The Directors Guild of America has recently released data on hiring trends in episodic television for the 2023-2024 season, showing stable numbers over the past three years, even during the strikes period.
According to the data, there have been increases in employment rates among women and directors of color over the past decade. The focus was also on women and people of color within directorial teams, as well as LGBTQ+ and disabled members of directorial teams. The Guild has been tracking this data since 2022.
DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter stated, “The industry has made measurable gains in the employment of women directors and directors of color in episodic television over the past ten seasons. Although these gains have remained steady through the beginning of 2024, we must remain vigilant during this time of reduced production. Our Diversity and Inclusion data is crucial for pushing the industry to provide more opportunities for directors from historically marginalized communities. We are proud to now include trends for the LGBTQ+ and disabled communities as we continue to advocate for an equal playing field for all.”
The analysis of 1,430 DGA-covered television episodes produced during the 2023-2024 season revealed that 37% of episodes were directed by women, marking a 16% increase from the previous decade. Additionally, 39% of episodes were directed by people of color, showing a consistent rate from the past two seasons and an 18% increase from the decade prior.
Since the 2014-2015 television season, hiring rates have increased from 3% to 13% among women of color and from 15% to 26% among men of color. Representation of white women has also increased from 13% to 20%.
Despite a decrease in episodic television production during the 2023-24 season due to strikes, hiring across six of seven different demographic categories was reflected in the 1,430 episodes produced.
Data on television episodes from 2023 revealed that 8.6% of content was directed by members of the LGBTQ+ community and 0.6% by a member of the disabled community.
Edward Ornelas, co-chair of the DGA’s Television Diversity Task Force, urged studios to continue building on the progress made over the past decade as production levels recover from recent disruptions. The focus is on increasing behind-the-camera representation for the Latino community, which has been lagging behind despite being a large historically marginalized group.
For female members of directorial teams, hiring rates during the 2023-2024 season were at 41%, while directors of color were at 21%.
Heidi McGowen, a UPM member who serves on the Television Diversity Task Force, emphasized the need to increase diversity in directorial teams to better reflect a wide range of perspectives. The DGA is committed to creating pathways that expand employment opportunities for underrepresented members of directorial teams.
