The Directors Guild of America has issued a vote of confidence in chief negotiator Russell Hollander ahead of the union’s upcoming negotiations with studios and streamers.
Union President Christopher Nolan announced Monday that the DGA has renewed the contract of its national executive and chief negotiator through 2029. If the union agrees to a three-year model labor deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers this year, the renewed contract ensures Hollander will be at the helm of the more than 19,500-member organization for the duration of the deal.
“For nearly a decade as our national executive director, Ross has been a steward of the union and its members, seeing us through a period of tremendous upheaval in our industry,” Nolan said in a statement. “From the pandemic to strikes and the global downturn in production, Ross has always prioritized and protected the interests of our members, working closely with me, our former union presidents and our National Council. We are grateful for his continued service to our community.”
Hollander has served as the union’s highest-ranking employee since 2017, though he has been with the labor organization much longer. Hollander first joined DGA in 2001 as associate executive director and was promoted the following year to eastern executive director. In 2011, he was promoted again to serve as National Co-CEO/Eastern CEO.
Since assuming the top job in 2017, Hollander has led negotiations on the union’s contracts with AMPTP in 2020 and 2023. He also led talks on behalf of major Hollywood unions on the industry’s return-to-work agreement during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his position, he also serves as president and trustee of the union’s health and pension plans.
“I am honored by the Board’s continued confidence in my service to members, especially in times of incredible change,” Hollander said in a statement. “The beauty of our union is our distinct and unique mission to advance the creative and economic rights of our members — and the secret to our long-term success is the strong partnership between our elected leaders and our professional staff to achieve this purpose. At a time when workers’ rights need strong champions, it is an honor to dedicate myself to this purpose and the members we serve.”
A graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law School, Hollander worked as a partner at the employment law firm Cohen, Weiss, and Simon LLP before joining the DGA.
The DGA, which is negotiating not only on behalf of its namesake position but also on behalf of assistant directors, assistant directors, stage managers and unit production managers, will begin negotiations with AMPTP on May 11 before its contract expires on June 30.
