DGA Announces Special Award Winners for 74th Annual DGA Awards

January 20, 2022

Los Angeles – Directors Guild of America President Lesli Linka Glatter today announced the recipients of two special DGA Awards recognizing extraordinary contribution to the Guild. The awards will be presented at the 74th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12, 2022.

First Assistant Director Joseph P. Reidy will receive the DGA’s 2022 Frank Capra Achievement Award, which is given to an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in recognition of career achievement in the industry and service to the Directors Guild of America.

Stage Manager Garry W. Hood will receive the DGA’s 2022 Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, which is given to an Associate Director or Stage Manager in recognition of service to the industry and to the Directors Guild of America.

“Joe Reidy and Garry Hood are widely respected leaders in their fields who have dedicated themselves to representing their fellow members, standing up for their rights, and giving back to their union – including most recently through their participation on our Covid-19 Return to Work Committee,” said Glatter. “Our Guild draws its strength from the service and commitment of our members, and these special award winners embody that spirit at the highest level.”

Recipient bios:

Joseph P. Reidy

A DGA member for over four decades, Joe Reidy is a prolific First Assistant Director. His credits include work on numerous DGA Award-nominated features such as Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan and Robert Redford’s Quiz Show; and he was a Second AD on Sydney Pollack’s Tootsie. Reidy has also had a long working relationship with Martin Scorsese, acting as his First Assistant Director on the DGA Award-nominated films Goodfellas, The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York, The Aviator and his 2006 DGA Award-winning feature, The Departed. He also worked with Oliver Stone on the DGA Award-nominated film JFK and the 1989 DGA Award-winning feature Born on the Fourth of July.

Reidy was a graduate of the New York Assistant Directors Training Program and has served as a Trustee of the Program since 2006. He was also a member of the 2020 DGA Negotiations Committee and COVID-19 Return to Work Committee that was tasked with formulating the protocols to bring DGA members back to work during the pandemic. Reidy was first elected to the Guild’s Eastern AD/UPM Council in 2016 as an Alternate member. Since then he has served seven terms on the Council including being elected as the Council’s 1st Vice Chairperson from 2019 to present and as the 2nd Vice Chairperson from 2017 to 2019. As Co-Chair of the AD/UPM Council’s First Assistant Director Committee, Reidy has participated in numerous Council-hosted events. In August 2021, he was also a panelist in the Special Projects Committee’s virtual event Dynamic Duos: The Collaborative Process of Directors and 1st ADs, where he and Director Jon M. Chu discussed their collaboration on the feature, In the Heights.

Garry W. Hood

With more than 500 credits on his resume and 40 years in the business as a Stage Manager, Garry Hood got his start on the Nashville television production of the musical-variety show Hee-Haw. He would go on to work on award shows such as the Academy Awards, the Grammys, Emmys and Tony’s; live specials like the DGA Award-nominated productions of Grease Live! and Hairspray Live!; variety programs ranging from the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics to Presidential Inaugurals; and series work including Dancing with the Stars and American Idol. He has worked on eleven DGA Award-winning productions including The 1997 Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts and The 60th Annual Grammy Awards directed by Louis J. Horvitz; The 61st, 64th, 66th, 67th, 68th and 70th Annual Tony Awards directed by Glenn Weiss; The 52nd Annual Tony Awards directed by Paul Miller; Great Performances “Centennial Olympic Games: Opening Ceremonies” directed by Don Mischer; and Barbra: The Concert directed by Dwight Hemion. He has also worked alongside such legendary Directors as Walter Miller, Marty Pasetta, George Stevens Jr., Delbert Mann, and Gilbert Cates.

After joining the DGA in 1978, Hood was first elected as a member of the Eastern AD/SM/PA Council in 2001 and would go on to serve eight terms on the Council, including being elected to the offices of Secretary/Treasurer; Vice Chairperson and 2nd Vice Chairperson. Hood has served on five DGA Negotiations Committees from 2002-2020, and currently serves on the Eastern AD/SM/PA Council’s Waiver Committee, Bi-Coastal Committee and Title Change Committee; and more recently as a member of the DGA’s COVID-19 Return to Work Committee.

• The Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film nominees for the 74th Annual DGA Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 27, 2022.
• All Television, Commercial and Documentary nominees will be announced on Wednesday, January 26, 2022.

Past recipients of the Frank Capra Achievement Award: