All posts tagged: Directors Guild of America

The War Over Warner Bros. Is Splintering Hollywood’s Labor World

The War Over Warner Bros. Is Splintering Hollywood’s Labor World

Published by Daniella Wilson

When the antitrust trial over the planned $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery was scheduled for March 2027, the delay was viewed as a major blow to studio CEO David Ellison and his team. It turns out the leaders of the Directors Guild of America and IATSE unions think the prolonged timeline is a disaster for them, too. In a letter sent to California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Ellison on Wednesday, union heads projected the lengthy timetable would harm workers and called for a settlement or, at the very least, an expedited trial. This pro-settlement approach put them at odds with their compatriots at the Writers Guild of America, which has not only supported the attorneys’ general suit but has launched its own lawsuit to block the merger, presenting another hurdle to a quick resolution. SAG-AFTRA is seemingly splitting the difference by supporting the state regulators’ suit and opposing the deal unless “enforceable safeguards” are put in place, theoretically through a settlement. The Teamsters previously called for the Department of …

NBC host shares health update after announcing cancer diagnosis on air

NBC host shares health update after announcing cancer diagnosis on air

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more NBC’s Sara Gore has shared a positive health update months after revealing her breast cancer diagnosis. During an April edition of New York Live, the Emmy-winning host, 50, told viewers she would be stepping away to undergo treatment and surgery. Now, just two months later, Gore said she is “currently cancer-free.” “I’m doing really well. Let’s get that out of the way,” she wrote Sunday on Instagram, alongside a picture of her sitting outside in front of a flower vine. She said that she is “still in the reconstruction phase and will be for months.” “It’s truly a journey. Healing has taken some time, but every week I’ve felt a little more like me again,” Gore continued. Sara Gore said she will return to …

Directors Guild Pension Plan Sues MGM for Alleged Self-Dealing

Directors Guild Pension Plan Sues MGM for Alleged Self-Dealing

Published by Daniella Wilson

Remember Epix? That’s the pay TV company that launched in 2008 with the backing of MGM, Viacom and Lionsgate and released some original shows like Graves and Berlin Station. In 2017, MGM bought out its venture partners and became sole owner, two years later launching the streaming service Epix Now, which became a home for shows like Belgravia and Godfather of Harlem. In 2023 it was all rebranded as MGM+, which lives on as a standalone streaming service and pay TV channels today. Now, the Directors Guild of America pension plan is unearthing some of this old streaming-wars history as it sues MGM Pictures for allegedly self-dealing in its licensing agreements with Epix and failing to make appropriate benefits contributions to the workers behind those shows. On Friday the DGA-Producer Pension Plans and its trustees filed suit in California seeking records and pension plan contributions they say the company has neglected to provide for years. Here’s how licensing payments connect to the DGA’s pension plan. The pension plan is funded in part by a percentage …

Directors Guild Ratifies Four-Year Contract With Studios

Directors Guild Ratifies Four-Year Contract With Studios

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Directors Guild of America on Thursday ratified a four-year deal with studios and streamers, bringing a close to a quiet year for bargaining between Hollywood’s labor groups and top companies. The union did not disclose what portion of its membership voted for and against the deal, but said members voted “overwhelmingly” in favor of the deal in its announcement of the ratification. “This incredible show of support from our membership for this new contract shows the strength of our unity and our solidarity,” union president Christopher Nolan and national executive director Russell Hollander said in a message to members. “We have achieved critical wins that put the Guild in a position to further protect our members economic and creative rights now and into the future.” The DGA, the last of Hollywood’s major unions to negotiate its deals in 2026, bargains on behalf of around 19,500 directors, assistant directors, associate directors, unit production managers and stage managers. The deal notably contains the largest-ever employer contribution increase to the union’s health plan in its history. Employer …

Why Hollywood’s Unions Didn’t Put Up a Fight With Studios This Year

Why Hollywood’s Unions Didn’t Put Up a Fight With Studios This Year

Published by Daniella Wilson

What a difference three years makes. While 2023 marked the spiciest year in recent memory for Hollywood labor, with two major unions going on strike for more than 100 days each, 2026 was perhaps the sleepiest. On Tuesday evening, to little fanfare and with scant public sniping, the Directors Guild of America became the last union to seal a deal in 2026 with Hollywood studios and streamers. While the pact (whose details have yet to be released) is still tentative and could theoretically be rejected by its national board or members in a ratification vote, no one expects them to. To be sure, the DGA isn’t exactly known for its fiery nature (it’s got more of an eldest-child-who-considers-themselves-the-most-responsible-in-the-family vibe), but unions that have an aggressive side also opted for a low-key negotiation in 2026. The SAG-AFTRA negotiations: Pretty uneventful, despite the fireworks that some expected from its generative AI discussions. The WGA talks: Very chill for a union whose 2007-08 strike saw members form the words “WGA” with their bodies for news helicopters on Pico …

Directors Guild Reaches Tentative Deal With Studios

Directors Guild Reaches Tentative Deal With Studios

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Directors Guild of America and the bargaining group representing studios and streamers have reached a tentative deal on a new four-year contract. The agreement was announced Tuesday after a little less than a month of talks between the directors’ union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Entertainment Producers. The union didn’t give any details of the deal ahead of a review by its national board. If approved by the board, the fine print of the agreement will be released to members, the DGA stated. The pact would then go to DGA members, a roughly 19,500-strong group of helmers, assistant directors, associate directors, unit production managers and stage managers, for a ratification vote. The parties’ current deal is set to expire on June 30. “The AMPTP is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with the DGA. We appreciate the hard work and commitment of our guild partners in achieving a fair deal that helps advance a stable and successful entertainment industry,” the AMPTP said in a statement on Tuesday. The DGA entered negotiations …

Directors Guild Renews Russell Hollander’s Contract Through 2029

Directors Guild Renews Russell Hollander’s Contract Through 2029

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Directors Guild of America has issued a vote of confidence in chief negotiator Russell Hollander ahead of the union’s upcoming negotiations with studios and streamers. Union president Christopher Nolan announced on Monday that the DGA had renewed its national executive director and chief negotiator’s contract through 2029. If the union agrees to a typical three-year labor deal with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers this year, the renewed contract ensures that Hollander will be at the helm of the more than 19,500-member organization for the entirety of the deal’s term. “For nearly a decade as our National Executive Director, Russ has been a steward for the Guild and its members, seeing us through a period of tremendous upheaval in our industry,” Nolan said in a statement. “From the pandemic to the strikes and the global contraction in production, Russ has always prioritized and protected the interests of our members, working closely with me, past guild presidents, and our national board. We are grateful for his continued service to our community.”  Hollander has …

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg Thank Catherine O’Hara While Accepting DGA Award

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg Thank Catherine O’Hara While Accepting DGA Award

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Studio directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg honored Catherine O’Hara during their acceptance speech for outstanding directorial achievement for a comedy series at the 2026 DGA Awards. “Honestly, there’s no one we wish we could thank in person at this moment more than we would love to thank Catherine O’Hara,” Rogen said, which led the audience to erupt in applause, as Goldberg added, “We grew up in Canada, and she is and was quite literally our idol since we were children.” O’Hara portrayed movie executive Patty Leigh in Rogen and Goldberg’s Apple TV comedy. She appeared in all 10 episodes of The Studio‘s hit first season, and notably earned herself a 2025 Emmy nomination for best supporting actress in a comedy series. The Beetlejuice actress died Jan. 30 at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness. She was 71. Rogen cited the two-time Emmy winner’s iconic role in the Home Alone franchise as a moment that made him want to make his own films. “Home Alone honestly is the movie that made me …

Our Members Are Having Hard Times

Our Members Are Having Hard Times

Published by Daniella Wilson

Christopher Nolan, the newly elected president of the Directors Guild of America, presided over his first DGA Awards on Saturday night, as he kicked off the ceremony with a passionate speech. Nolan was elected in September to serve as president of the Hollywood directors union, and returned to its annual awards show in very different fashion than two years ago, when he won the top prize for Oppenheimer. This time around, he began by showing appreciation to the guild’s board members and telling those in the room, “If you like the way the organization is running and you see things you like, or more importantly if you don’t like the way we’re doing things, please come and get involved… we need as many voices as possible.” Nolan noted how being a director can be “a lonely profession, and having us all come together on occasions like this is what helps us have strengths together in our conversations and our dealings with the studios. A lot of heavy hitters here tonight.” He joked he wasn’t “supposed …

2026 Directors Guild Awards Winners List

2026 Directors Guild Awards Winners List

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Directors Guild of America is recognizing the best film, TV and commercial directors of the past year at the 2026 DGA Awards. Heading into Saturday night’s ceremony — hosted this year by Kumail Nanjiani from the Beverly Hilton — Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Guillermo Del Toro (Frankenstein), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme) and Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) are up for the top prize of outstanding directorial achievement in theatrical feature film, in what tends to be a major predictor for the best director category at the Oscars. (At the Oscars though, Sentimental Value‘s Joachim Trier is nominated in Del Toro’s place). The evening will see additional honors handed out for first-time feature filmmakers, as well as in a number of TV categories and special honors for associate director/stage manager David Charles and assistant director Gregory McCollum. It’s also the first show to be presided over by new DGA president Christopher Nolan, who was elected to helm the Hollywood union in September. A complete list of this year’s DGA nominees follows. Winners will be updated as they’re revealed …