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38 C I N E M O N T A G E C O V E R S T O R Y GAME FACE: McCoy and Catoline. P H O T O : C H R I S T O P H E R F R A G A P A N E ing the positive side of every situation. When life gets him down, he says, he likes to think of things that make him smile, like barbecue sauce. Even out of place in a mixed-up world, Ted remains a nice guy. His simple philosophy of decency was one that many viewers grabbed onto to amid the partisan screaming, pandemic panic and other nonstop crises of 2020. The news site Politico said, in a long feature story, that the series "has become both a word-of-mouth hit and a quirky metaphor for the political world." Picture editors A.J. Catoline (an MPEG board member) and Melissa McCoy have won acclaim for their work on the show. Both were recently nominated for ACE Eddie Awards, with McCoy winning. In an exclusive interview with Cin- eMontage, the pair recounted how they landed on the show, what's coming up next season, and what makes Ted's ap- peal irresistible. Q How did you both get involved in editing "Ted Lasso"? McCoy: I was working on Bill Law- rence's show "Whiskey Cavalier" when I heard he was developing a show with Jason Sudeikis from Kip Kroeger, our supervising producer. Being a big fan of Jason's, I told them I wanted in on the show if it ended up going. So when it was a go, they thankfully remembered I called dibs on the show many times and brought me along. C a t o l i n e : I w o r k e d o n a n o t h e r sports-comedy show called "Brockmire" with Hank Azaria, also a comedy about more than sports and that had dramatic undertones. I edited a comedy sketch series for The History Channel called "Great Minds with Dan Harmon." Jason Sudekis spoofed Thomas Edison, so I had experience at editing his comedy and always loved his work on "SNL." I met Kip Kroeger in an interview for a comedy show a couple years before "Lasso" started. We made a connection in the room, and I remembered that. I may not have been hired for that project, but I stayed in touch with Kip over the years. Q Are either of you soccer fans? Sports fans? How much did you know about English football leagues before jumping into the edits? McCoy: While I had minimal English football knowledge, I could easily relate to the team dynamics — the sense of family complete with all the dysfunction and love and coach mentorship that comes in that world. I joined the swim club when I was in middle school and was hooked. I trained year-round until college and was even briefly on the crew team for Michigan State University until I realized I wanted to focus on my film major, so I'm very familiar with team life and all those locker room shenanigans. Catoline: I was very aware of the game. I've learned that a field is a pitch, cleats are boots, and offside is singular. But the show is enjoyable even if you don't like sports. And that's the point. It's about being the best version of your- self, even off the field too, be it actual or metaphorical. Q How do you think your previous shows prepared you for editing "Ted Lasso"? Catoline: I began cutting unscripted, documentary and reality TV. Mel also started in reality before making the jump to scripted. I don't want to embarrass us, but we may have both worked on one of those "train-wreck TV" competition shows called "Rock of Love," though on different seasons. Unscripted TV is a great training ground for a scripted editor. It's the same skill set: good storytelling. Even though a show is written and shots are planned, when the directors and producers get to the cutting room they may want to try new ideas. And then it becomes the chal- lenge for the editor: "How can we make