Lisa Rich
Advisory Board Committee Leader
CDDP

Lisa Rich joined the DGA in 1980 as the first woman to be admitted directly as a first assistant director.

Over her 40-year career she has worked as a freelance producer in movies, television, and commercials; was a partner with Haskell Wexler at Harmony Pictures; held Executive Producer roles at Wexler/Hall and MJZ; and was COO at Smuggler.

In her eight years at Smuggler she helped the company win the coveted
Cannes Palme D’Or among many other awards and honors, and cultivated her passion for nurturing the careers of young directors like Henry Alex Rubin and Jon Watts.

Lisa served as a member of the AICP board working on the labor
committee for several years during which the CDDP was born. After leaving Smuggler she became the de facto chair of the CDDP Advisory Committee and a creator of the current CDDP program.

Throughout her career she has been committed to changing the face of the commercial industry, notably making the path into the industry more
accessible for the women who are coming up behind her. One of the things Lisa is most proud of is the real world impact that the CDDP has had on the lives of underrepresented directors.