September 3, 1998
DGA President Jack Shea announced today that the Directors Guild of America's National Board has voted unanimously to extend the contract of National Executive Director Jay D. Roth for an additional five years, through 2005.
"Jay Roth has proven himself to be one of the industry's most effective executives in his first three years at the DGA," commented Shea. "As one of the Chairs of the DGA Negotiating Committee during our 1996 industrywide contract negotiations, I had the opportunity to work closely with Jay and observe his great skill as a negotiator contribute to our successes. Since my election as Guild President, we have continued our close working relationship as he has dramatically upgraded membership services through the creation of new departments and programs while utilizing his leadership skills to strengthen the Guild in many areas. As our Guild begins preparations to negotiate a new multiyear collective bargaining agreement in 1999, this action lets our employers know that the DGA will continue to have strong, skillful leadership well into the new millennium."
Widely recognized for many years as one of the nation's leading labor and entertainment lawyers, Roth moved to the Guild's top management post in 1995 from his position as managing partner of a law firm specializing in the representation of entertainment guilds, labor organizations and pension, health and welfare funds in labor, entertainment, bankruptcy and transactional matters.
During Roth's first year as DGA National Executive Director in 1996, the Guild successfully negotiated new collective bargaining agreements with employers that were overwhelmingly ratified by DGA members. Those contracts included major economic and creative rights advances, including the creation of an historic Code of Preferred Practices detailing basic creative rights for directors. Among other gains achieved were rate increases for all DGA categories, including substantial rate increases for directors of tape shows outside network primetime and for first stage managers on primetime dramatic shows. In addition, the DGA expanded directors' rights to edit versions of their films for post-theatrical release and established a continuing DGA-Producer Committee to address issues and problems arising between contract negotiating periods.
"It is always rewarding to receive a strong vote of confidence from the people you're serving, and I am gratified that the DGA National Board chose to extend my current contract," Roth said. "I look forward to the challenges of the years ahead as we continue to expand the Guild's membership services while protecting and advancing the interests of directors and their teams. It is important that the companies with whom we are preparing to negotiate next year know that a unified and resolute team will be sitting across the table from them. I think the Board's action sends this message loud and clear."
Some other highlights of Jay Roth's initial three-year tenure at the DGA include:
- Nurturing the next generation of Guild membership through the implementation of a broad program of activities designed to strengthen ties to the independent filmmaking community, including the creation of new DGA contracts covering low budget films.
- DGA sponsorship of major film festivals and new Directing Awards at the Sundance Film Festival and the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival.
- Creation of a wide range of outreach activities aimed at independent filmmakers in New York.
- Expansion of Guild legislative activities with the creation of the DGA Communications & Public Affairs department. The Guild participated actively in successful creative community efforts to win approval by the U.S. House of Representatives on legislation to protect the payment of residuals following the transfer of film ownership.
- Sponsorship of the First DGA Industry Summit on Diversity to raise awareness of and seek solutions to the problem of the underemployment of women and minorities in all DGA categories.
- Presentation of a DGA Diversity Award to employers and producers who have demonstrated consistent commitment to employment diversity.
- Increased New York membership activities and services, including the refurbishing of the DGA New York Theater into a state-of-the-art facility that now hosts a continuing series of screenings, seminars, and symposia for DGA members.
- Increased analysis of industry data and reports through the creation of the DGA Research department.
- Membership access provided to information databases.
- Expansion of the DGA internet web site at www.dga.org, including the establishment of a widely used members only area that provides a broad range of Guild and career useful information for members online that can be easily accessed by Guild members at any time or place in the world.
- Expansion of DGA computer systems to link communications between all Guild offices and improve member services.
- Advanced audit and security methodologies implemented for tracking residual collections resulting in record residuals paid to DGA members.
- Increased staffing among executives and DGA Field Representatives to enhance enforcement of all DGA collective bargaining agreements, including credits and other creative rights provisions.