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19 S U M M E R Q 2 I S S U E W H A T O U R M E M E B E R S D O year or so, I bounced around the agency world while poring over the "Master the Workflow" assistant editing course and attending Post New York Alliance (PNYA) events, all in an effort to transition into narrative editing. My big break came from the fabulous Sa- bine Hoffman, ACE. She needed an assistant for "Cassandro," a Roger Ross Williams film that premiered at Sundance 2023. Given the challenges posed by COVID, we had our interview over the phone and she took a chance on me. We quickly clicked and have since collaborated on four feature films. Sa- bine's mentorship has been invaluable, and working with her has profoundly shaped my career and the way I think about story. Q: What was your first union job? My first union film was Rebecca Miller's "She Came to Me," starring Anne Hathaway, Peter Dinklage, and Marisa Tomei. This was my first experience of physically working in a cutting room, setting up audience screen- ings, and observing scenes-in-progress alongside my editor and director. Having co nve rs a t i o n s a b o u t w h a t e a c h s ce n e needed to convey and how it emotionally resonated with us was incredibly educa- tional. It was an exciting project, and I felt like I'd truly "joined the club," becoming a fellow Guild member with editors whom I'd studied and revered for years. I was so proud; I think I wore my Local 700 t-shirt once a week. Q: What credits or projects are you proudest of, and why? One of my favorite f ilms to work on came out in theaters last summer. It was Tony Goldwyn's "Ezra," starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and Robert De Niro. It's centered around a young autistic boy played by first-time actor William A. Fitz- gerald. His performance was mind-blowing, even in the dailies. It was so cool to watch the film start to sing with his performance up against these seasoned, iconic movie stars. In the film, Cannavale's character is a stand-up comic, and as a huge comedy fan, I was so tickled to be working on scenes set in the Comedy Cellar in Manhattan with comedians I love like Whoopi Goldberg and Rainn Wilson. It was extremely fun. Q: What was your biggest challenge in your job (or on a particular project) and how did you overcome/solve it? Not a huge challenge, but a fun story. I was on a film where I had pulled an exterior establishing shot of a Midwestern bar from a stock website, only to find out later that it wasn't available to license. My director and editor fell in love with the shot and nothing else I found could compare. I looked up where that bar was actually located, Oregon. I remembered a cinematographer friend of mine had just relocated there, so I sent a Hail Mary text asking if he'd heard of the bar. His response was, "We can see if from our apartment." Long story short, we worked it out so they could go shoot the bar and the shot made it into the final film. A small, magical coincidence that reminds me to try everything. There's always a way! Q: What was the most fun you've had at work? I h a d t h e m o s t f u n e d i t i n g a s h o r t documentary called "The Fish Doctor (a doc about the fish doc)" directed by Riley Patterson and Adam Levin. This one was special because the directors are close friends of mine. They came to me with the idea of following an eccentric fish wran- gler they had worked with on Season 1 of "Severance." His job is inarguably unique — procuring aquatic life for film and television shows — and his life and career have both spanned decades in New York City. It was a really interesting lens through which to view how much the city has changed since the 1960s and to learn about this obscure profession from a hilarious, lovable native New Yorker. Working with my best friends was the icing on the cake. We played an improv game at the top of every editing session and wore matching tuxedos to our premiere at DOC NYC (the largest documen- tary festival in the country). Q: Jobwise, what do you hope to be doing five years from now? My ultimate goal is to transition into the role of editor on narrative films. Until then, I'd love to start working with some larger postproduction teams. It's often only myself, my editor, and maybe one other as- sistant working on a film. The collaborative nature of working in a cutting room with more teammates sounds so kinetic and fun. I love learning and to share ideas, and I want to experience how a film evolves with many creative minds contributing to the process. For the next f ive years and beyond, though, my greatest wish is to make good movies with good people. Q: What are your outside activities, hobbies, passions? I am a huge theater nerd. I love discov- ering new shows, reading plays, and going to as many performances as I can on and off Broadway. I would love to edit a pro- fessionally-shot musical, ballet, or comedy special; it would be a perfect coalescence of my interests. Q: Favorite movie(s)? Why? S o m e o f m y a l l - t i m e f a v o r i t e s a r e "American Beauty," "Man on the Moon," "Requiem for a Dream," "American Psy- cho," and "Interstellar." I also love the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, the entire filmography of Martin Scorsese, and "The Devil Wears Prada." Q: Favorite TV program(s)? Why? M o s t o f m y f a v o r i t e T V s h o w s a re comedies, and I absolutely love "Veep," "The Office," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm." "I Think You Should Leave" always cracks me up, and doing the bits with my friends never gets old. "Bo Jack Horseman" is a masterclass in blending humor with h e a r ta c h e, h av i n g yo u i n s t i tc h e s o n e moment and devastated the next. Also, "Succession" — c'mon. Q: Do you have an industry mentor? Michael R. Miller, ACE, was my pro- fessor at UNCSA and my first mentor. His classes opened my eyes to the possibilities of editing, and I absolutely fell in love with it. I still hang onto my notes from those courses. We met weekly for the four years I was in school and did unofficial indepen- dent studies on the works of Paul Hirsch and Thelma Schoonmaker. To this day, we talk on the phone monthly, and I know I can always go to him for career advice or a funny SEE PAGE 48