DGA National Executive Director Russell Hollander has announced the promotion of two senior DGA executives, Daniel Tenkman and Cynthia Tollett, to the position of Associate Western Executive Director; each will be responsible for different areas related to representation and member service.
“I am pleased to announce the promotions of both Daniel and Cynthia to Associate Western Executive Director,” said Hollander. “With many years of service at the Guild between them, their skills and institutional knowledge proved invaluable during the most recent contract negotiations and the expansion of our contract enforcement efforts. Having these exceptional long-time team members take on increased responsibilities will greatly benefit DGA members moving forward.”
Daniel Tenkman, in his new role as Associate Western Executive Director will be responsible for protecting and promoting the creative and economic rights of Directors working in episodic television. He will be working with the TV Creative Rights Committee to implement the Guild’s breakthrough gains made in episodic post-production in our recently negotiated contract. His core responsibilities also include oversight of Contracts staff responsible for late script enforcement, the television Director auditing program, the first-time episodic Director orientation, Producer/Directors seminars and events, and regular enforcement of the DGA Basic Agreement, including television Director waivers and pursuing unpaid compensation.
Tenkman joined the DGA in 2005, as part of the Special Projects department and was promoted in 2010 to Independent Filmmaker Events Manager. In 2011, Tenkman was promoted to Special Assignments Executive and then in 2014 to Assistant Executive Director. Tenkman received his B.A. from the University of Kentucky and his MFA in film production from Florida State University. He will report to Associate National Executive Director Rebecca Rhine.
Cynthia Tollett, in her new role as Associate Western Executive Director, will be responsible for protecting and promoting the creative and economic rights of feature Directors and Documentarians along with her current duties overseeing the Credits, Reports Compliance and Signatories Departments. She will be implementing the Guild’s recent advancements for feature Directors gained in the new agreement including the new payment for “soft-prep,” which compensates Directors for their work in advance of production, in addition to working with the Theatrical Creative Rights Committee, Documentary Committee and the Independent Directors Committee.
Tollett joined the DGA in 2009 as Assistant General Counsel in the Legal Department and was promoted in 2015 to Associate General Counsel. In 2017, she was promoted to Assistant Executive Director. Tollett came to the Guild from Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton where she was an attorney focused on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance issues. She received a B.A. from the University of Texas, an M.A. from Rice University, and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law. She will report to General Counsel David Dreyfus.
