DGA Monthly

2 I D G A M O N T H L Y Farewell Letter from President Thomas Schlamme DGA President Thomas Schlamme 2017 LA Times announcement of Schlamme's election as President showing support at the Women in Entertainment (WE) Talk Event with guest speakers WSC Co-Chair Maria Burton, 5th Vice-President Lesli Linka Glatter, and Directors Ondi Timoner and Melanie Mayron presenting the Honorary Life Member Award to Michael Apted with former National Executive Director Jay D. Roth addressing the membership at the DGA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles Dear Members: As a young adolescent in Houston, Texas, after Sabbath School, I would skip temple, take the bus downtown by myself to one of the grand movie palaces and slip into the darkness. These theaters were MY temple—and even though I didn't know the other audience members, we were bonded by our shared experience. There was one other place I got that special feeling…in my living room where we had our one television set. I would listen to my dad's belly-laugh as he watched Hogan's Heroes (who'd have thought a German Jew who fl ed Nazi Germany, returned as an American soldier, and helped liberate the camps would be the prime demo). I'd see tears roll down my mother's cheeks, and occasionally my father's as well (before he quickly covered them up), as we all watched Bonanza. These moments for me were indelible, evoking a sense of belonging, both to a community and to a family. And in my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined that I would one day be able to work on the other side of that magical world. Fast-forward 20 years to me, standing in front of Martin Scorsese, mustering all of my courage to ask him to sign my application to offi cially join the DGA—and get my fi rst cherished membership card. I didn't really know Marty at the time, but I had an offi ce near his and he graciously obliged. An equally indelible moment. As I joyously immersed myself in the work, I didn't really understand the true meaning of that card. I didn't realize there was a community of people that were protecting me. Brave members who fought for the fantastic wages that allowed me to build a living for myself and my family…the residuals that got me through down periods… my incredible healthcare… the security of a pension… and the creative rights I relied upon to bring my visions to life. That all changed when I met past president and Guild giant Michael Apted, who we sadly lost earlier this year. It is because of Michael that I fi rst got involved in Guild service. At an innocent lunch, he asked me for help, and I took the bait. I remember looking at him back then, in awe of his commitment as he took on this full-time role of President, on top of his demanding full-time day job. But Michael knew something that I didn't know yet. And as my second presidential term winds to a close, I too have come to fi nd out that living up to the duty and honor of this very challenging position is also its greatest reward. I will be stepping down at our upcoming Biennial Convention—and look forward to a new voice leading us. And though this letter is a goodbye of sorts, more than anything it is fi lled with gratitude to this sacred institution of folks standing up for one another—much like Marty did for me many years ago. Some of you are still strangers that I share an immense bond with like in those dark palaces ... and some of you are like family in my living room. Beginning my fi rst term, we celebrated our historic 2017 negotiations, where we achieved a tripling of made-for-SVOD residuals at a crucial infl ection point of major technological change. And right at that moment, there was also long overdue social change afoot with the powerful voices of #MeToo. Just as we had always fought for our creative and economic rights—so too did we fi ght for our members' right to go to work and be safe and free from harassment. In my second term, our Negotiations Committee consisting of more than 70 members from all categories and regions, co-chaired brilliantly by Jon Avnet and Todd Holland, secured a strong new contract. We achieved another leap forward in made-for-SVOD residuals, as well as gains in wages, increased pension contributions, and much needed creative rights for TV directors. But there was unfortunately no time to celebrate. It was at this exact moment that the world as we knew it was turned on its head. Overnight, we were faced with near total unemployment across our membership. As we contended with this unimaginable pandemic, the senseless murder of

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