About Me
I am an independent editor and documentary filmmaker currently studying film production at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. Throughout my time at university and my in my independent career, I’ve worked on a range of narrative and documentary films, and earned festival recognition, as well as two student Emmy wins.
I have a particular passion for real stories, and am especially interested in documentary film editing and video journalism– although I also have experience in narrative film editing and production, trailer editing, concert & event videography, and commercial editing and production.
Social:
Artistic Statement
A hill I will die on is that empathy is the most important trait of any storyteller. The moment an artist loses their ability to inhabit another person’s worldview, they have lost their ability to write a captivating character, create an engaging conflict, or present someone’s life in an interesting way. There is always a compelling story to be told as long as the person telling it is willing to put aside their ego for just a second and think about what might cause somebody else to make the decisions they do.
And this has never been more important. We live in an age of hyper-individualism, and are taught early on that anything we achieve in life will come from the sweat off our own backs. Nothing will ever be given to us– therefore, we should never give anyone anything without profit incentive. In fact, we shouldn’t even think about the lives of other people, because what are they except distracting sob stories? This mindset is how art dies.
Empathy is inherently radical. It challenges the most basic principles of the status quo. Today, it is every storyteller’s responsibility to reject that status quo– to stand up and embody radical empathy. At least, I see that as my responsibility. My goal is to tell stories that help people to connect with one another.
All of this is easy to say, but I’m confident that when my back is against the wall, I stick to my values. In 2020, I was getting ready to take charge of my school TV show as executive producer and lead editor, when all of the sudden, every public school across the country shut down. No studio access, no reliable cast and crew, no in-class viewing time. It was a disaster. This program brought the school together– it’s how the community kept up with local news, sports, and school culture– we couldn’t just abandon it… so we didn’t. We masked up, built a makeshift studio in my basement, and got to work. The show was important to people, and I took the responsibility of keeping it alive seriously.
There are some things we can’t avoid. Film is a business, and business is ruthless, but as long as I have a shred of creative agency, I can promise that this will be the philosophy behind everything I make.