When Is It Time To Take A Chance?

It was October of last year and times couldn't have been more hectic. arc.light editorial had been renting space in a friendly neighborhood post-production facility until we could find our own digs. The room was adequate for two or three people. But we were taking on a lot of work, which means more clients, which leads to less couch space. The last thing we wanted was a client to worry about whose lap to sit on while in session. As an executive producer, I was faced with a dilemma: What do you do when your senior editor (Dana Bol, founder of arc.light) is scouting real estate, talking to landlords and architects, and most importantly, picking out couches, endtables, and matching curtains? With Dana on the go, I needed to figure out how to handle new work coming in.

Cass O'Meara, Dana's assistant editor, had been with arc.light for a year and a half. A bit on the shy side, she had some cutting experience. Now she had blossomed into an extremely attentive, dedicated and technically adept cutting assistant. Being an assistant editor is far from glamorous. On the outside, you need to possess all the important skills: the ability to sit quietly in a chair for hours at a time, the keen sense of knowing when to order the cappuccino, and the capacity to explain the video game Snood to a client at any given moment. On the inside, you need to possess only one skill: know everything about any job that has passed through your editor's AvidÉ ever! The relationship between an editor and his or her assistant is a delicate balance, crucial to the success of a smooth, hitchless project.

Back to October. In the midst of moving locations, I received a message from one of our clients. We needed to quickly bid a project that would consist of four spots. Dana and I carefully strategized how we could explain to the client why we couldn't accommodate the work at the present moment, or postpone once again the daunting task of moving into a new home. During our conversation, the client called back and made an unexpected but very pleasant request. It went something like this: "This would be a perfect project for Cass. Is she available to do this project with us?" At that moment, Dana and I felt not only relief but also parental pride.

It has always been arc.light's philosophy that encouraging young talent is the key to long-term success. Hire young, creative, motivated kids, who want to edit. Mix them with established talent, who can in turn become mentors and you have a great balance of youth and experience. A fresh mix of talent who can grow together and understand what it takes to work as a team. The question is, how do you groom young talent and know that they're learning what's really important? And what is really important? These are some of the questions that were answered for us during and after that first job for Cass.

One challenge young editors face is establishing a comfortable, open and creative environment for clients, while maintaining control of the room. How do you teach this to someone? Quite frankly, you can't. But given the opportunity, a young editor might surprise you if given the shot. I saw Cass as a shy personality as an assistant editor; her demeanor complimented Dana perfectly. But as an editor, she displayed great client skills that rivaled some of the more established editors I've known.