In the leadup to the February 7th DGA Awards, the Directors Guild of America (DGA) recently hosted its annual “Meet the Nominees: Commercials” event, bringing together leading directors and industry professionals to spotlight the nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials ahead of the 78th Annual DGA Awards. Held February 4 in Los Angeles – just days before winners were announced - the gathering featured an engaging panel discussion with this year’s nominees, who shared insights into their creative process and the challenges behind their standout projects.
At the 78th Annual DGA Awards, director Kim Gehrig of Somesuch took home the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for her work on “You Can’t Win. So Win.” for Nike and “I’m Not Remarkable for Apple.” This accolade marks the third time in four years Gehrig has won the honor, adding to Gehrig’s distinguished record in the category and underscores her creative leadership in commercial storytelling.
Gehrig’s fellow nominees in the commercials category were:
Miles Jay, SMUGGLER — Dish, Pull Up and Trip (ChatGPT | Isle of Any); Home for the Holidays and Secret Santa (Meta | Droga5)
Spike Jonze, MJZ — Someday (Apple Airpods 4 | TBWA\Media Arts Lab)
Andreas Nilsson, Biscuit Filmworks — Conquer the First School Poo (Andrex | FCB London), Garrett and Big Flex (Apple iPhone 16 Pro | Client Direct), Trunk Trucker (Virgin Media | VCCP London)
Steve Rogers, Biscuit Filmworks — Bring a Book to Life (Amazon | Droga5 London), A Tale as Old as Websites (Squarespace | Client Direct), Everything is Fine (Coinbase | Mother London)
Director Lauren Greenfield of Institute Pictures moderated the conversation, which included Gehrig, Jay and Jonze; Nilsson and Rogers were unable to attend. The discussion included the origins and creative vision behind each director’s nominated projects, as well as their collaborations with their directing teams.
The AICP congratulates all the nominated directors and production companies and celebrates their work in shaping advertising and visual storytelling.