Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/653175
1 6 I D G A M O N T H L Y Women's Steering Committee Hosts Workshop Your Online Presence: How to Shape Perception On February 20, the DGA Women's Steering Committee (WSC) hosted the workshop, Your Online Presence: How to Shape Perception. The workshop presented valuable information on how to take advantage of the tools available in the digital age and become your own best advocate by raising your visibility online. Approximately 40 DGA members gathered in the Atrium of the Guild's Los Angeles headquarters to receive guidance in how to create a dynamic profi le for use on a myriad of online platforms, tips on personal branding that would enhance their bios and resumes, and hands-on instruction on how to update their online profi les on the DGA website and IMDB.com. The workshop included a panel discussion where educator/speaker/crowdfunding consultant Kathleen Minogue covered the topics of personal branding and PR coaching; photographer/WireImage co-founder Jeff Vespa spoke about importance of your online image; career coach and social media philosopher Ben Whitehair focused on the topic of shaping your story; and Academy Award-winning Producer/Writer/Director Jana Sue Memel spoke about branding and image shaping for websites. The conversation was moderated by Director A. Laura James. Following the panel discussion, the attendees were able to engage in breakout sessions with the panelists. They also received personal guidance by experts from IMDBPro Representatives Ariel Parker, Jerome Core, and Hannah Russell in how to maintain their entries on the popular website, instruction from DGA tech support on how to update their DGA website member directory pages, and had portraits taken by Vespa for use on those profi les. The workshop was organized by WSC Communications and Publicity Committee, coordinated by A. Laura James, with members Maria Burton, Stephanie Green, Matia Karrell, Morgan Lawley, Ami Canaan Mann, Daisy Mayer, Tara Miele, Carrie Rudolf, and Rena Sternfeld-Allon. While the event was created by and targeted to the Guild's female members, it was open to all members. Photos 1. Photographer Jeff Vespa, Consultant Kathleen Minogue, Career Coach Ben Whitehair, and Director Jana Sue Memel conduct the panel discussion. 2. Director A. Laura James moderates the conversation. 3. Director Daisy Mayer gets assistance in updating her online profi les. 4. Vespa shoots a group photo of the attendees. See more detailed descriptions, additional photos and audio where available posted online at www.dga.org. DGA Events Roundup Pan African Film and Arts Festival 2016 Dedicated to promoting racial tolerance through the exhibition of fi lm, art and creative expression, the 24th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) returned to Los Angeles From February 4-15. PAFF presented more than 150 new fi lms to showcase the diversity and complexity of people of African descent from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, South America, Europe, the South Pacifi c and Canada. The DGA has served as a sponsor of the festival for more than a decade. On February 12, fi lmmakers with projects in this year's PAFF attended a brunch at DGA headquarters where they received a welcome from DGA Field Rep Gabe Kahsay, got valuable information about how to best take advantage of the opportunities presented by the festival from PAFF Executive Director Ayuko Babu, and heard DGA Board Alternate Millicent Shelton speak about the advantages of Guild membership and detail some of the DGA's diversity efforts aimed at leveling the playing fi eld behind the camera. Photo: 2016 PAFF fi lmmakers learn about the advantages of Guild membership from DGA Board Alternate Millicent Shelton. photo by Elisa Haber 4 2 3 photos by Jeff Vespa/Wireimage and Randy Shropshire/GettyImages 1