The Directors Guild of America today announced the nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary for 2021.
The winners will be announced at the 74th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, March 12, 2022.
DRAMATIC SERIES
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
KEVIN BRAY
Succession, “Retired Janitors of Idaho”
(HBO)
Mr. Bray’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
- First Assistant Director: John Silvestri
- Second Assistant Director: Nicholas Notte
- Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
- Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
MARK MYLOD
Succession, “All the Bells Say”
(HBO)
Mr. Mylod’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
- First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
- Second Assistant Directors: Michelle Flevotomas, Nicholas Notte
- Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
ANDRIJ PAREKH
Succession, “What It Takes”
(HBO)
Mr. Parekh’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
- First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
- Second Assistant Director: Michelle Flevotomas
- Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
- Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
ROBERT PULCINI & SHARI SPRINGER BERMAN
Succession, “Lion in the Meadow”
(HBO)
Mr. Pulcini & Ms. Berman’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
- First Assistant Director: Christo Morse
- Second Assistant Director: Michelle Flevotomas
- Second Second Assistant Director: Jimmy Rosario
- Additional Second Assistant Director: Nicole Payson
- Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
LORENE SCAFARIA
Succession, “Too Much Birthday”
(HBO)
Ms. Scafaria’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Gabrielle Mahon, Scott Ferguson
- First Assistant Director: John Silvestri
- Second Assistant Director: Nicholas Notte
- Second Second Assistant Directors: Jimmy Rosario, Nicole Payson
- Additional Second Assistant Director: Matt O’Shea
- Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi
COMEDY SERIES
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
LUCIA ANIELLO
Hacks, “There Is No Line”
(HBO Max)
Ms. Aniello’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Melanie J. Elin, David Hyman
- First Assistant Director: Jeff Rosenberg
- Second Assistant Director: Erin Stern Linares
- Second Second Assistant Director: Heidi Hinzman
- Additional Second Assistant Director: Alaina Neumann
MJ DELANEY
Ted Lasso, “No Weddings and a Funeral”
(Apple TV+)
ERICA DUNTON
Ted Lasso, “Rainbow”
(Apple TV+)
SAM JONES
Ted Lasso, “Beard After Hours”
(Apple TV+)
MIKE WHITE
The White Lotus, “Mysterious Monkeys”
(HBO)
Mr. White’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Mark Kamine
- First Assistant Director: Justin Ritson
- Second Assistant Director: Joe Landry
- Second Second Assistant Director: Dais Kasagawa
MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND LIMITED SERIES
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
BARRY JENKINS
The Underground Railroad
(Amazon)
Mr. Jenkins’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Richleigh Heagh
- First Assistant Director: Liz Tan
- Second Assistant Director: Elaine Wood
- Second Second Assistant Director: Wayne Witherspoon
- Additional Second Assistant Directors: Jesse Carmona, AJ Bruno
BARRY LEVINSON
Dopesick, “First Bottle”
(Hulu)
Mr. Levinson’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Marc Hammer
- First Assistant Director: Karen Kane
- Second Assistant Director: Chelsea Ryan Petrucci
- Second Second Assistant Director: Alex Bonner
HIRO MURAI
Station Eleven, “Wheel of Fire”
(HBO Max)
Mr. Murai’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Dana Scott, David Nicksay
- First Assistant Director: Jennifer Wilkinson
- Location Manager: Stefan Nikolov
DANNY STRONG
Dopesick, “The People vs. Purdue Pharma”
(Hulu)
Mr. Strong’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Marc Hammer
- First Assistant Director: Donald Murphy
- Second Assistant Director: Peter Dress
- Second Second Assistant Director: Alex Bonner
CRAIG ZOBEL
Mare of Easttown
(HBO)
Mr. Zobel’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Managers: Karen Wacker, Ron Schmidt
- First Assistant Director: Kayse Goodell
- Second Assistant Director: Jackson Rowe
- Second Second Assistant Directors: Blair Howley, Findlay Zotter
- Additional Second Assistant Directors: Findlay Zotter, Laura Hoyt
VARIETY/TALK/NEWS/SPORTS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
PAUL G. CASEY
Real Time With Bill Maher, “Episode 1935: Fareed Zakaria, Chris Christie, Eric Adams”
(HBO)
Mr. Casey’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Director: Stacy Talbot
- Stage Managers: Brian Anderson, Patrick Whitney
JIM HOSKINSON
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Episode 1105”
(CBS)
Mr. Hoskinson’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Directors: Yvonne De Mare, Karen Yaeger
- Stage Managers: Mark McKenna, Jeff Leib
DON ROY KING
Saturday Night Live, “ Keegan-Michael Key; Olivia Rodrigo”
(NBC)
Mr. King’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Directors: Michael Mancini, Michael Poole, Laura Ouziel-Mack
- Stage Managers: Gena Rositano, Chris Kelly, Eddie Valk
DAVID PAUL MEYER
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, “Episode 26112”
(Comedy Central)
Mr. Meyer’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Director: Kira Klang Hopf
- Stage Manager: Bennymar Almonte
PAUL PENNOLINO & CHRISTOPHER WERNER
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, “Episode 830 – Season Finale”
(HBO)
Mr. Pennolino & Mr. Werner’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Director: Elliot Mendelson
- Stage Managers: Mark McKenna, Craig Spinney
VARIETY/TALK/NEWS/SPORTS – SPECIALS
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
IAN BERGER
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents, “Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse – Into the Magaverse”
(Comedy Central)
BO BURNHAM
Bo Burnham: Inside
(Netflix)
PAUL DUGDALE
Adele: One Night Only
(CBS)
Mr. Dugdale’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Director: Hayley Collett
- Stage Managers: Gary Natoli, Erica Christensen, Zachary Figures, Jackie Stathis
STAN LATHAN
Dave Chappelle: The Closer
(Netflix)
Mr. Lathan’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Director: Sara Niimi
- Stage Manager: Valdez Flagg
GLENN P. WEISS
The 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors
(CBS)
Mr. Weiss’s Directorial Team:
- Associate Directors: Ken Diego, Susan Kopensky, Ricky Kirshner, Lisa R. Anderson, Lori Margules
- Stage Managers: John Esposito, Doug Fogel, Jeffry Gitter, Arthur Lewis, Tammy Raab, Karen Tasch Weiss
REALITY PROGRAMS
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Reality Programs for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
JOSEPH GUIDRY
Full Bloom, “Final Floral Face Off”
(HBO Max)
Mr. Guidry’s Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Sean P. Galvin
Stage Managers: Myeisha Abram, Kristianna LaRoda, Rachel Shimko
PATRICK MCMANUS
American Ninja Warrior, “1304: Qualifiers 4”
(NBC)
Mr. McManus’s Directorial Team:
Associate Director: David Massey
Stage Managers: Jeff Simms, T.J. Ganser, Wolfgang Delgado
RAMY ROMANY
Making the Cut, “Brand Statement”
(Amazon)
Mr. Romany’s Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Ryan Bunnell
Stage Managers: Will Baker, Brady Hess
BEN SIMMS
Running Wild with Bear Grylls, “Gina Carano In The Dolomites”
(National Geographic Channel)
Mr. Simms’s Directorial Team:
Associate Director: Jeff Simms
ADAM VETRI
Getaway Driver, “Electric Shock”
(Discovery Channel)
Mr. Vetri’s Directorial Team:
First Assistant Director: John Esposito
Second Assistant Director: Eric Pai
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
JAMES BOBIN
The Mysterious Benedict Society, “A Bunch of Smart Orphans”
(Disney+)
Mr. Bobin’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Grace Gilroy
MICHAEL LEMBECK
The J Team
(Paramount+)
PHILL LEWIS
Head of the Class, “Three More Years”
(HBO Max)
Mr. Lewis’s Directorial Team:
- Unit Production Manager: Susan M. Crank
- First Assistant Director: Rebecca Baughman
- Second Assistant Director: Oliver Garrett
- Associate Director: Tim Clark
SMRITI MUNDHRA
Through Our Eyes, “Shelter”
(HBO Max)
JEFF WADLOW
Are You Afraid of the Dark?, “The Tale of the Darkhouse”
(Nickelodeon)
COMMERCIALS
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
STEVE AYSON
(MJZ)
Anthem, Mattress Firm – Droga5
- Unit Production Manager: Adriana Cebada-Mora
- First Assistant Director: George Nessis
- Second Assistant Directors: Jesse Carmona, Brent Martin
Award Speech, Miller Lite – DDB Chicago
Networking, Miller Lite – DDB Chicago
KATHRYN BIGELOW
(SMUGGLER)
Hollywood In Your Pocket, iPhone 13 – Media Arts Lab
- First Assistant Directors: Allison Kunzman, Arle Bordas
- Second Assistant Director: Abbey Hansen
- Second Second Assistant Director: Cody Maher
IAN PONS JEWELL
(RESET)
ECG, Apple Watch – Apple
Sleep, Apple Watch – Apple
Time, Squarespace – Squarespace
Your Mom’s Short Ribs, Instacart – Goodby Silverstein
HENRY-ALEX RUBIN
(SMUGGLER)
Teenage Dream, Sandy Hook Promise – BBDO – New York
- First Assistant Director: Anthony Dimino
- Second Assistant Director: David Ebel
BRADFORD YOUNG
(Serial Pictures x Somesuch)
Super. Human., Channel 4 Paralympics – 4Creative
- First Assistant Director: Jez Oakley
DOCUMENTARY
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for 2021 are (in alphabetical order):
JESSICA KINGDON
Ascension
(Paramount+)
STANLEY NELSON
Attica
(Showtime)
RAOUL PECK
Exterminate All the Brutes
(HBO)
Mr. Peck’s Directorial Team:
- First Assistant Director: Mathias Honoré
AHMIR “QUESTLOVE” THOMPSON
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
(Searchlight Pictures)
ELIZABETH CHAI VASARHELYI & JIMMY CHIN
The Rescue
(National Geographic)
Ms.Vasarhelyi & Mr. Chin’s Directorial Team:
- First Assistant Director: Joey Coughlin
