The Directors Guild of America has tapped negotiating committee leadership for next year’s talks on a new three-year Basic Agreement and Freelance Live and Tape Television Agreement.
Jon Avnet will serve as Chair and Karen Gaviola will serve as Vice Chair of the committee, per the union. The current contracts expire on June 30, 2026. DGA National Executive Director Russell Hollander will serve as chief negotiator.
Avnet has served on the DGA negotiations committee for the past five bargaining cycles and was chair for the last two. He is currently a National Board member and on the Western Directors Council and is also Co-Chair of the DGA’s AI Committee, as well as a Trustee for the DGA Pension and Health Plans. His film and TV credits include Risky Business, Fried Green Tomatoes, Black Swan, Uprising, Justified and Sneaky Pete.
Gaviola has been on the negotiations committee for the past six bargaining cycles, serving as co-chair for the previous round. She is an alternate on the DGA National Board and the Western Directors Council. Gaviola also serves as Chair of the DGA Safety Committee, a member of the TV Director Creative Rights Committee, Diversity Task Force, and a Trustee for the DGA Pension and Health Plans. She has directed over 140 episodes of television, including The Boys, The Walking Dead and Paper Girls. She has also served as a producer-director on five series, including Hawaii 5-0 and Lucifer.
Per the DGA, the full negotiations committee has yet to be appointed. The group will be made up of professionals from across the guild including directors, assistant directors, unit production managers, associate directors, and stage managers.
“In these challenging times, it’s hard to believe that we are already gearing up for the next round of negotiations with the Studios,” DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “As we do in every round, the DGA spends an enormous amount of time and resources conducting thorough research to understand the issues facing our members and our industry, while preparing to best represent their economic and creative interests at the bargaining table.”
She continued: “An important part of getting ready is to appoint leaders who will help guide us, and we are thrilled to have two of our most experienced feature and television Directors, Jon Avnet and Karen Gaviola, back to head the 2026 committee. Jon and Karen were instrumental to helping steer the Guild in our most recent round, which resulted in major economic gains and creative protections. Our entire membership will once again have the benefit of their experience and deep understanding of the industry.”