Disney General Entertainment Content (DGE) has selected the participants in its 2022-2023 DGE Directing Program. For the second consecutive year, the program will guarantee episodes to first-time television directors on a DGE scripted series.
What’s Happening:
- Launched in 2001 and run by DGE’s Creative Talent Development & Inclusion (CTDI) department, the DGE Directing Program previously provided access, mentorship, shadowing assignments and advanced professional development to directors on the cusp of episodic television directing.
- In partnership with participating Disney series, this year’s program will commit episodes to directors on the following shows:
- This is the first year the program will commit directing assignments within the ABC daytime scripted space (General Hospital).
- The 2022-2023 DGE Directing Program cohort includes director/actor Lilan Bowden (assigned to The Villains of Valley View), actor-turned-director Phillip Rhys Chaudhary (assigned to The Good Doctor), on-air promos/commercial director Whitney Clinkscales (assigned to General Hospital), director/writer Shanrica Evans (assigned to The Chi), independent filmmaker Ahmed Ibrahim (assigned to Single Drunk Female), first assistant director TK Shom (assigned to The Rookie) and costume designer-turned-director Keisha Stewart (assigned to BUNK’D).
- The 2022-2023 DGE Directing Program will additionally provide its cohort with limited professional development, mentorship and access to the company’s Directing Program alumni and creative executives/producers. Program directors will shadow on their assigned series prior to directing their episodes.
- The program has been managed and run by Liz Kelly, senior manager of Creative Talent Development & Inclusion, for the past four seasons.
- The DGE Directing Program has enjoyed a long track record of success. Notable alumni include:
- Tessa Blake (A Million Little Things)
- Pete Chatmon (black-ish)
- Ryan Coogler (Black Panther)
- Zetna Fuentes (Jane the Virgin)
- Regina King (Insecure)
- Marvin Lemus (Gentefied)
- Jaffar Mahmood (Young Sheldon)
- Nzingha Stewart (Little Fires Everywhere)
- Jude Weng (grown-ish)
- The program also merged with the former Fox Directors Lab/Fox Global Directors Initiative after Disney’s acquisition of Fox, whose notable directing alumni include:
- Bert and Bertie (The Great)
- Marta Cunningham (Modern Love)
- Sydney Freeland (Reservation Dogs)
- Steph Green (Watchmen)
- Maggie Kiley (Riverdale)
- Alexis Ostrander (Cruel Summer)
- Marcus Stokes (9-1-1).
- Alumni from last year’s program (the first year in which episodes were guaranteed) have already gone on to book or direct their second and third episodes on shows like the Disney-produced The Resident; ABC’s The Rookie, The Rookie: Feds and The Good Doctor; Freeform’s Good Trouble; and The CW’s Walker, among other scripted series.