Join us for a panel with some of the 2026 Emmy nominated directors including Lee Sung Jin ('Beef'), Jake Schreier ('Beef') and Salli Richardson-Whitfield ('The Gilded Age,' 'Task') as they discuss the work from this season, share stories, offer insight into the process on set and provide some insider information and tips for actors, moderated by David Canfield, The Hollywood Reporter.
BIOS:
Three-time Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner, Lee Sung Jin is the creator, executive producer, writer and director of the highly acclaimed, multi-award winning Netflix series, BEEF, starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong in Emmy-winning performances. Lee made his directorial debut with the show's thrilling and emotional finale. He wrote and directed the critically acclaimed second season of BEEF, starring Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny, Charles Melton, Youn Yun Jung, and Song Kang Ho which launched this April for Netflix. Lee also served as Executive Producer on Alex Russell’s award-winning film LURKER, which premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance and Berlin International Film Festivals.
Golden Globe Award and three-time Emmy® Award winner, Lee Sung Jin is the creator, executive producer, writer and director of the critically acclaimed, multi-award winning Netflix series BEEF. Lee made his directorial debut with Season One’s finale, starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong in Emmy-winning performances. For Season Two, Lee returned to write every episode and direct half the critically praised new season, starring Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac, three-time Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan, Golden Globe nominee Cailee Spaeny, Golden Globe nominee Charles Melton, Academy Award winner Youn Yun Jung, and Actor Award winner Song Kang Ho. He also served as Executive Producer on Alex Russell’s award-winning film LURKER, which premiered to rave reviews at the Sundance and Berlin International Film Festivals. Next, Lee is writing X-MEN for Marvel, which reunites him with director Jake Schreier.
Jake Schreier recently directed Marvel’s THUNDERBOLTS*, and is soon to direct an untitled X-MEN film for the studio. He is an award-winning Director and EP of Netflix/A24’s series BEEF. Jake is also known for his Sundance breakout ROBOT & FRANK, and his music videos for Kendrick Lamar, Ye, Haim, Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco, and Francis & The Lights.
Fresh off making Emmy history for the second time, as the first female director to earn Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series nominations for two different drama series in the same year (2026), director and executive producer Salli Richardson-Whitfield continues to cement her status as one of television's most sought-after creative forces. Richardson-Whitfield received historic directing nominations for HBO's “Task” and “The Gilded Age,” while “The Gilded Age” also earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, recognizing her work as an executive producer.
Salli returns to season two of TASK as Executive Producer and will direct the final two episodes of the HBO series, created by Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown), starring Mark Ruffalo and newly joined by Academy Award® winner Mahershala Ali. Richardson-Whitfield also recently wrapped production on the fourth season of HBO's acclaimed period drama The Gilded Age, directing Episodes one, three and the season finale while continuing to serve as an executive producer. Across both critically acclaimed dramas, Richardson-Whitfield's exceptional storytelling and creative leadership have established her as one of the industry's premier directors and executive producers.
With a career spanning over 30 years, Richardson-Whitfield first made history with her 2024 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Director in a Drama Series for HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise and Fall of the Lakers Dynasty.” This nomination marked a significant milestone as she became the first Black woman nominated in this category in the Emmys’ forty-eight-year history. Additionally, she received a second nomination as an executive producer for season two of “The Gilded Age” for Outstanding Drama. Her amazing work has also garnered her three Gracie Awards, AFI Award for “Task” (2025), (ABFF) American Black Film Festival Honors: Evolution Award (2026), NAACP Image Award Nominee - Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series (2026). Before her impactful partnership with HBO, Salli directed across various genres. Her work on “Luke Cage” earned her an NAACP Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series, and she was nominated for a Hugo Award for Amazon’s “Wheel of Time.”
Richardson-Whitfield transitioned from a celebrated acting career to directing, beginning with two episodes of “Queen Sugar.” Her extensive directing portfolio includes notable projects such as Hulu’s “Reprisal,” Apple’s “SEE,” Netflix’s “Dear White People,” “The Punisher,” and “Altered Carbon,” as well as Starz’ “American Gods,” Showtime’s “The Chi,” and ABC's “Scandal.”
Previously one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading ladies, Richardson-Whitfield starred in over 20 major motion pictures alongside icons like Samuel L. Jackson in “The Great White Hype,” Denzel Washington in “Antwone Fisher,” and Will Smith in “I Am Legend.” On television, she is known for her roles in the long-running Syfy series “Eureka,” “Family Law,” and the award-winning “The Newsroom.”
Salli Richardson-Whitfield was inducted as an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated on July 20, 2026, during the sorority's 72nd Boule. It’s the society’s highest honor and awarded only to women with exceptional global impact, leadership, and transformative service. Alpha Kappa Alpha is the nations first historically Black Greek-letter sorority.
When she’s not behind the camera or in front of it, the Chicago native enjoys golfing and cherishes time on the green with her husband, actor/activist Dondre Whitfield, and their two children, Parker and Dre.
Richardson-Whitfield resides in Los Angeles, California, where she continues to inspire and break barriers in the entertainment industry.
For more information, please contact Shannon Barr at Sbarr@pr-strategic.com.
