BU Today: Tell us how you got started in TV. Was this the path you always envisioned for yourself?

I could never have predicted the exact path my career has taken, but when I look back, it’s the zigs and zags that I’d like to think best reflect the editor I am today. I started as a post PA [production assistant] in features, pivoted to post coordinator in docu-reality, got my union-qualifying days working as a night assist in reality TV, and eventually worked as a scripted television assistant editor for a handful of years before getting bumped up to editor when the How to Get Away with Murder pilot was picked up to series.

BU Today: For those with showbiz aspirations, can you tell us if there a turning point in your career that helped you realize you had made it?

With each new project that I was hired for, it always felt like a leap forward in my career. Even if it wasn’t necessarily a promotion, it was an opportunity to learn new technical and industry skills and meet a new crew. In that way, I feel like I “made it” many times over. However, it was when I started contributing creatively to a project—whether through sound design, title design, a difficult temp VFX [visual effects], or eventually editing a scene or sequence—that I felt particularly locked in and confident in my career path.

BU Today: How do you compare working on a powerhouse dramedy like This Is Us to unscripted shows like The Bachelor?

I’m pretty convinced that working on a show like This Is Us was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. To help shape countless story arcs that strike at the core of what it means to be human is unparalleled by any project I’ve worked on. That being said, I value the skills I honed while working on The Bachelor and other docu-reality series because they taught me how to get granular in the midst of a ton of footage, how to craft a story with a clear perspective, and how to “mine the footage” for moments that fit that perspective or simply speak truth. 

Also, even though we’d all like to think most of these reality shows are completely unscripted, the truth is that there are amazing story producers who sort through all the field reports and interview transcripts, and then create an outline of the act or story that the editor can then follow. So in that way, This Is Us and The Bachelor can be approached similarly from an editor’s craft.

BU Today: Tell us about Paradise. What can viewers expect from this next season?

Viewers can expect exactly what is set up in the Season 1 finale: Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown) has learned there are survivors outside the Bunker, one of whom may be his wife. Season 1 was deliberate in introducing you to those who were fortunate enough to make it into the bunker and their backstories (often taking an entire episode to do so), and Season 2 will do the same—above ground—with the people who had more limited resources. 

BU Today: March is Women’s History Month, so I’d like to ask, what does being a woman in the film and TV world mean to you?

One of my favorite things about this job is getting to help shape the performances and story arcs of numerous characters in a project. I get to apply my lived experience, empathy, and particular knowledge from the script/series to hopefully present a fully formed version of each character. As a female editor—and as a mother—I find it especially imperative to treat women’s stories with a particular level of nuance, knowing that so often they can be oversimplified or hyperbolized in the hands of others.

Stepping outside of the craft itself, I value maintaining relationships with female mentors, while creating space for women coming up in the industry or working alongside me. Getting involved in guilds like American Cinema Editors [ACE] or subcommittees like the Motion Picture Editors Guild’s [MPEG] Women’s Steering Committee has exponentially allowed me to do both. Basically, my editorial fight song is “This Is What It Sounds Like” by Huntr/x.

BU Today: And finally, what advice do you have for those looking for a career like yours?

There are no shortcuts. Every job or project is an opportunity. It may seem like a lateral move or inconsequential at the time, but it means meeting new people who can lead to more meaningful work in the near term or down the line. Guaranteed you’ll pick up a few new tools or ideas in cultivating your craft or you’ll at least learn what not to do in the future. 

For editors specifically, I highly recommend honing your non-linear editing [NLE] software skills on smaller, unpaid, or low-pay projects, while pursuing any job that gets your foot in the door. Even if you start as a post production assistant, when you finally get that opportunity to touch the software, your confidence as a storyteller and technician will help you meet the moment [with] so much more. 

Don’t be afraid to start an email or social media relationship with potential mentors—and even better: meet them in person for coffee!