As announced today in The Wrap, Emmy-nominated producer Betsy Beers (Grey’s Anatomy, Bridgerton, Scandal), trailblazing director Victoria Mahoney (The Old Guard 2, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker), and award-winning director, actor Aisha Tyler (Criminal Minds, AXIS) will headline the Alliance of Women Directors’ inaugural Back to Set symposium, taking place September 26–27 at Southpark Center in Los Angeles.
This two-day directors’ intensive is open to all genders and will bring together top talent from television, film, and streaming for panels, workshops, masterclasses, and networking experiences designed to sharpen production skills, build confidence, and prepare directors for on-set success.
Betsy Beers is a groundbreaking producer and the longtime producing partner of Shonda Rhimes. Under the Shondaland banner, they have developed and produced some of the most industry-leading series in television. Through Shondaland’s unprecedented exclusive deal with Netflix, Beers serves as executive producer on Bridgerton, one of the most watched series debut in Netflix history, Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker following legendary choreographer Debbie Allen, Inventing Anna, inspired by the story of Anna Delvey and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which debuted at No.1 on Netflix’s English TV List and in the Top 10 in 91 countries. Most recently, Beers served as executive producer on the documentary Black Barbie, which received the NAACP Award for Outstanding Documentary (Television), and the comedic murder mystery The Residence starring Uzo Aduba and Giancarlo Esposito for the streamer. In addition, she is executive producer of the award-winning series Grey’s Anatomy and, along with Rhimes, developed and produced the hit series Private Practice, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, For the People, and Station 19.
Filmmaker Victoria Mahoney made history serving as the second unit director on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Most recently, Victoria directed the feature The Old Guard 2, which premiered #1 on Netflix, July 2. Her debut feature film, Yelling To The Sky, starring Zoe Kravitz, Jason Clarke, and Gabourey Sidibe, premiered at Berlinale. In addition, Mahoney has directed multiple episodes of award-winning television, including The Morning Show, Lovecraft Country, I Am the Night, You, Queen Sugar, and the pilot episode of Suits: LA. Her next project is a high-octane NASCAR racing feature film for Amazon MGM Studios.
Aisha Tyler is an award-winning director, actor, New York Times bestselling author, comedian, podcaster, and entrepreneur. She is also an Emmy-winning television host and a multiple award-winning voice actor for Archer. Her feature directorial debut, AXIS, won Outstanding Achievement in Feature Filmmaking at the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival and was named “Best of the Fest” at the Sarasota Film Festival. Her second feature film, I Hope We Can Still Be Friends, had its world premiere at the Galway Film Fleadh in Galway, Ireland July 2025, and will have its North American Premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival October 2025. She has also directed multiple hit television shows, including The Walking Dead; Fear the Walking Dead; Roswell, NM; Evil; The Wonder Years; Elsbeth; and Criminal Minds: Evolution.
In addition to Beers, Mahoney and Tyler, confirmed 2025 participants include Icon Members Rachel Feldman (Lilly, Criminal Minds), Lisa France (Queen Sugar, The Great Holiday Bake War), Morenike Joela Evans (Legacies, Quantum Leap), Jen McGowan (Star Trek: Discovery, Rust Creek), Alexis Ostrander (The Consultant, Interview with a Vampire), Rosemary Rodriguez (Your Honor, The Walking Dead), and Kristin Windell (Arrow, The Hunting Party).
Also joining are director Tessa Blake (American Horror Story, Matlock); editor Michael P. Shawver (Sinners), Hannah Baker, Creative Executive, Proximity Media; Producer Elicia Bessette; Entertainment Attorney Hillary Bibicoff; Halle Mariner, Scripted Literary Agent, Independent Artist Group; Quincie Li, Literary Manager, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment; and Katie Zipkin Leed, Manager, Artists First.
“At Alliance of Women Directors, we work to empower women and gender-expansive directors through community and opportunity. Back to Set will help to achieve this goal by giving directors at every stage of their journey with the tools, insight, and connections they need to thrive,” said Kylie Eaton, Interim Director at the Alliance of Women Directors.
Back to Set is presented by AWD with generous support from Starz, NBCUniversal, Shotdeck, California Film Commission, Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc., Scriptation, Martini, and First Entertainment Credit Union, with additional support from The Black List, Letterboxd, NewFilmmakers LA, Saturation.io, Keslow Camera, and Portrait. Funds raised from this event will support AWD’s year-long mission and programming for women and gender-expansive directors. Tickets are available now at https://www.backtosetla.com/.