On September 25, the Focus on Women Committee (FOWC) meeting featured the panel discussion, Golden Opportunities: A Conversation with DGA Women Who Covered the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In a conversation moderated by Associate Director/FOWC Co-Chair Alanna G.A. Campbell, Director Jen Morrison, Stage Manager/Associate Director Chris Reilly and Associate Director Amanda Rodriguez discussed their roles in bringing the recent competitions to viewers.
During the conversation, Morrison – who directed remotely from Stamford, CT with a studio in Paris – revealed the logistics for accomplishing that task. “We had the Tower Studio, which had the shot of the Eiffel Tower, but it was really small with three cameras and a researcher and a writer.” Covering her prep time and blocking, Morrison added, “I had the time because most of the time was on the events. What you saw on Peacock was the OBS feed, which was the world feed without additional enhancements that NBC did. If it was going on NBC, we would add elements to help with the story.”
Rodriguez – who was working from NBC’s studios at 30 Rock – described how they utilized the Ortimer program to time the show. “We know how many minutes we have, and how long and how many segments we have. I’d follow along real time to know when to input commercials. I’m a fan of gymnastics personally but putting gymnastics on air is tough for timing the commercials.”
Reilly shared some of the day-to-day challenges faced by the directorial teams. “USA had 24 hours of coverage. I was on the USA2 shift so I worked on 9-5. I would come in and, we would work on switching games and talent. We had a basic rundown of what we thought we’d cover, but we’d always stray from that. They’d have to decide what to switch to, and we’d have feature stories from like [sports commentator] Mary Carillo.”
ABOUT THE PANELISTS:
 Director Jen Morrison
Morrison is an Emmy Award-winning Director for NBC Sports with over 20 years' experience working in sports television and recently she directed NBC's Daytime coverage of the 2024 Summer Paris Olympics, the third Olympics she has directed and her seventh overall. Morrison won an Emmy for her role in the 2012 London Olympics, and again in 2022 for directing the NBC Daytime of coverage of the Winter Olympics from Beijing. She is also the lead Director for NBC's Premier League Soccer coverage. Morrison has been a DGA member since 2020. |
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 Stage Manager/Associate Director Chris Reilly
Reilly started her DGA career as a PA in daytime dramas such as One Life to Live, All My Children, General Hospital, The Young and the Restless and As the World Turns, gradually working her way up to Stage Manager and Associate Director and moving into other genres of television production: news, special events, sitcoms, late night talk, political debates, fashion shows, world sporting events, etc. Currently, her most steady gig is NBC's Today Show. Reilly has been a DGA member since 1988. |
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 Associate Director Amanda Rodriguez
In addition to her recent work on the Paris Olympics, Rodriguez is a multi-Emmy Award-winning Associate Director with CBS Sports, NBC Sports and Stage Manager with the Today Show. A DGA member since 2014, she has been elected nine times to the Eastern AD/SM/PA Council and has served as the 2nd Vice Chairperson and Secretary/Treasurer and currently serves as an Alternate on the Council.
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 Associate Director Alanna G.A. Campbell (moderator)
Campbell is a feature producer and Associate Director for CBS Sports. A five-time Emmy Award-winner, she primarily works on the NFL and college basketball and has covered 20 Final Fours, eight Super Bowls, five US Open Tennis Championships, and three Olympic Games in her 23-year career. Campbell produced One Shining Moment at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in 2019 and 2021, and started directing live games, including college football, college basketball and the Big3, in 2022. A proud second-generation member since 2008, in addition to her co-chair post on the Focus on Women Committee, Campbell serves as an Alternate to the DGA National Board, has served as Second Vice Chair of the Eastern AD/SM/PA Council and is a member of the Eastern Region Special Projects 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.