The Directors Guild of America has named the three individuals to its negotiating committee who will lead its contract talks in 2023.
Directors Guild president Lesli Linka Glatter announced Friday that director Jon Avnet has been appointed chair of the DGA Feature Film and Television Negotiations Committee, and directors Todd Holland and Karen Gaviola have been appointed co-chairs. All three are veterans of the union and negotiations, and the appointments are the first major public move for the newly elected president Glatter.
The DGA’s three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) expires on June 30, 2023.
“We don’t yet know when our next negotiations will take place, but we are looking ahead as we carefully examine the creative and economic issues faced by our members working in film and television,” Glatter said. “As part of that process, we have asked three of our prominent feature and television directors – Jon Avnet, Karen Gaviola and Todd Holland – to head our negotiations, and they have graciously agreed. Jon and Todd did such a tremendous job co-chairing in our last round – and as a veteran of many past negotiating committees, Karen is just the right person to round out this stellar team. We are so fortunate to have the benefit of their wisdom and many years of experience to spearhead this process.”
The selections were chosen unanimously by the Board at its meeting on Sept. 18.
The Guild expects to appoint the full negotiations committee, which is made up of directors, assistant directors, unit production managers, associate directors and stage managers working in all genres, later this year. National executive director Russell Hollander will serve as the guild’s chief negotiator.
The news for the DGA comes as IATSE in their negotiations with the studios will hold a strike authorization vote this weekend after talks on the Hollywood Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement stalled. The Hollywood agreement oversees productions worked on by the 13 West Coast IATSE locals, while the Area Standards agreement covers productions nationwide. Results from the vote will come Monday.
Jon Avnet has served on the DGA Negotiations Committee for the past three negotiations cycles, co-chairing the most recent round with Todd Holland. He is a National Board member, serves on the Western Directors Council, and is a trustee to the DGA Pension and Health Plans. He’s also a two-time DGA Award nominee and is known for directing “Fried Green Tomatoes.”
Karen Gaviola has served on the DGA Negotiations Committee for the past four negotiations cycles. She is a National Board member and serves on the Western Directors Council. She is also a member of the TV Director Creative Rights Committee and Diversity Task Force and serves as a trustee to the DGA Pension and Health Plans. Gaviola has directed over 125 hours of television across all genres.
Todd Holland has served on the DGA Negotiations Committee for the past six negotiations cycles, and co-chaired the most recent round with Avnet. He is a National Board member and serves on the Western Directors Council. He is also a trustee to the DGA Pension and Health Plans, chair of the Directors Guild Foundation and previously served as co-chair of the Diversity Task Force. Holland is a prolific television director. He won the DGA Award in the Television Comedy category in 2001 and is a six-time nominee.