On August 1, members of the DGA’s Diversity Task Force hosted the first DGA Diversity Task Force and Inter-Committee Retreat – which brought together the DGA Diversity Task Force and the DGA Diversity Committee co-chairs – at the Guild’s Los Angeles headquarters. The half-day strategic planning session was dedicated to furthering the Guild’s efforts to level the playing field for women and ethnic minority members.
The meeting was chaired by DGA Diversity Task Force Co-chair Todd Holland and participants included DGA First Vice President and Diversity Task Force member Betty Thomas; Diversity Task Force members; and Co-chairs from the Guild’s African American Steering Committee (AASC), Asian American Committee (AAC), Latino Committee (LC) and Women’s Steering Committee (WSC). Co-chairs from the Eastern Diversity Steering Committee (EDSC) and the Eastern Directors Council’s Focus on Women Subcommittee joined part of the session via teleconference. DGA Associate National Executive Director/Western Executive Director Bryan Unger was present to lend support and guidance.
To kick-off the session, Holland welcomed the attendees and Frank Bennett Gonzalez, DGA Assistant Executive Director – Diversity, gave an overview of the key goals and objectives for the day. Attendees then discussed the Guild’s diversity history, key milestones to date and the current state of the industry. In the afternoon’s break-out sessions – moderated by DGA Special Assignments Executive Mayra Ocampo and DGA Field Rep Gabe Kahsay – attendees engaged in “blue-sky” brainstorming with a focus on future diversity initiatives. Topics included new goals, intra-Guild synergy opportunities, metrics and data tracking, mentorship, and networking strategies. The day concluded with attendees working together to determine next steps in future planning.
About the Diversity Committees:
The DGA Diversity Committees are dedicated to their respective communities and work towards supporting women and ethnically diverse members who are underrepresented in the entertainment industry. Each of the committees endeavor to increase employment opportunities for directors and their directorial teams through meetings, seminars, networking, and special celebratory events.