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40 DGA QUARTERLY a writer who says, 'This is what we wrote, go do it,' and you're kind of left on an island sometimes. Having a producer/director there is really invaluable, in that there's an advocate for you." As executive producer/director on the eagerly awaited HBO su- perhero series Watchmen, Nicole Kassell—who directed the pilot for creator Damon Lindelof—finds herself in a position that once did right by her when she was an up-and-coming episodic direc- tor on shows led by Paris Barclay, Marcos Siega and Mimi Leder. "I see it from the other side now, and when the fresh energy, the fresh perspective arrives, it's exhilarating," says Kassell, who also looked for words of wisdom from veteran producer/director Thomas Schlamme, whose visionary partnership with writer Aaron Sorkin and guidance of guest directors on The West Wing underscored the job's value. "You really get to put your imprint on a piece of art, so it allows you to be a part of the show as a whole," Kassell adds. Directors' No. 1 Ally A S S E L L E N J OY S flooding incoming Watchmen direc- tors with information on the alternate universe she helped create, while letting them in on where their own imaginations can run free. "Knowledge is power," she says. "To be able to put an episode in somebody's hands, where that is the one thing they need to concentrate on, is a real gift to a production. It's a privilege to watch the show take shape under this umbrella that I establish, yet see how [other directors bring] their touch to it." That advocacy is as important as ever as studios and networks turn their hiring focus on the previously overlooked, says Michael Spiller, who executive produced/directed The Mindy Project for its entire run. "There's a concerted effort to bring in more directors who have traditionally had a harder time breaking into the field— women, people of color—so we're giving a lot of people their first start," says Spiller. "With that first opportunity, it's useful to have someone there to make sure they will be protected and supported, so their first go-round is a successful one." Station 19 producer/director Barclay, whose history with the position dates back to NYPD Blue and who credits his approach to a mantra from ER executive producer John Wells ("Make another episode of ER, only a little better"), believes his responsibility is to "give directors all the information they need, the pluses and minus- es, the strengths and weaknesses of all the departments and people, because I don't want to see them once they start shooting." Barclay calls the producer/director a "director protector" job, too. If during a concept or production meeting for an episode, a question is asked that everyone expects him to answer as an execu- tive producer, he notes, "I will say out loud, 'I think that's a question for the director.' Even if I don't love the director's ideas, I will agree with the director, because that's part of empowering them." Michael Slovis (Preacher, New Amsterdam) says he's turned down many producer/director jobs over a perceived sense that the creators wanted him parked on the set to correct mistakes along the way. "That's policing directors, and that's not how I see the job," he says. "The work is done in prep, not by telling [directors] what to do, but by providing them with the inside information—what the culture of the show, the actors, the writing is—and giving them the tools they need. On our show, we want directors. We don't want "I see it from the other side now, and when the fresh energy, the fresh perspective arrives, it's exhilarating." —Nicole Kassell Exec. producer/director on Watchmen PHOTOS: MITCH HAASETH/ABC; (OPPOSITE, TOP) JACK ROWAND/ABC; (OPPOSITE, BOTTOM) WARRICK PAGE/HBO K