As part of the work on behalf of its members to promote the economic and creative rights of directors and members of the directing team, the DGA maintains an engaged and effective presence in Washington, D.C.
On behalf of its members, the Guild is vigilant on issues including: protecting DGA members’ creative and economic rights in the digital age; passing legislation to increase the production of film and television programming at both the federal and local level; protecting the jobs of DGA members as more foreign productions shoot in the United States; and monitoring federal policies and regulations that could affect the DGA’s Health and Pension Plans.
By working with elected officials and top administrators at the national, state, and local levels, the DGA increases awareness of Guild concerns and the issues faced by members. In Washington, the DGA works to ensure that policies enacted at the federal level adequately address the legitimate interests of DGA members. At the state level, the DGA works to incentivize film and television production and has been a leader in efforts in California, New York and other production areas where our members live and work. The Guild also convenes meetings with DGA members and elected representatives and government officials at the Guild offices in Los Angeles and New York. Through these meetings and the DGA Political Action Committee, members are able to speak directly about their issues and concerns with legislators and policymakers.
Initiatives
Since 2000, the DGA, along with a coalition of entertainment industry partners, has worked to promote legislation – at the federal, state, and local level – that will help keep film and television production in the United States. This includes the passage of the federal Section 181 incentive (part of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004) and passage of state production incentives in New York, California, and other production hubs where DGA members live, such as Illinois and Georgia.
Ensuring that DGA members are compensated for the work they create and their intellectual property is protected in a digital world is one of the Guild's legislative priorities. The Internet theft of members’ work poses a number of economic and creative threats: (1) it threatens future work opportunities for DGA members as the available financing for films tightens when investments are not recouped; (2) it creates immediate economic loss for DGA members because a significant proportion of their compensation and over 70% of their pension plan is based on the residual revenues earned from the reuse of film and television productions in secondary markets; and (3) it devalues both the individual creativity of our members’ work, and the inestimable impact it has on American, and global, culture.
The DGA is here to assist members with questions and concerns related to safety. This section will feature items related to our ongoing fight to keep our members and their co-workers safe.
In addition to the Guild's focus to support production incentives and fight to protect DGA members’ works, the following are statements and press releases circulated by the DGA on a range of policy issues that affect the economic and creative rights of directors and their teams.
The DGA has members who live and work all over the world. Many of the policy issues that affect DGA members in the United States also affect our members who reside outside the U.S. The DGA works to protect their interests and concerns by actively engaging with key elected officials, governmental bodies, and international organizations that represent directors around the world.
In an effort to ensure that the voice of the Guild is heard when important issues affecting the economic and creative livelihoods of our members are being decided in Washington and in state capitals, the DGA Political Action Committee (PAC) was formed in 1996. The DGA PAC’s Leadership Council was created in 2001 to build a strong base of committed PAC contributors– prominent members from all categories who represent the needs and interests of the Guild in face-to-face meetings with members of Congress.
Contact
- Mike Stoever
Director of Government Affairs(310) 289-5309mstoever@dga.org