Russell Hollander is the National Executive Director of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), which protects and extends the creative and economic rights of its nearly 17,000 members working in the U.S. and abroad. Responsible for the DGA’s activities and operations, Hollander also leads the Guild in all its labor negotiations. He directs a staff of 160 and develops the Guild’s policy and strategic agenda, working with the elected President and Board of Directors. He also oversees the Guild’s work with its members around the world. 

Prior to stepping into his new role as National Executive Director in May 2017, Hollander, a 16-year DGA veteran, formerly headed the DGA’s New York office. He moved to the Guild’s Los Angeles headquarters to take on an expanded national role in January 2016 to focus on the growing challenges of national and international representation of directors and their teams in all genres represented by the DGA.

During his tenure, Hollander has served as the DGA’s chief negotiator in six Network Negotiations with ABC, CBS, and NBC; and four Commercial Negotiations with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers. He was also a leading participant in the Guild’s most recent BA/FLTTA Negotiations which achieved unprecedented gains in subscription video on demand (SVOD). Hollander’s other responsibilities have included oversight of enforcement of the Guild’s collective bargaining agreements in the Eastern region, and national responsibility for non-dramatic programming, News, Sports, Commercials and New Media.

Hollander joined the DGA in 2001 as Assistant Eastern Executive Director, was promoted to Eastern Executive Director in 2002, and promoted again in 2011 to Eastern Executive Director/Associate National Executive Director. Prior to joining the DGA, he was a partner at top labor law firm Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP where he specialized in the representation of labor organizations and employee benefit plans. During that time, he also worked to strengthen the rights of unions. Hollander received his law degree from Harvard University and his undergraduate degree from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Hollander is married to Helena Prigal, and they have a son, Ben, and twin daughters, Anna and Laura.