The Australian Directors Guild (ADG) has reportedly advised the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) to withdraw Michael McKay, the executive producer and director of The Amazing Race Australia, from its nomination list for “Best Direction in Television” at the 2nd AACTA Awards held in January 2013.

According to local media, the ADG felt that McKay did not fit the category because the other three directors’ nominated projects are dramas while McKay’s nomination is for a non-drama project. The ADG has called on the AACTA to replace him with another drama director.

In response, McKay, also the President of activeTV, told TV ASIA Plus exclusively: “I think the ADG’s reaction to my nomination shows just how out of touch they are. I won ‘Best Direction’ at the Asian TV Awards last year and no one batted an eye.”

He added, “Perhaps they should simply change their name to the Drama Directors Guild of Australia and leave the rest of us to ponder the future of television rather than live in the past”.

At the 2011 Asian Television Awards, McKay won the “Best Direction” award for the same episode of The Amazing Race Australia that he is nominated for at the upcoming AACTA Awards.