Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1540124
8 I D G A M O N T H L Y A Farewell Letter from Outgoing President Lesli Linka Glatter DGA Past President Lesli Linka Glatter posing with the new slate of DGA Offi cers and National Board Members after her re-election as President in 2023 with predecessors, Past Presidents Paris Barclay and Thomas Schlamme at a DGA Awards ceremony addressing the membership at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles Dear Members: As I sat down to write this letter at the end of my time as President of our Guild, I fi nd myself fi lled with a wide range of emotions and so much gratitude, and I can't help but refl ect not only on the years I've spent serving this extraordinary community of Directors and directorial teams, but also on the winding path that brought me here. From the time I was a little girl in Dallas, Texas, swept away by the magic of the dance studio, I learned that the arts can transport us, connect us, and open doors to worlds we never imagined. That love of movement ultimately brought me to our world of fi lm and TV through a serendipitous moment in Tokyo, Japan in front of two coffee shops. By choosing to enter the coffee shop on the right versus the one on the left, it changed my life forever, for in that shop, I met a man who would become my mentor whose personal stories would become the subject of my fi rst short fi lm. And on that set, I knew that directing would be my next chapter. How could anyone anticipate that unlikely path? But that little fi lm opened a door, and I was blessed to mentored by extraordinary Directors — and being so well mentored, I learned the power and importance of mentorship, and grabbing the hand of the next generation and helping to open the door. Over the years, I have been so fortunate to have worked with so many amazing artists and craftspeople… with all these experiences guiding me ultimately to leadership in the DGA. Grateful is the word that comes to mind. Serving as President of the Directors Guild of America has been one of the greatest privileges of my professional life. Our Guild is built on the backs of storytellers, visionaries and fi erce advocates for the creative and economic rights of our members. To have led this extraordinary community has been nothing short of humbling. Over the past 30 years, I've watched our members continue to craft stories that are bold, truthful, urgent, and brave — stories that refl ect not just the world as it is, but the world as it could be. I've seen our Directors and directorial teams rise to unprecedented challenges: navigating a pandemic, negotiating complex contracts, fi ghting for inclusion and equity, and protecting our creative and economic rights in a rapidly shifting industry and world. I've watched women, people of color, and underrepresented voices, not only break barriers, but redefi ne them. I am proud to say, we will not move backwards — we will move forward — and we will move together. As President, I have been the fortunate witness to countless moments when the DGA has stood together, lifting up not only our members, but the entire industry. From securing new creative rights protections, to opening new opportunities for greater wage and residual growth, fi ghting for fairer pay and safer sets, safeguarding our health and pension benefi ts so members can retire with dignity, securing stronger production tax incentives, and becoming the fi rst union anywhere to negotiate protections for Artifi cial Intelligence, our collective action has strengthened both our craft and the livelihoods of the DGA community for generations to come. These are the accomplishments of a Guild that comes together, welcoming the audience to a DGA Awards ceremony