Awards Season

Shōgun, The Bear lead 77th DGA TV, Doc and Commercial noms

By Reel 360
January 7, 2025

The Directors Guild of America has officially unveiled the nominees for the 77th Annual DGA Awards, recognizing exceptional achievements in television, commercials, and documentary filmmaking for 2024. The winners will be revealed on Saturday, February 8, 2025, during a ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

The DGA nominees span a wide range of categories, from dramatic series to children’s programming, showcasing the breadth of storytelling excellence in the industry. Here are some standout highlights:

This year’s dramatic series nominees spotlight emotionally resonant and visually compelling storytelling. Netflix’s The Diplomat earns a nod for Alex Graves’s work on “Dreadnought,” while FX’s Shōgun dominates the category with three nominations, including Hiromi Kamata for “Ladies of the Willow World.” Issa López’s direction in True Detective: Night Country is also recognized, cementing the category’s rich diversity.

Despite its frequent labeling as a comedy, The Bear continues to challenge genre boundaries, with three nominations for episodes “Napkins” (Ayo Edebiri), “Doors” (Duccio Fabbri), and “Tomorrow” (Christopher Storer). The Max hit Hacks also earns a spot with Lucia Aniello’s episode “Bulletproof,” alongside Curb Your Enthusiasm director Jeff Schaffer for “No Lessons Learned.”

HBO’s The Penguin sweeps this category, with three DGA nominations recognizing Kevin Bray, Jennifer Getzinger, and Helen Shaver. Other contenders include Alfonso Cuarón for Apple TV+’s Disclaimer and Steven Zaillian for Netflix’s Ripley.

In the realm of branded storytelling, DGA nominees include Lance Acord (An American Love Story for Volkswagen), Kim Gehrig (A Life in Sound for SiriusXM), and Tim Heidecker & Eric Wareheim (Michael CeraVe for CeraVe). The category continues to celebrate innovative and boundary-pushing commercial work.

The documentary category highlights a range of compelling narratives, from Porcelain War by Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev to Daughters by Natalie Rae & Angela Patton. Other DGA nominees include Sugarcane, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, and Hollywoodgate, showcasing global and social themes through powerful storytelling.

As the countdown begins to the February ceremony, this year’s nominees reflect a year of bold creativity and exceptional execution. Whether through high-stakes dramas, thought-provoking documentaries, or innovative commercial storytelling, these directors have set the bar for excellence across the entertainment industry.

See the full list of DGA nominees below:

Dramatic Series

Alex Graves, The Diplomat, “Dreadnought” (Netflix)
Hiromi Kamata, Shōgun, “Ladies of the Willow World” (FX)
Issa López, True Detective: Night Country, “Part 6” (HBO)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Manager: Mari Jo Winkler
  - First Assistant Director: Richard Graysmark
Frederick E.O. Toye, Shōgun, “Crimson Sky” (FX)
Jonathan Van Tulleken, Shōgun, “Anjin” (FX)

Comedy Series

Lucia Aniello, Hacks, “Bulletproof” (Max)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Manager: Chris R. Robinson
  - First Assistant Director: Jeff Rosenberg
  - Second Assistant Director: Erin Stern Linares
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Alaina Neumann
  - Additional Second Assistant Director: Chalis Romero
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear, “Napkins” (FX)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Managers: Carrie Holt de Lama, Tyson Bidner
  - First Assistant Director: Duccio Fabbri
  - Second Assistant Directors: Olivia Dame, Larissa Malarek
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Sofía Blanco
  - Location Manager: Maria C. Roxas
Duccio Fabbri, The Bear, “Doors” (FX)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Managers: Carrie Holt de Lama, Tyson Bidner
  - First Assistant Director: Larissa Malarek
  - Second Assistant Director: Olivia Dame
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Sofia Blanco
  - Location Manager: Maria C. Roxas
Jeff Schaffer, Curb Your Enthusiasm, “No Lessons Learned” (HBO)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Manager: Mary Church
  - First Assistant Director: Adam Feil
  - Second Assistant Director: Jessica Faires McGinn
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Timothy Muir
Christopher Storer, The Bear, “Tomorrow” (FX)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Managers: Carrie Holt de Lama, Tyson Bidner
  - First Assistant Director: Duccio Fabbri
  - Second Assistant Director: Olivia Dame
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Sofía Blanco
  - Location Manager: Maria C. Roxas

Movies for Television and Limited Series

Kevin Bray, The Penguin, “Top Hat” (HBO)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Managers: Dana Robin, Bill Carraro
  - First Assistant Director: Jude Gorjanc
  - Second Assistant Director: Brad Robinson
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Matt Merksamer
  - Additional Second Assistant Director: Maritza Gomez
  - Location Manager: Keith Adams
Alfonso Cuarón, Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Manager: Donald Sabourin
  - First Assistant Director: Chris Carreras
Jennifer Getzinger, The Penguin, “A Great or Little Thing” (HBO)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Managers: Dana Robin, Bill Carraro
  - First Assistant Director: H.H. Cooper
  - Second Assistant Director: Eric Calatayud
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Matt Merksamer
  - Additional Second Assistant Director: Maritza Gomez
  - Location Manager: Keith Adams
Helen Shaver, The Penguin, “Cent’anni” (HBO)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Managers: Dana Robin, Bill Carraro
  - First Assistant Director: H.H. Cooper
  - Second Assistant Director: Eric Calatayud
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Matt Merksamer
  - Additional Second Assistant Director: Maritza Gomez
  - Location Manager: Keith Adams
Steven Zaillian, Ripley (Netflix)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Managers: Clayton Townsend, Joe Guest (New York)
  - First Assistant Director: Peter Thorell
  - Second Assistant Directors: Justin Bischoff (New York), Nick Notte (New York)
  - Second Second Assistant Director: Melissa Morphet (New York)
  - Location Manager: Paul Eskenazi (New York)

Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Regularly Scheduled Programming

Paul G. Casey, Real Time with Bill Maher, “Jiminy Glick, Andrew Cuomo, Adam Kinzinger” (HBO)
- Directorial Team:
  - Associate Director: Stacy Talbot
  - Stage Managers: Brian Anderson, Patrick Whitney
Jim Hoskinson, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Mavis Staples w/ Jeff Tweedy” (CBS)
- Directorial Team:
  - Associate Directors: Yvonne De Mare, Karen Yaeger
  - Stage Managers: Mark McKenna, Jeff Leib
David Paul Meyer, The Daily Show, “Indecision 2024: The Democratic National Convention – Plot Twist!” (Comedy Central)
- Directorial Team:
  - Associate Director: Adrienne Ford
  - Stage Managers: Bennymar Almonte (Lead), Tyler Goldman, Gena Rositano
Liz Patrick, Saturday Night Live, “John Mulaney / Chappell Roan” (NBC)
- Directorial Team:
  - Associate Directors: Michael Mancini, Michael Poole, Laura Ouziel Mack, Janine DeVito, Amy Mancini
  - Stage Managers: Gena Rositano, Chris Kelly, Eddie Valk, Tom Ucciferri
Paul Pennolino, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, “India Elections” (HBO)
- Directorial Team:
  - Associate Director: Elliot Mendelson
  - Stage Managers: Mark McKenna, Craig Spinney, Jeff Leib

Reality Programs

Neil DeGroot, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, “The Cliffs of Ireland” (National Geographic)
- Directorial Team:
  - Associate Director: Jeff Simms
Joseph Guidry, Deal Or No Deal Island, “Are You Decisive?” (NBC)
- Directorial Team:
  - Associate Director: Greg Rosa
Ari Katcher, Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, “Road Trip” (HBO)
Patrick McManus, American Ninja Warrior, “Las Vegas Finals 4” (NBC)
- Directorial Team:
  - Associate Director: David Massey
  - Stage Managers: Sara Brown, Sean P. Galvin, T.J. Ganser, Joseph R. Osborne, Louise Story
Mike Sweeney, Conan O’Brien Must Go, “Ireland” (Max)

Children’s Programs

Kat Coiro, The Spiderwick Chronicles, “Welcome to Spiderwick” (Roku Channel)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Manager: Grace Gilroy
Michael Goi, Avatar: The Last Airbender, “Aang” (Netflix)
- Directorial Team:
  - First Assistant Director: Michael Neumann
  - Second Assistant Director: Chad Belair
Jim Mickle, Sweet Tooth, “This Is a Story” (Netflix)
Jennifer Phang, Descendants: The Rise of Red (Disney+)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Manager: Wendy S. Williams
  - First Assistant Director: Senica Billingsley
  - Second Assistant Director: Mark E. Brown
Amber Sealey, Out of My Mind (Disney+)

Commercials

Lance Acord, An American Love Story (Volkswagen – Johannes Leonardo)
- Directorial Team:
  - Unit Production Manager: Karoline Kousidonis
  - First Assistant Directors: Thomas Smith, Peter S. Jackson
  - Second Assistant Directors: Carly Sturgeon, John Mattern
  - Second Second Assistant Directors: Matthew Kramer, Reed Baum