an adrenaline junkie," admits Julie Gelfand, "because being an associate director in live television is not for everyone."
"No stone left unturned" is more than a nice cliché to describe UPM Garrett Grant’s approach to his job—it’s the crazy truth.
As Miller says, being a UPM is all about making magic—within the network budget, of course. She points to a sign in her office (from a stint on The All New Mickey Mouse Club) that reads: Anything Can Happen Day.
A former theater stage manager in San Francisco, Koster - a 1st AD on Private Practice who spent time as 2nd AD on JAG - says the stage is Spanish and film is Portuguese.
Jennifer Truelove says she still remembers the moment when she told herself there was no way she would ever want to become an AD.
The self-described “short-timer” (some General Hospital department heads have logged more than 20 years) says she’s the director’s voice and ears on the set.
As an Associate Director for The View, Naylor experiences "a huge adrenaline rush" working in live television.
Filling in for a friend on pregnancy leave was this UPM's entry into a two-decade career working in film production.
Her youth spent playing competitive volleyball, Levisohn is well prepared for the teamwork necessary to stage manage live awards shows.
While sitting in the audience of The Tonight Show as a 14 year-old, Rissolo's attention was captured by those behind the cameras.
A veteran of Six Feet Under and True Blood, this graduate of the DGA's Assistant Director Training Program jokes she's the go-to AD for shows about death, dying, or the undead.
After switching majors from engineering to film, this AD has fulfilled childhood dreams of chasing pirates and launching rockets.
A former vocalist and music major, Digilio's role as stage manager on The View gaver her an opportunity to sing with a Beatle.
Comparing his job to that of a flight attendant's, this 1st AD maintains that each film can make for a bumpy ride.
Having worked as an associate director in both news and sports broadcasts, Cabral admits he still get goosebumps covering a breaking event.
A veteran of Home Improvement and One Day at a Time, this 1st AD has had almost as many yucks behind the camera as when the red light went on.
Having worked on hit comedies such as The Office and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Gonzales credits his success to having filled a variety of roles in the industry.
A lifelong animal lover, Michele considered vet school before finding her niche in talking animal films such as Dr. Doolittle 2 and the Garfield and Alvin and the Chipmunks franchises.
Sleeping in his car before a presidential inauguration is all in a day's work for this news director.
As a 1st AD, Robinson sees his job as balancing the needs of the crew with the director, actors, and department heads and walk a political tightrope every single day.
A native of Mountainair, NM, Walpole's background in architecture and photography and his experience as a grip, editor, camera assistant, and actor made him a natural fit for UPM.
Having spent the majority of her life on set, Blymyer finds herself now making the move from 2nd AD to 1st.
Twohie, a Queens native (and Mets fan), has spent seven seasons - over 525 games - as an AD for the New York Yankee broadcasts in the Bronx.
The Wilmington-based UPM says it's difficult for outsiders to resist North Carolina's laid-back atmosphere when they come down to shoot.
After serving as an interpreter for a Japanese bank commercial shot in New York City, Kawakami worked his way up the ranks with a little help from good timing.
As UPM for commercial director Dante Ariola, Hill compares each shoot to childbirth-you need a short memory or you wouldn't do it again.
A veteran of the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and MTV Movie Awards, Williams likens her role as stage manager to that of "den mom."
Working on tabletop food commercials and network dramas, Harris says he'd rather work with a group of infants over a tray of deli meats any day and that there's a right way to AD beer.
Whether it's broadcasting a policeman's funeral with a storyteller's eye for service and glory, or covering the 2008 Democratic primary, Zucker's passion for local news shines through.
A former AD, this UPM has managed to balance her work and personal life as a mother by managing the LA units on major projects, including Sex and the City.
Working at the NFL Network's Total Access, Love is the only female coordinating director in the sports broadcasting industry.
A stage manager at This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Fox has 25 years of experience stage managing news, including a gig where he counted down the president.
A longtime 2nd AD/location manager in New York City, Raij has shut down bridges, taken on marathoners, and found a Big Apple-based substitute for Boston.
After stage managing shows like Who Wants to Be Millionaire and The View, Bruce-Baron says his SM skills have made for an easy transition into alpaca farming.
A second alternate on the DGA National Board, Santaballa likes to say that her job is mostly about "telling adults to be quiet" - including CBS president Les Moonves.
Known for his laid-back rapport with the crew, the Samoan-born Porter will still dash through burning buildings or wade through farm refuse to keep the production on track.
Though she might deem herself a "hall monitor," Renee admits the best tools she brings to her job as a 2nd 2nd AD are abundant humor and a knack for extreme multitasking.
A former stockbroker at Merrill Lynch, Hausman calls himself a "repeat customer" for directors such as Milos Forman, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, and Sydney Pollack.
A former 1st AD turned UPM, Larson-Nitzsche compares her job at CBS/Paramount's Numb3rs to working in the banking industry.
As a 2nd AD on ABC's Lost, Wainani - whose name means "beautiful water" in Hawaiian - is no stranger to challenges of the aquatic kind.
Choosing filmmaking over the family restaurant, this AD helped cement Chicago's straight-shooting image on-screen in films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Home Alone.
Sinclair, a banjo-playing fan of bluegrass and country music, compares her role as stage manager to that of a doting mother.
Having originally come to LA to study finance at USC, the former executive director of Chiat/Day created the Jack in the Box campaign and created a new career in directing commercials for himself.
Joining General Hospital as an intern straight out of college, Van Cleave worked her way through the ranks to production associate, managing the frantic pace of daytime serials.
After winning "Best Business Student" at her high school, Knutsen sought out a job that would allow her to remain creative while also fulfilling her interest in business.
Though his shot precedes him, the longtime AD, UPM, and producer gets a kick out of how his name has become standard production slang.
Working as a messenger boy at Columbia in January 1936, McWhorter attended the DGA's first public meeting at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
Having spent 34 years at WABC in New York, Martinez, who recently received the Franklin J. Schaffner Award, enjoys bringing middle school and high school kids into the studio for a glimpse of the broadcast world.
As directors on Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia, Plonka handles the in-studio segments while Hammon hits the streets for single-camera sketches.
A leading director in the advertising niche of tabletop, Blitz compares his work to still life, but on a multi-dimensional level.
After moving to LA after college (a trip given to her by her parents), Green enrolled in the DGA Training Program and began building her two decade career in television.
As a longtime employee of the iconic syndicated game show, Corwin worked his way up from stage manager to associate director, finally replacing Dick Carson as director in 1999.
Like his boss, Scorsese's 1st AD is an avowed cinephile, mentally storing the images he comes across at MOMA, Film Forum and Lincoln Center for visual references later.
The Berkeley-based Liu, a graduate of the DGA Training Program, enjoys the problem solving that comes with being an AD.
The New Orleans native built his career patiently and doggedly, working for years as a PA on local productions including The Pelican Brief and Dead Man Walking.
Known to Miss America contestants as "Mr. White Gloves," this stage manager compares his primary responsibility - keeping things on track and moving - to that of a 1st AD.
An Associate Director for NBC Nightly News, Farinet takes a seasoned and practical view of her role producing the nation's top-rated newscast.
The Key 2nd ADs on USA Network's Monk say that their rotation lends itself to greater individual involvement with each episode and, ultimately, a more organized show.
Ronni Fisher remembers picking up pointers from just watching legendary CBS stage manager Jimmy Wall during the US [tennis] Open. It wasn’t long before she got her shot at stage-managing, as well as assistant directing.
Having spent his entire 29-year career at ABC's Chicago owned-and-operated affiliate, Jeff Kos worked his way up from the mailroom to directing the 5 and 10 pm newscasts.