Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546034
34 C I N E M O N T A G E F E A T U R E By Kristin Marguerite Doidge E mmy-winning picture editor Nena Erb, ACE, counts herself lucky after being mentored by several esteemed editors, including Jillian Moul, ACE, Lillian Benson, ACE, and Steven Rasch, ACE. "Jillian and I worked together when I was an assistant," Erb said. "I would get my work done, sit behind her, and quietly observe. What really stuck with me was Jillian's talent and how intentional she was about every decision, making sure every moment landed and the composition felt just right. Those lessons set me up well for my career." It was natural, then, to pay her good fortune forward and become a mentor herself. Over the past decade, Erb has built a reputation not just for her work in the room, but for who she brings into it, including assistant editors Lynarion Hubbard and Gioia Caruso, both of whom credit Erb with shaping the editors they're becoming. Caruso and Erb worked together most recently on Disney/Marvel's "Wonder Man" series, which premiered in January, and on the 2023 comedy film "Joy Ride." The film follows four Asian friends on a hilarious and heartfelt trip through China in search of one of their birth mothers. "Nena and I met right when I was just getting into scripted TV, through net- working events," Caruso said. "But then a different editor had passed my resume to Nena without me even realizing it. I remem- ber getting an email that said, 'Oh, hello. LIFT EVERY VOICE NENA ERB AND HER ASSISTANT EDITORS ON THE POWER OF MENTORSHIP I hear you're looking for a job. I'm looking for an assistant editor.' It just felt like the timing was perfect — this is someone that I've looked up to and have always wanted to work with." What stood out to Erb was Caruso's calm demeanor. She pointed to a challenging stretch on "Joy Ride" when she was work- ing in Vancouver while Caruso held things down alone in Los Angeles. "Gioia was in LA by herself during this demanding phase of the finishing process and didn't miss a beat," Erb recalled. "There were a million requests from every direction all at once. She handled it with ease and without mis- takes. That really stayed with me." So when Erb went to work on "Wonder Man" for Marvel, she reached back out to Caruso and said, "You're probably tired, but do you want to come work with me again?" They both found the experience of work- ing within Marvel's creative culture helpful in encouraging bold experimentation and risk-taking on "Wonder Man," which isn't always a given. Caruso served as first assis- tant editor and received additional editor credit on two episodes in the series. When production resumed after the WGA strike, Erb noted that the show had an all-female editorial crew until the end, when one of the coordinators moved on to another Marvel project. The team included picture editor Gina Sansom and her first assistant editor Cassie Dixon, as well as second assistant editor Katie Z. Langton, who was bumped up to first assistant on the two episodes where Caruso was bumped up to additional editor. "It's very rare for this to happen," Erb said. "It was quite amazing that we had so many talented women on this show. The only other time this happened was on 'Joy Ride,' which had an all-female team as well." As for Caruso, she said her love of film and television began at an early age, and she discovered her passion for editing while making short films with friends. Today, she counts Erb as both a mentor and a friend. And importantly, she set an example by showing, not just telling. "Nena always made me feel a part of the creative process, so much so that she would bring me into the rooms with the producers and showrunners," Caruso said. "It was such an invaluable experience because I got to see how she ran her room — she was just so confident and calm. After they'd all leave, Nena Erb.