October 1, 1995
New York (September 30) - Directors Guild President Gene Reynolds today announced that the Guild's National Board has unanimously selected respected labor and entertainment attorney JAY D. ROTH as the Guild's new executive director.
Mr. Roth replaces Glenn J. Gumpel, who served nearly eight years in the post before resigning effective October 1 to accept a position as executive vice president of MCA Recreation Group.
"We feel that Jay Roth will follow in the same tradition of outstanding, responsible leadership as previous Guild executive directors Joseph Youngerman, Michael Franklin, and Glenn Gumpel," commented Reynolds. "Like his predecessors, we believe that Jay Roth will prove himself to be a skilled leader devoted to the best interests of the membership of the Directors Guild of America and our industry. He is a nationally respected attorney in the fields of entertainment and labor law, and we are extremely grateful that Jay has chosen to utilize his impressive talents on behalf of the DGA."
Mr. Roth moves to the Guild's top management post from his position as managing partner of the Taylor, Roth, Bush & Geffner law firm in Burbank. The firm specializes in representing entertainment guilds, labor organizations and pension, health and welfare funds in labor, entertainment, bankruptcy and transactional matters. The firm is counsel for the Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity Association, Artists Rights Foundation, International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees (I.A.T.S.E.), Service Employees International Union, International Association of Machinists (IAM), United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA), and numerous other labor organizations.
"The Directors Guild of America plays an essential role in the economic and creative lives of directors and other members of the directorial team," said Roth. "The DGA is also a leading force on a wide range of important industrywide issues. I look forward to serving the Guild as we confront the many challenges of the future."
Mr. Roth served as counsel to the Guilds in the 1993 GATT negotiation as well as a member of numerous Guild delegations to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) regarding the Berne protocol and New Instrument for Protection of Producers and Performers.
He was also counsel to the DGA, SAG, and the Writers Guild in joint negotiations with the Motion Picture Export Association and European Collecting Societies and governments on issues relating to copyright and levies on the taping and rental of videocassettes.
Mr. Roth has also served as counsel for Guilds and Trust Funds in numerous collections and residuals matters as well as over thirty (30) bankruptcy cases, including the Orion, MGM/Pathe, Weintraub, DeLaurentiis, Qintex, Gladden, Cannon and Fries bankruptcies in the entertainment industry.
Among his many other career highlights, Mr. Roth served as counsel to the Machinists Union in the Employee Acquisition of United Airlines.