DGA Director Development Initiative Labs & Workshops

The DGA provides programming focused on education, networking, career development and mentorship around episodic television directing through the Director Development Initiative. Since the program launched in 2016, 4 cohorts of members have completed the mentorship program as Protégé while hundreds of members have engaged with learning opportunities through the DDI Labs.

DDI Labs

The DDI Labs are learning opportunities open to all Guild members periodically throughout the calendar year aimed at achieving the following outcomes:

  • Creating space for peer-to-peer learning within the Guild;
  • Giving members opportunities to explore new areas of directorial interest; and
  • Supporting the strength of the craft through learning opportunities focused around episodic television.

DGA Members only: Click here to watch full video from the DDI Labs.

DDI-Inclusion
How to Facilitate Inclusion on Set
A Director Development Initiative Lab
Directors Olatunde Osunsanmi and Silas Howard, Director/1st AD Nandi Bowe, 1st AD Shawn Pipkin-West offered tips for how to promote a culture of belonging, respect, and collaboration on set during a conversation moderated by Director Phillip Rhys Chaudhary.
DDI-Inclusion
DDI-Cinematographers-000
Starting with Story: Breaking Down Scripts and Preparing for Shooting

Jun 24, 2025

Directors Olatunde Osunsanmi and Silas Howard, Director/1st AD Nandi Bowe, 1st AD Shawn Pipkin-West offered tips for how to promote a culture of belonging, respect, and collaboration on set during a conversation moderated by Director Phillip Rhys Chaudhary.

May 29, 2025

Directors Michael Goi, Patrick Cady and Rachel Morrison highlighted how their experiences as Cinematographer/DPs informed their experiences as Directors during a conversation moderated by Director Talia Osteen.

Apr 24, 2025

Directors Nicholas Copus and Bethany Rooney shared their approaches to prep, offered suggestions on best practices to familiarize yourself with the story and break down a script.

Mar 21, 2025

Directors Neema Barnette, Nicole Rubio and Shea William Vanderpoort explored the responsibilities that Directors have related to casting for television during a conversation moderated by Director Carl Seaton.

Feb 28, 2025

Directors Amy Aniobi and Shadae Lamar Smith discussed various approaches to how television Directors can use social media to connect with others online.

Nov 22, 2024

Directors Shahrzad Davani and Matt Sohn, Director/1st AD Courtney M. Franklin and 1st AD Scottie Gissel covered the unique roles and responsibilities for each side of this equation and explored where there are opportunities for collaboration in a conversation moderated by Director Daniella Eisman.

Oct 24, 2024

Directors Daniel Attias, Michael D. Cohen, Jenée LaMarque, Tara Miele and Daniel Scheinert, shared strategies they use to support performances that best serve the story.

Sep 27, 2024

Directors Andrew Fleming, Lucy Liu and Joe Menendez shared their approaches to location scouting in episodic television in a conversation moderated by Director Tazbah Rose Chavez.

Aug 23, 2024

Directors Jim McKay, Jennifer Phang, Andy Wolk shared their approaches to pre-prep and prep, and revealed how their overall prep process helps them to make their day in a conversation moderated by Director Chioke Nassor.

Aug 1, 2024

Directors Ben Hernandez Bray, Morenike Joela Evans and Jeremy Podeswa shared tips on blocking and shot listing in a conversation moderated by Director Anu Valia.

May 31, 2024

Director Keith Powell, Director/Storyboard Artist Jim Magdaleno and Director Shaz Bennett (moderator) discussed how to find the right Storyboard Artist to work with and expectations that Directors should have about the storyboarding process during this DDI online workshop.

May 1, 2024

Directors Mary Lou Belli and Lionel Coleman delivered an in-depth analysis on the technical aspects of maximizing the incorporation of B and C cameras into a project during this DDI online workshop.

Mar 29, 2024

Director SJ Main Muñoz and DGA Associate Executive Director Daniel Tenkman walked the attendees through the basics of Creative Rights in television directing during this DDI Conversational Lab.

Feb 29, 2024

Directors Nzingha Stewart, Dinh Thai and Robert Townsend shared tips for navigating the interview process in a conversation moderated by Director Carl Seaton.

Aug 11, 2023

Directors Stacey K. Black and Pete Chatmon shared valuable insights on using storyboards for their projects in a conversation moderated by Television Diversity Task Force Co-Chair/Director Edward Ornelas.

Mar 30, 2023

Directors Maureen Bharoocha, Tara Miele and Salli Richardson-Whitfield shared insights on how to make your brand memorable in a crowded field in a conversation moderated by Director Linda Mendoza.

Nov 11, 2022

Directors Norberto Barba, DeMane Davis and Viet Nguyen shared strategies for how to adapt when things go wrong in a conversation moderated by Director Rachel Raimist.

Apr 4, 2022

See text and photos from this workshop where members learned more about the craft of episodic television directing from Mary Lou Belli and Bethany Rooney, then applied that information in an actual session working with professional actors.

Jan 21, 2022

During the Initiative’s first interactive lab of 2022, Director Arthur Forney led and online session that explored how Directors can shape a story through editing and post-production.

Aug 27, 2021

The Initiative’s third interactive lab of 2021 featured a curated panel of Directors who laid out the elusive keystones to establishing leadership through designing blocking and staging intended to maximize the unique visual style of the show.

May 27, 2021

The Initiative’s second interactive lab of 2021 examined the curious cocktail of humility, gratitude and confidence demanded of that first episode and covered subjects including prep tools, show politics, and the meetings a Director needs to navigate such as tone, concept and production.

Feb 28, 2021

The Initiative’s first interactive lab of 2021 was designed to help the attendees identify an action plan to unlock their competitive edge.

Oct 21, 2020

DGA Past President Paris Barclay, Diversity Task Force Co-Chair Michael Goi and Director Valerie Weiss spoke about what they've learned while working during the pandemic during a conversation moderated by Diversity Task Force Co-Chair Carl Seaton.

Jul 16, 2020

See video and images from this DGA Director Development online discussion with Director Michael Goi about how directors can use photographic techniques to enhance the narrative and make their work personally distinctive.

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