Paris Barclay Elected DGA President

National Board and Officers Chosen

Director Paris Barclay was elected President of the Directors Guild of America by acclamation at the Guild’s National Biennial Convention held today at DGA National Headquarters in Los Angeles.

Additionally, 147 delegates representing more than 15,000 members of the DGA elected a new slate of officers and members of the National Board of Directors.

Barclay has a deep history of service to the Guild, having most recently served four terms on the National Board as First Vice-President, beginning in 2005 and as Third Vice-President from 1999 to 2005.  Barclay joined the Guild in 1992 and began his service as a member of the African American Steering Committee in 1993. He joined the Western Directors Council in 1997 as an alternate and was elected a full Council member in 1999 and has served on the Council for 16 years.  In 2007, the Guild honored Barclay with the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award for extraordinary service to the DGA and its membership.

“I am profoundly honored to be elected President of the DGA,” said Barclay to the assembled delegates after the vote.  “The DGA has worked for more than three-quarters of a century to advance the creative and economic rights of directors and their teams and I look forward to continuing this strong tradition of service.  As the son of a glass blower and a tile maker from Chicago, I am extremely humbled to have the honor to serve in the footsteps of the legendary leaders of the DGA like Frank Capra, Robert Wise and Gil Cates.”

“There are few members who have served the Guild as thoroughly and in as many capacities as Paris Barclay – and all while maintaining an impressive career as one of the most active television directors in the business” said outgoing President Taylor Hackford. “I’m thrilled to see him take his place as the next DGA president and I know he’ll do a terrific job navigating the DGA through whatever terrain may lie ahead.”

“Paris’ qualifications for DGA president are exceptional,” said past-President Michael Apted when placing Barclay’s name in nomination.  “His understanding of the issues facing directors and their teams is outstanding and his ability to resolve problems and create solutions is beyond compare.”  Steven Soderbergh, in seconding the nomination stated, “This is a great moment for our Guild; Paris will be a phenomenal leader as we move into the future.”

Barclay’s service to the Guild has included the chairmanship or participation in numerous committees. He co-chaired the African American Steering Committee from 2000-2002, and has co-chaired the Guild’s Diversity Committee since 2004. Barclay has served on the Single-Camera Creative Rights Negotiating Committee since 1996, and created and coordinated the Single Camera Directors Prep Program in 2001.  As current chair of the DGA Political Action Committee, Barclay has helped the DGA maintain an engaged and effective presence in Washington, DC. 

Barclay has balanced his Guild service with a robust directing career. He has directed over 130 episodes of television, including: Sons of Anarchy, Glee, Smash, House, Cold Case, NCIS: Los Angeles, In Treatment, The Good Wife, CSI, Lost, The Shield, The West Wing, ER and NYPD Blue.  In addition to episodic directing, Barclay has been an active director-producer, currently serving in that role in Sons of Anarchy and previously for In Treatment, Cold Case, City of Angels and NYPD Blue.    

Barclay has received 10 DGA Award nominations for Outstanding Direction in Comedy and Drama Television.  He became the first Director in the history of the Guild to receive a comedy and a drama nomination in the same year, two years in a row (2008 In Treatment & Weeds and 2009 In Treatment & Glee). He won the 1998 DGA Dramatic Series Award for his NYPD Blue episode“Heart and Souls” featuring the death of Jimmy Smits’ character Bobby Simone. He has also won two Emmy Awards for his direction of NYPD Blue and received four additional Emmy nominations for producing and directing. Barclay has also received three NAACP Image Awards, four Peabody Awards, two Humanitas Prizes, and countless other recognitions. He also directed the HBO movie for television The Cherokee Kid and the Miramax feature Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood.  He began his career in advertising working as a creative executive and then segued into directing commercials and music videos for artists including: Janet Jackson, Bob Dylan, and LL Cool J.

Barclay, a graduate of Harvard College, is married to his husband, Christopher Barclay, and has two sons.

The following officers were elected to serve alongside Barclay.  Vincent Misiano was elected National Vice President; Michael Apted, a past-DGA president, was re-elected Secretary-Treasurer.

Also elected were First Vice-President Betty Thomas; Second Vice-President Gary Donatelli; Third Vice-President Thomas Schlamme; Fourth Vice-President Jace Alexander; Fifth Vice-President Jon Favreau; Sixth Vice-President John LiBretto; and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Scott Berger.