CBS Announces 2018-2019 DIRECTORS INITIATIVE Participants

CBS today announced participants for the 2018-2019 Directors Initiative. Now in its 15th year, the initiative provides a platform for experienced directors to gain access to showrunners, executives, managers and agents and, more importantly, the opportunity to shadow CBS Television Network and CBS Television Studio shows throughout the year. The program helps directors develop strategic objectives aimed at cultivating meaningful relationships with industry professionals that are essential to getting hired.

"This initiative is all about access to decision MAKERS who can ultimately provide opportunities to advance our participants' careers," said Tiffany Smith-Anoa'i, Executive Vice President, Entertainment Diversity, Inclusion and Communications, CBS Entertainment. "Another rewarding aspect about this community we are building is that many of our participants will gain experience by shadowing directing alumni of previous Director Initiative programs, who are eager to share their insights."

This year's participants:

Lionel Coleman (Drama Director) cut his teeth at CBS News, learning the language of storytelling, before becoming a DGA commercial director. There, he began to build a point of view around what Eudora Welty called "the still moment," that fleeting, nearly uncapturable now. Whether he's documenting the aftermath of an earthquake from an open helicopter, directing celebrity athletes for brands like Nike, Ford and Adidas, or filming the moment a life is brought into the world for Huggies, Lionel is working to capture performances that make us human. His documentary projects include "Castaways," a web series featuring inmates training unwanted dogs for reintroduction or adoption, and various branded content films for Gatorade, Huggies and Wilson Tennis.

Cellin Gluck (Drama Director) has had his hand in directing four successful feature films for the Japanese market. His most recent, "Persona Non Grata," with a five-month nationwide run in Japan, was seen by over one million people. Starting as an assistant director on such films as "Black Rain," "Internal Affairs," "Noriega" and "Contact" while concurrently producing and later directing commercials for Japan and China, Cellin co-directed "Oba the Last Samurai" (adapting the screenplay from a novel of the same name) after directing the Japanese remake of "Sideways." He is an active member of the DGA's Asian American Committee.

Anne Hamilton (Drama Director) directed her feature debut, "American Fable," in 2016, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. It was acquired by IFC Midnight for a theatrical release and went on to win many awards. RogerEbert.com praised Hamilton's film as "an extremely impressive debut," and Variety hailed it as "a passport to bigger things for its gifted young director." Before becoming a filmmaker, Hamilton graduated from Stanford with a degree in philosophy and Yale Law School. Currently, she is a member of the DGA Women's Steering Committee, Film Fatales and Women in Film.

Heather Tom (Drama Director) is a five-time Emmy Award-winning actress and has directed on CBS' THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL for the past three years, recently receiving an Emmy nomination for Best Directing Team. Her award-winning short films "Serenity" and "Bigfoot's Love Slave" have played numerous festivals across the globe. Heather is presently developing multiple projects for film and television, ranging from traditional episodic and a digital series titled "Blink," for which she recently shot a pilot, to the feature film script "The Last Knight in Camelot," named a 2018 PAGE Award Finalist. Heather is an advocate for women's rights and was a featured speaker at the 2004 Democratic National Convention kick-off event. She worked on both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's 2008 campaigns, and is involved with Planned Parenthood, Feminist Majority, She Votes, and Rock the Vote.

Past participants of the CBS Directors Initiative include Zetna Fuentes (MADAM SECRETARY, "Zoo," JANE THE VIRGIN), Laura Belsey (NCIS: NEW ORLEANS, BULL, CRIMINAL MINDS), Lily Mariye (CRIMINAL MINDS, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, MACGYVER), Kevin Berlandi (BULL) and Jennifer Derwingson (NCIS: NEW ORLEANS).

The CBS Directors Initiative also hosts various events throughout the year for all directors looking to gain access to CBS producers and showrunners.

For more information about CBS Diversity & Inclusion, please visit: https://www.cbscorporation.com/diversity/.

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