March 4, 2024
The Directors Guild of America and the Association of Talent Agencies (“ATA”) are parties to the DGA-ATA Agency Agreement, which governs the basic terms of the relationship between a signatory agent and a DGA member Director.
Director members of the DGA have certain duties and responsibilities to maintain the hard-won protections earned over years by the Guild. Two of those responsibilities relate to the relationship between a Director and his/her talent agent. The first is to not pay more than a 10% commission and the second is to only sign an agreement with an agency which is signatory to the DGA-ATA Agency Agreement. A current list of the signatory agencies can be accessed on the Talent Agencies page.
Rider D to the DGA-ATA Agency Agreement must be included in any general agreement, contract or commitment you make with an agent or talent agency. Rider D exists to make sure you are protected in case of a later dispute with an agency or between two agencies. Rider D includes such rules as: No Director may pay commission in excess of 10% to agents; agents are not entitled to compensation that reduces the Director’s payment below minimum on residuals; and an arbitration provision that specifically addresses the procedures for dispute resolution.
The full DGA-ATA Agency Agreement and Rider D can also be found on the Talent Agencies page. If for some reason you are asked to sign an agreement that falls outside these parameters, contact the Guild immediately.
The DGA is currently stepping up its efforts to collect executed Rider D agreements from the agencies. We encourage you to sign these agreements and return them to the agency in a timely fashion if you are signing with an agency for the first time or if you are changing your representation. If, for some reason, you are asked to sign an agreement that modifies the terms of Rider D, contact the Guild immediately.
While the agency is responsible for sending the executed Rider D to the DGA, it is also the responsibility of each member to make sure the Guild has up-to-date, signed copies of these agreements.
For more information about “Rider D” and other questions regarding DGA Agency Agreements, please call DGA Associate National Executive Director/Western Executive Director Rebecca Rhine at 310-289-5325.