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22 C I N E M O N T A G E W H A T O U R M E M B E R S D O assistant animatic editor, where I built out episodes in Premiere Pro and managed handoffs to the dedicated Avid team, who took over the finishing phase. It was an incredibly fast-paced environment, but it was the perfect crash course. Being in the animated TV pipeline taught me a ton about creative cutting, workflow, and organiza- tion in a very short time. Q: What credits or projects are you proudest of, and why? I'm incredibly proud of my work on Guillermo del Toro's "Trollhunters." It's ac- tually a really special, full-circle milestone for me. I originally started on the show as a production assistant and later returned as an assistant editor and additional editor. Aside from being a fan of the series, I'm very grateful for that team because they really supported my growth and helped launch my editorial career. Q: What was the biggest challenge in your job (or on a particular project), and how did you overcome/solve it? One of the biggest challenges I've faced was actually a workflow and volume chal- lenge during my time in TV animation. I worked in a shared assistant editor bay with a group of other assistants, and together we supported multiple editors across a wide variety of shows simultaneously. The sheer volume and complexity of having so many different pipelines running at once was pretty daunting at first. I always equate that experience to work- ing in a busy commercial kitchen. You'd have production staff "ordering" a massive batch of outputs all at once. Sometimes we'd "burn a dish" — like a publish going wrong — and have to fix it on the fly. And sometimes, people didn't know what to or- der. They knew their end goal, so we would make recommendations to help them define the exact deliverable(s) they needed. We overcame the complexity through hyper-clear communication, and we had a room full of terrific people with great atti- tudes. And because we were all stationed in one room, we could talk constantly, bounce ideas off each other, and essentially run the bay like a well-oiled kitchen crew. This experience taught me how to communicate, collaborate, and troubleshoot. Q: What was the most fun you've had at work? Some of the most fun I've had at work has been jumping in to record scratch dialogue. Over the years, I've done quite a bit of temp voice work to help the team build out early scenes. But on one particular project, my scratch track actually survived the entire pipe- line — even into the final lighting phase! It was incredibly fun and a little surreal to see a fully lit shot playing back with my voice attached. The track was eventually replaced by a professional loop group right before the show aired, but it's still my goal to make it into the final mix! Q: Jobwise, what do you hope to be doing five years from now? My goal is to step into a lead editor role. Over the course of my career, working across multiple studios and shows, I've been incredi- bly fortunate to meet and learn from so many talented people. As I actively build toward taking on more creative ownership, I also want to pay that support forward. A huge part of why I want to be a lead is the opportunity to build my own editorial team. I'd love to foster a collaborative environment where team members can grow their own careers and find their footing in the industry, just as many great folks have done for me. Q: What are your outside activities, hobbies, passions? Outside of the edit bay, I've been an avid drummer since the fourth grade. I didn't always have the space for a kit over the years, but I recently got a setup going again, which has been super fun! I also play video games with a close group of friends a few nights a week. Honestly, the gaming usually comes second — it's mostly just a great excuse for us to hang out and catch up. And going back to my early days, I'm still a massive camera nerd. I love spending my free time reading about new gear and staying current with production trends. Q: Favorite movie(s)? Why? I'm sure it's a popular answer, but "The Empire Strikes Back" is still one of my all-time f av o r i te m o v i e s. G ro w i n g u p, I w a s fascinated by the behind-the-scenes featurette that played before the movie on VHS. So many unique techniques were used to make these movies. It's truly a magic trick captured on celluloid! Q: Favorite TV program(s)? Why? The first few seasons of "SpongeBob SquarePants" still stand out to me as being incredibly formative. I find myself quoting from them more and more as I get older, and I'm always delighted by how often my colleagues instantly catch the references. I think those early seasons had a massive cultural impact on our generation. I've even worked along- side some original crew members of the show, which has been another full-circle moment for me. I've also had the chance to work with and meet Tom Kenny [the voice of SpongeBob] at a wrap party, which was amazing! Q: Do you have an industry mentor? While I don't have one official mentor, I've been incredibly lucky to work along- side some amazingly talented people throughout my career. Because I've spent so much time in collaborative en- vironments, like those shared assistant editor bays, I've really been mentored by a collective. I've been fortunate to absorb a range of techniques, workflows, and advice from so many generous editors, directors, and production staff. Q: What advice would you offer to someone interested in pursuing your line of work? My biggest piece of advice is that it's never too early to start working on creative endeavors you are passionate about, especially given the staggering amount of free knowledge and accessible tools out there right now. On the creative side, watch as much as you possibly can. Pay attention to the movies and shows that inspire you, and really dissect them: first, from a technical storytelling viewpoint, how they make you feel something, and then, from an emotional viewpoint, why you are feeling SEE PAGE 52