Directors Guild of America President Paris Barclay and National Executive Director Jay D. Roth today announced that the Guild’s National Board, at a meeting on Sunday, February 5, unanimously selected longtime Associate National Executive Director Russell Hollander to succeed Jay D. Roth as National Executive Director. Hollander will take on the new role in May upon the retirement of Roth – who will remain with the Guild as Senior Adviser.
“In this appointment, we ensure the continued strength and stability of our Guild,” said Barclay. “Long committed to advancing the creative and economic rights of our members, Russ is a respected and accomplished leader with a strong track record of success on behalf of our membership and the industry. Together with his deep roots in our Guild, Russ brings the necessary combination of strategic thinking, negotiating prowess, labor law expertise, and appreciation of our craft to build upon the DGA’s strong foundation under Jay, well into the future.”
“Russ has the experience and ability to carry forward our Guild’s enduring mission while navigating the uncharted waters of tomorrow’s world,” added Roth. “In the decade and a half since he joined our senior executive team from a top labor law firm, he has expanded our Guild’s footprint, organizing and tirelessly working with leadership to build a thriving work environment for our members on the East Coast, laying important groundwork with employers, government and industry leaders. Nationally, he has led complex negotiations on behalf of our members in news, sports and commercials, and guided our expanded jurisdiction in non-dramatic, and new media.”
Over the next few months, Roth and Hollander will work with the Guild’s National Board and Councils, as well as senior executive staff, to ensure a seamless transition.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected by the National Board to serve in this role, and a privilege to have learned so much from Jay whose guidance for directors and their teams has elevated the DGA to an industry leading position,” said Hollander. “The strength of our Guild is derived from the unique collaborative structure they have crafted together, and we are well prepared to continue our trajectory of success.”
Hollander, a 16-year DGA veteran, formerly headed the Guild’s New York office before moving to its Los Angeles headquarters to take on an expanded national role in January 2016 to focus on the growing challenges of national and international representation of directors and their teams in all genres represented by the DGA. During his tenure, Hollander has served as the DGA’s chief negotiator in six Network Negotiations with ABC, CBS, and NBC; and four Commercial Negotiations with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers. He was also a leading participant in the Guild’s most recent BA/FLTTA Negotiations. Hollander’s other responsibilities have included oversight of enforcement of the Guild’s collective bargaining agreements in the Eastern region, and national responsibility for non-dramatic programming, News, Sports, Commercials and New Media.
Hollander joined the DGA in 2001 as Assistant Eastern Executive Director, was promoted to Eastern Executive Director in 2002, and promoted again in 2011 to Eastern Executive Director/Associate National Executive Director. Prior to joining the DGA, he was a partner at top labor law firm Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP where he specialized in the representation of labor organizations and employee benefit plans. During that time, he also worked to strengthen the rights of unions. Hollander received his law degree from Harvard University and his undergraduate degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Hollander is married to Helena Prigal, and they have a son, Ben, and twin daughters, Anna and Laura.
