The Commercial Directors Diversity Program’s (CDDP) Industry Showcase recently debuted in Los Angeles at the Directors Guild of America (DGA). The Showcase featured spec spots directed by the five Fellows for this fifth cycle of the full CDDP program. The directors are: Hissoni Mustafa, Megan Brotherton, Lauren Crew, Allison A. Waite, and Angela Su.
Led by executive director Tamika Lamison, the CDDP provides a six-month program consisting of workshops, mentorships, networking, shadowing, a $25,000 grant to make a spec commercial, and an industry showcase to share the work.
The CDDP is a joint effort between the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) and the Directors Guild of America (DGA). It reflects the commitment of both organizations to bring about change and increase the representation of women and other underrepresented groups in the directing ranks of commercials and marketing communications. The goal of the program is to introduce directors to the commercial industry in the hopes that they will sign with AICP member companies and eventually join the DGA.
For this latest cycle, the mentoring production companies–which also helped facilitate the creation of each director’s spec piece–were: Hungry Man, Florence, Furlined, Sibling Rivalry, and Spears & Arrows. Each Fellow and mentoring company were teamed with agencies including: Highdive, Chicago; TRG in Dallas; Wieden+Kennedy New York; Translation, LA; and The VIA agency in Portland, Maine–all of which generously supplied scripts and worked with the directors providing valuable creative insight.
In addition to the spec pieces, the Showcase featured documentary profiles of each director and a panel discussion comprised of the Fellows, and moderated by Carolyn Chen, one of the first female commercial cinematographers who later directed over 300 national TV spots. The Directing Fellows were given a standing ovation at the end of the program.
The expanded CDDP Program that first launched in 2018 has graduated 26 Directing Fellows, at least 15 of whom have been signed to production companies, and some who have joined the DGA. The programs outreach is wide with over 500 applicants each year. In addition to the Directing Fellows, 15 finalists get to participate in the workshops in person and 25 semi-finalists from all over the world are invited to join the workshops on zoom.
For more info on the CDDP program, directors Mustafa, Brotherton, Crew, Waite and Su–and their work–visit here.
