On October 30, the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) meeting featured the panel discussion, Women Who Lead: First Assistant Directors and their Journey in the DGA
In a conversation moderated by UPM/FOWC Co-Chair Joan G. Bostwick, highly successful 1st ADs Jane Ferguson, Bellamy Truman Forrest, Amy Lynn, Rebecca Strickland Weathersby and Jennifer Truelove shared their paths to leadership, various career challenges, pivotal moments and their thoughts on what it takes to succeed in a male-dominated industry.
During the conversation, the panelists discussed their beginnings as Assistant Directors, including the people who have encouraged and mentored them along the way. While some recalled having worked with people who hindered their growth, the panelists all agreed they enjoy mentoring newer ADs and feeling a sense of duty to help people grow and move up. They also discussed the challenges of balancing their personal and professional lives and shared instances where they had to overcome prejudices on set where people did not respect their leadership position. They closed by sharing words of encouragement to members who are rising through the ranks of Assistant Directing.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
 Jane Ferguson
A graduate of the DGA Assistant Director Training Program, Ferguson’s 1st AD credits include features such as Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ondi Timoner’s Mapplethorpe andLydia Dean Pilcher’s A Call to Spy; and episodes of Archive 81, Manifest, Queens and Panhandle. She was also part of the directorial team for Ron Howard’s 2001 DGA Award-winning feature A Beautiful Mind. She also co-produced and directed the PBS documentary, Voices Over the Water. Ferguson has been a member of the DGA since 2002 and currently serves as an alternate on the Eastern AD/UPM Council. |
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 Bellamy Truman Forrest
Forrest’s 1st AD credits include episodes of Billions, City on Fire, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Promised Land, The Blacklist, The Deuce, Sweetbitter, Sneaky Pete, Divorce, Time After Time, Power, 30 Rock and Jessica Jones. Her other AD credits include features such as David Frankel’s Hope Springs and Michael McCullers’ Baby Mama; and episodes of Hostages, Big Lake and Law & Order. She has been a DGA member since 2005. |
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 Amy Lynn
Lynn’s 1st AD credits include features such as William Oldroyd’s Eileen, Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things and Bart Freundlich’s After the Wedding; episodes of the mini-series Black Bird and The Penguin; and of the series Hightown, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, The Enemy Within, The Strain, Quantico and Blindspot. A DGA member since 1992, Lynn has served on the Eastern AD/UPM Council and been an active member of the Council’s 1st AD Committee since its inception in 2016. |
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 Jennifer Truelove
Truelove’s 1st AD credits include features such as Gerardo Naranjo’s Viena and the Fantomes and Nicole Holofcener’s The Land of Steady Habits; and episodes of American Horror Story, Uncoupled, The Staircase, Younger, At Home with Amy Sedaris, First Wives Club, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Characters and XO, Kitty. A DGA member since 1997, Truelove has served as a Second Alternate to the National Board, as Secretary/Treasurer of the Eastern AD/UPM Council and was one of the founding Co-Chairs of the Council’s 2nd AD Committee. |
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 Rebecca Strickland Weathersby
Strickland Weathersby’s 1st AD credits include features such as Chinonye Chukwu’s Till and Oz Scott’s Home Run Showdown; and episodes of The Calling, Raising Dion, Americanah, 4400, P-Valley, Hunters, The Code, The Romanoffs, Seven Seconds, Falling Water, Conviction, The Get Down, Person of Interest, Orange Is the New Black and Blue Bloods. She was also part of Peter Weir’s DGA Award-nominated directorial team on Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. A DGA member since 1986, Strickland Weathersby previously served as a Co-Chair of the Eastern Diversity Steering Committee and as the 2nd Vice Chair of the Eastern AD/UPM Council. |
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 UPM Joan G. Bostwick (moderator)
Bostwick’s production management credits include feature films such as Maryam Keshavarz's The Persian Version, Koyalee Chanda & Matt Stawski’s Blue’s Big City Adventure, Jennifer Gelfer’s The Second Sun and Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor; and episodes of the series Billy & Billie and From NY, I Love You. Her AD credits include features such as J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year and Michael Almereyda’s Marjorie Prime and Tesla; and episodes of Nurse Jackie, White Collar and New Amsterdam. Bostwickhas been a DGA member since 1996 and currently serves as an alternate on the Eastern AD/UPM Council and as a Co-Chair of the Focus on Women Committee. |
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About the Committee:
Originally a sub-committee of the Eastern Directors Council, in 2020 the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) was designated an official and permanent committee of the DGA National Board for women members residing in the Eastern Region. The Committee would like to remind members that while their events are designed with a special focus on women Directors, all DGA members are welcome to attend.