Episode Details

So many working in post-production around the world are obsessed with making the transition from being an assistant to being an editor. But does the journey end once you’re sitting in the editor’s chair? Or has the journey just begun?

Editor and director Susan Vaill, ACE (Space Force, Gray’s Anatomy, This Is Us) has been helping to answer these questions as a mentor to many in scripted entertainment in Hollywood, and she’s become so passionate about the subject of helping assistant make the transition (and stick the landing, so to speak) that she even recently lead an Editor’s Guild panel titled “Bumped Up: The Leadership Workshop for New Editors.”

So what are the most important questions that assistants who’ve recently been promoted into the editor’s chair don’t know to ask? What surprises might come their way they aren’t prepared for? What politics should they be aware of? What soft skills are necessary to build relationships and get invited back to jobs in the future?

And if you haven’t made the transition yet but you are oh so close!!!, then what differentiates you from other people vying for the same position (especially if they have more experience than you)? What can you do to stand out?

NOTE: This interview was conducted shortly before the pandemic struck (early March, 2020), so as you’re listening keep that in mind as we discuss her upcoming panels and general networking strategies.

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Here's What You'll Learn:

• The fun story of how Susan and her twin sister ended up in a classic Double Mint Gum commercial in the ’80s.
• Susan’s amazing origin story and how just ONE experience with deck to deck editing in high school gave her the power to “see the matrix” and recognize editing ‘tricks’ in films & television shows early on in life.
• How a documentary job 20 years ago directly led to her working on Space Force today.
• The pivotal moment where Susan realized she had a lot more to offer than what was on her resume. And how she leveraged her unique perspective, background, and personality to make her resume so compelling that it jumpstarted her career.
• Hot Tip: Inject your personality into your resume!
• How Susan’s passion and life experiences motivated her to spearhead the panel on moving from Assistant Editor to Editor called ‘Bumped Up: the Leadership Workshop for New Editors’.
• Why the most common question she gets at her panels may surprise you.
• What compels Susan to put on these panels and give back to people in the industry.
• How she thinks about the difficulty of Assistant Editors moving to Editor in the current environment where they aren’t really gaining the creative skills it requires.
• Why Editors have to be proactive about mentoring their Assistant Editors to get the next generation ready to be our peers.
• The benefits of making a habit of getting away and taking lunch together.
• Why it’s so important to create a really comfortable, safe working place of your edit bay.
• F.A.I.L. = First Attempt in Learning.

NOTE: Susan’s panel is limited to 30 participants, but they’ll do them every 3 months. Keep an eye on MPEG's events calendar page.

Useful Resources Mentioned: