Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1339678
55 W I N T E R Q 4 I S S U E C O V E R S T O R Y that I'm in right now working with Ron Howard and Imagine. H ow d i d y o u a ch i ev e th e ca re e r d r e a m t o g e t h i r e d t o e d i t a R o n Howard film? I cannot tell this story of meeting Ron Howard without the connection I first made with Editor Dan Hanley. Ron had always worked with the duo of Dan and Mike Hill. Mike retired after "In The Heart of the Sea," and I got to know Dan when I was brought in to co-cut "Genius" (Season 1). The plan was to help Dan set the look of the pilot and the series. Dan had just finished cutting "Inferno," and when he saw all the dailies Ron was shooting for "Genius," I think he reflected on the convergence of his life and career and he called me up and said, "James, I don't think I can do the job the way it deserves to be done. I feel like you are the right guy for the project, and I'm handing it off to you." Dan's confidence in me allowed him to move into retirement and me to inherit "Genius." We've become really good friends and he's been a huge mentor figure in my career. Ron was shooting "Genius" in Prague and I was sending him early cuts. He texted me "your cuts are great. I love your performance choices and this is really working." I still have that text he sent me. We got along really well in the cutting room. After "Genius" we did a little pinky swear with Anna Culp from Imagine that we would keep working. I did their show "Filthy Rich" in New Orleans with Director Tate Taylor. Anna mentioned that "Hillbilly Elegy" was being fast tracked at Netflix, and she and my agent pitched me to Imagine Films and Ron for the Editor gig. I enjoyed reading the script and the book "Hillbilly Elegy" and found a lot of it relatable, aside from J.D.'s politics. I'm from western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh to be exact. In that region, while it's not exactly Appalachia, two hours away is Ohio, an hour-and-a-half away is West Virginia, another three hours is Ken- tucky. So I understand the culture and the people and made sure to mention my roots to Ron during the interview. I come from a similar background as J.D., a poor but loving working-class fam- Backwoods: Glenn Close and Amy Adams in "Hillbilly Elegy." P H O T O : N E T F L I X 'Your cuts are great. I love your performance choices and this is really working.'