This program is open to mid-career directors who work in features, TV, documentaries, and/or commercials. Mid-career or mid-level director is defined as someone who (a) is a DGA member; (b) has worked in a professional capacity in the film/television industry for at least five years and (c) has directed something preferably in the last two years that has been publicly released (ie on television/streaming, in a theater and/or in a festival competition).

That depends. How much progress have you made in that transition? The Squad program mandate is to support mid-career Directors. While we recognize that all career steps up and sideways can be difficult, participation in the Squad should not be the sole or first step in that journey.

Yes! Ideally we want Directors from every area of the industry represented. Features, Episodic, Commercials, Documentary, etc. We want you to apply!

Ideally at least two but there is no firm answer here. We want to see that you are “mid-career” in whatever area you work in and, as we all know, getting that second episode can be as hard as getting your first. However this can sometimes be mitigated by other factors and experiences.

For six months you will have a self-scheduled once monthly interaction with your Mentor and for nine months you will attend a once monthly Zoom with your entire Squad. These group Squad meetings are mandatory and usually occur on a weekend and may only be skipped due to work or a family emergency.

Because you are curating your time with your mentor, it would be helpful to create a list of questions or topics you’d like to discuss with them for each meet up so that you can maximize your time together. Additionally, a reminder that the Squad program is not a shadowing or job program. Asking your Mentor to shadow or hire you is strictly prohibited.

The Co-Chairs are not the mentors–they run the program, selecting The Squad, pairing the Mentors and curating the monthly meetings based on the needs of the Squad members.

We are looking for a reel that reflects your directing talents and point of view as a visual storyteller, as well as the trajectory of where you want to go in your career. If you want to do a certain genre or tone, there should be examples of that on your reel. We want to see evidence of you making intentional progress towards your stated career goals. In some case, it may be necessary to cut a new reel with these factors in mind. We encourage you to use your best work, we believe in quality over quantity of images. If you are sending a short film, it should ideally be recently produced, i.e. preferably the last 4 years.

With the Squad, we are intentionally trying to build a very engaged community of Directors who already have a spirit of supporting other creatives and giving back. Not all give-backs need to be in an “official” capacity, but there should be efforts you make outside of your normal job responsibilities and in your own free time.

Yes! But please consider what’s changed in your career/life since your previous application and address it.

If you’re trying to transition from one genre/medium/format to another it’s important to make new work that shows the skills required. For example, if you’re trying to move from multi-cam to single cam, shoot a short or a scene to include in your work sample. If you have access to people who could serve as a mentor, do not wait for our program (or any program!) Ask them if they’d be willing to mentor you or answer a few career questions.

Please double check your work for spelling or grammatical mistakes. For the work sample, do not link to a homepage of work, link to the specific reel you want us to see. You can attach two links maximum. For your personal statement, dig deep into your professional goals and convey what your specific intent is for your career. Link to your IMDB page, not your IMDB Pro page and make sure your IMDB page is up to date and accurate!