Mark Hansson, Valdez Flagg to Receive Special Honors at 75th DGA Awards

The Directors Guild of America announced on Thursday the recipients of two of the guild’s top honors at the 75th annual DGA Awards. 

First assistant director Mark Hansson will receive the 2023 Frank Capra achievement award, while stage manager Valdez Flagg will be honored with the Franklin J. Schaffner achievement award. Both honors are given in recognition of career achievement in the industry and service to the DGA.

“Mark Hansson and Valdez Flagg have steadfastly worked to support the rights of their fellow members while being two of the top directorial team professionals in our industry for more than 30 years,” says DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter in a statement. “The Guild thrives when talented members like Mark and Valdez step up and contribute to their Councils, Committees and our Guild priorities for the benefit of all members.”

A DGA member since 1990, Hansson has more than 130 assistant director credits, which include include work on theatrical feature films, such as High School Musical 3: Senior Year and Dreamgirls, and television movies like And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself. His television work has been recognized on productions that have received seven DGA Award nominations — Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Tiger Cruise and American Mall — as well as Emmy and other awards-nominated shows such as Masters of Sex, Glee, Happy Endings, The Boys, Lucifer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and In the Heat of the Night.

Flagg joined the DGA in 1987 as a stage manager on the variety special Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon. He has worked on various variety and live productions including the Oscars, American Music Awards, Grammy Awards, ESPY Awards, NFL Honors, Essence Honors, NAACP Image Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, SAG Awards, the Democratic National Convention and In Performance at the White House for three presidential administrations. His work also includes three DGA Award-winning productions: Bruce Gowers’ 2004 Variety/Musical Award-winner, Genius: A Night for Ray Charles, Glenn Weiss’ 2017 Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials-winner, The Oscars and James Burrows and Andy Fisher’s 2019 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports – Specials-winner, Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s All in the Family and The Jeffersons.

Hansson and Flagg join previously announced DGA lifetime achievement award recipient Robert A. Fishman.

The 75th Annual DGA Awards will take place on Feb. 18, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton.