Tell us what you're currently doing and what's involved with the position.

I'm a picture editor working mostly in scripted streaming/television. Each job starts with the "editor's cut", where I get hours of raw footage from set (usually shot the day before) and put it together. Once the episode is fully shot, I collaborate with the director along with various producers to take it all the way to picture lock, where the editing stops. The editorial process involves crafting performance, shaping clarifying and often restructuring story points, and controlling the pace and tone of the show. 

Can you share your path since graduation that led you to your current gig?

After Drexel I attended the American Film Institute conservatory where I got my MFA in film editing. I edited anything I could get my hands on. I worked on various documentaries, independent films, reality television, and branded content. In 2016, I joined the Motion Picture Editors Guild, and transitioned to being an assistant editor in scripted television on shows like "Idiotsitter" and "Brockmire". I continued to learn as an assistant editor and grow on bigger shows like Netflix's "Locke & Key" and HBO's "Watchmen". It was on the HBO Max show "Station Eleven", where I received my first editing credit and was lucky enough to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy and ACE Eddie award for my work on it. 

How did you break into this particular part of the industry?

I was editing branded content, and made a choice that I wanted to be involved in scripted material. After a few unsuccessful interviews for scripted assistant editing positions, a fellow alumni from AFI reached out. He was leaving his assistant editing position three weeks early and needed a replacement. It was Friday afternoon and he needed someone starting Monday morning. I said yes and got the job sight unseen. While there I had a good connection with my post producer, who hired me on my next two jobs and gave me enough footing to cement my position as a scripted assistant editor. 

What are the key skills required to handle your job?

As far as technical skills, one needs to be proficient in Avid and Adobe Premier. Most shows I've cut on use Avid.  Being an editor requires a lot of patience, creative pragmatism, and attention to detail. You need to have a thick skin creatively, as there will be notes, lots and lots of notes. You need to be a good communicator, to be able to discuss subjective ideas and to explain objectively why you feel a certain way about them. 

Are you working with other Drexel alumni? How has that network paid off for you?

The Drexel network is alive and well in Los Angeles. Over the years I've worked with several alumni from my year. We have several alumni who are thriving in both scripted and unscripted television. Many of us still gather for an unofficial Drexel Thanksgiving in LA every year. It has been nice to have so many familiar faces take the journey from Philadelphia to Los Angeles with me. Personally and professionally it's made LA feel like home.

As an alumni yourself, have you had an opportunity to work with or hire any current Drexel students? What was that experience like?

I have not had a chance to hire any current Drexel students, but have spoken at Drexel in LA classes and have had great experiences with the students I've connected with. 

How did Drexel prepare you for getting to this point in your career?

Drexel provided a foundation which I was able to build on. It was where I got to delve into Hitchock, the French New Wave, even the history of Rock & Roll cinema. I spent hours on end in the editing labs of University Crossings and got to learn by doing. I had teachers/mentors, like my senior thesis adviser Dave Culver, who taught me how to conduct myself as a professional in the cutting room. How to fight for creative ideas, but to do it in a way that was as respectful as it was persuasive. I carry so many lessons from my Drexel days into the cutting room. 

What advice would like to go back and give your undergraduate self?

Don't climb up the wrong ladder. If you know the type of content you want to be making, regardless of what it is, seek out people making it and try to get in on the ground floor.