Jay Roth retiring as Directors Guild of America national executive director after 22 years
Jay D. Roth, who has led the Directors Guild of America for 22 years, will step down from his role as national executive director this spring, the union announced on Wednesday.
During his tenure, Roth led the DGA through several rounds of negotiations as the entertainment industry grappled with digital disruptions. He has served as the guild’s national executive director since 1995. Prior to that, he worked as the guild’s outside general counsel, negotiating labor, copyright and international matters.
Following his retirement, he will take on the title of senior advisor at the guild.
Roth said in a statement that the guild has a “strong foundation in place” and that the organization is “well-positioned to meet the challenges of tomorrow on behalf of our members.”
Roth’s retirement had been in discussions for more than a year, DGA President Paris Barclay said in a release. “One of the greatest testaments to Jay’s leadership skills was his ability to shepherd the guild through these historic changes in our industry while inspiring member involvement and organizing,” he said.
Among the DGA’s most recent negotiations was an agreement that will increase the residuals that directors receive from shows that meet a certain production cost threshold on streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu.
The DGA counts more than 16,000 members worldwide. The union said membership grew 65% during Roth’s tenure.
Roth received a salary of $800,422 in 2015, according to the guild’s most recent filing with the U.S. Department of Labor.
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