Congratulations are in order for The Bold and the Beautiful's Heather Tom (Katie Logan), whose work as a director has landed her a place in this year's CBS Directing Initiative.
The actress took to social media to announce the exciting news that she has a spot in the program, which matches candidates for episodic network television with directors of CBS Television Network drama and comedy series. The goal of the program is to bridge the gap for those talented directors attempting to break into network television and create meaningful connections with producers and executives.
"I am so excited to be a part of the CBS directors program!" Tom tweeted. "I can't wait to begin this new adventure!"
I am so excited to be a part of the CBS directors program! I can't wait to begin this new adventure! @CBSEntDiversity #diversity @CBSDaytime #womendirectors
— Heather Tom (@BBheathertom) October 25, 2018
According to the CBS 2018-2019 Directing Initiative entry form, participants will be mentored by individual showrunners during the various stages of production. The informal observation process affords emerging directors invaluable first hand exposure to the CBS Television network episodic directing process.
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"In addition to getting a chance to observe the in-depth technical aspects of the process, this observation experience allows participants to begin to form relationships with showrunners, producers, network executives and other significant decision makers," says the description. "The Directing Initiative is not employment. It is instead, a program of personal exposure to the process of television directing and career development. The goal of the Directing Initiative is to prepare directors for potential employment opportunities in television. The primary focus of CBS' Diversity Institute and the Directing Initiative is to provide access and opportunities for talented and motivated diverse directors with a focus on directors of color."
In addition to Tom, this year's class also includes Lionel Colman, Cellin Gluck and Anne Hamilton.
"I can't wait to meet these talented directors!" Tom enthused of her class on Instagram. "I'm so honored to be a part of the CBS directors program!"
Says Tiffany Smith-Anoa'i, EVP Entertainment Diversity, Inclusion and Communications at CBS Entertainment: "This initiative is all about access to decision makers who can ultimately provide opportunities to advance our participants' careers. Another rewarding aspect about this community we are building is that many of our participants will gain experience by shadowing directing alumni of previous Director Initiative programs, who are eager to share their insights."
Tom has been directing B&B for the past three years and recently received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Best Directing Team. Her award-winning short films Serenity and Bigfoot's Love Slave have played numerous festivals across the globe. According to Deadline, she is presently developing multiple projects for film and television, ranging from a digital series titled Blink, for which she recently shot a pilot, to the feature film script The Last Knight in Camelot, which was recently named a 2018 PAGE Award Finalist.
Recent years have seen more and more women jumping into the director's chair, particularly soap opera actresses. Former B&B matriarch Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie Forrester) has focused on directing since leaving B&B in 2012; soap alum Cady McClain (ex-Dixie Cooney, All My Children; ex-Kelly Andrews, The Young and the Restless; ex-Rosanna Cabot, As the World Turns) has turned to directing and champions women directors in her documentary Seeing Is Believing; and General Hospital alum Kimberly McCullough (ex-Robin Scorpio) has been busy directing shows like Fuller House and One Day at a Time.
Would you like to leave a congratulatory message for Tom? What do you think about the actress further expanding her career as a director? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
