CineMontage

Q1 2021

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15 S P R I N G Q 1 I S S U E W H A T O U R M E M B E R S D O national Business. While a student, I was still discovering all the positions in film and TV production, so at the time, I thought I wanted to be a TV producer. However, through internships with large studios such as BET Networks and NBCU- niversal and my work as a TV production assistant, I quickly decided that my career path would be in editorial. I'm originally from Washington, DC, so after college, I started to work at my local news station -- WRC-TV, which is NBC4 in Washington – as an editor and associate producer in the news promo- tions and advertising department. I also edited freelance on the side. Because of the heavy documentary and news market in DC, an editor acquires a highly diverse skillset. Part of the wide variety of content on our reels includes visual effects, and my background in news, reality tv, and commercials provided me with strong skills in motion graphics and small-scale compositing. After I received my Master of Fine Arts degree in Film & Electronic Media from American Uni- versity, I moved to Los Angeles where, because of my diverse background, it was a natural progression for me to move into the visual effects world for scripted editorial. Q Who gave you your first break? I've had several first breaks. Every phase of my editing journey has required help to make that "first step." I'll list the three that I think were the most important. My first break into profes- sional editing was my position at NBC4 Washington News as the editor in the promotions and advertising department. My first break into scripted editorial was my position as an assistant editor on season 2 of the HBO comedy "Crashing." A mentor of mine, Joi McMillon, ACE, sent my name to several of her colleagues at HBO when they were in search of available assistant editors. I worked with an amazing editor on "Crashing," Tim Roche, whom I worked with again doing visual effects for "WandaVision." My first break into visual effects editorial was the DC Comics superhero show on The CW Network, "Black Lightning." Ex- ecutive producers Salim Akil and Charles Holland were extremely supportive of me joining the show and allowed me to grow with the series. I started as visual effects assistant editor for seasons 1 and 2 and moved up to visual effects editor by season 3. Q What was your first union job? A s s i s t a n t e d i t o r o n t h e r e a l - i t y s h o w " N a k e d a n d A f r a i d " o n Discovery Channel. Q What credits or projects are you proudest of, and why? I am most proud of my visual effects work with superhero content. Working with "Black Lightning" on The CW was so rewarding because of the impact of the character as an African-American su- perhero with his family. I saw many of my own friends, relatives, and even myself in the series characters. I am also proud of my work on Marvel's "WandaVision." It's the first MCU content among my credits. There were a lot of challenges to get the show out the door, the biggest of which involved working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Audience reception for the show has been awesome and made the tough times worth it. I also learned a lot on the show in terms of different types of pipelines and workflows. Q What was your biggest challenge in your job (or on a particular project) and how did you overcome/solve it? One of my biggest professional chal- lenges has been making the jump from reality tv to scripted in editorial. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I continued to work in reality tv as a night assistant editor for the company World of Wonder Productions. During the day, I hustled to network and to shadow editors and their assistants in scripted. I joined several mentorship programs that help editors and assistants of color further their ca- reer goals. On weekends, I also filled in as a post PA for scripted shows. I was pretty much working around the clock and was extremely exhausted at times. However, I knew that if I could tough it out, the pay- off would be so sweet, to finally get my first scripted union position. During this tough period, I learned how to strategize in a way that was different from how I had networked on the east coast. I learned how to maneuver to different projects and promote myself to other editors and producers in this landscape. After 11 months of this hectic schedule, I got my first union AE position and then a month later, my first union scripted AE position. Q What was the most fun you've had at work? This didn't happen at work, but the most fun I've had with my co-workers was attending 2018 Comic-Con Inter- national in San Diego to see the "Black Lightning" panel, which included our executive producers and cast. Editorial was given complimentary passes on behalf of the production. It was a great experience to see the fans up close and observe how intensely they supported the stories being told in the series. It helped give inspiration when we were back in the cutting room, knowing there are a ton of people that appreciate the content coming out the door. It was also my first time at Comic-Con, so I took in the excitement of it all. Q Jobwise, what do you hope to be doing five years from now? I hope to have transitioned back to picture editorial and to be cutting an episodic series. I feel that my experience in visual effects is helping to prepare me for that transition because I would like to work on visual-effects-heavy content. Q What are your outside activities, hobbies, passions? Outside of work, I enjoy being out- doors. I love running, hiking, and playing basketball when possible. I also like extreme sport activities such as riding ATVs and jet skiing. I adore traveling. Of SEE PAGE 52

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