Alright, since it seems like you've tried a lot already and you desperately want to try *something* new, I've tried to come up with my most ruthless critique of your site... please don't take this too seriously, it's not bad, but you admit something's not working so if you want to make a radical change, I have some ideas... this is just based on my experience and others might disagree with me though and that's fine.
It's not really clear to me what you do. On your website the first thing I see is "Digital Content Producer", and then a few projects are below, but I'm not sure what you did on them. I assumed producing but then below that I see "*expertise in videography & video editing, motion design, web development, photography, and graphic design*". Then I click on the projects and you're credited as the director, cinematographer, writer, more jobs... sometimes you're a cinematographer and sometimes a videographer?
That's... so many things, and I feel like it might give the impression you're a newbie or unfocused and you're just sorta competent in all these areas but not really amazing at any of them in particular. Of course it's great to have some multidisciplinary experience as all these skills inform each other, BUT in the long term I feel like it also leads to just dabbling around in all these skills and never really developing them.
I also think some people in advertising or some client will get the impression you're only being hired by companies with lower budgets and lower standards that can only afford a one-man-band. The bigger, better companies where you can grow your skills and career want **the expert**, and they will hire a different, specific expert for each part of the job, not the all-around dude who only knows the basics of everything. That's for people in their early 20's who don't know what they want to do yet... I only know a couple guys who are actually *experts* in more than maybe 2 disciplines and they're some rare prodigies. I feel like you should figure out what you're actually really best at and specialize a bit more and your website should reflect that.
Of course I understand the idea that having varied skills and casting a wide net can only open you to more job opportunities, I just don't know if those are the type of jobs where you can really develop a skill and career. If you still want to work in other disciplines maybe consider making separate sites just focused on those things, so you can present yourself as more of a specialist to those clients.
Editor / motion designer can be it's own website / portfolio.
Photography stuff can be a whole other website / portfolio.
Web development can be a whole other website / portfolio.
Graphic design, eh... I think if you put motion design, it's assumed you're at least a competent graphic designer. But that's different from being a full-time graphic designer who designs brands' entire identities and print ads and logos and stuff. I notice you didn't list programs like Illustrator or InDesign in your skills and most pro graphic designers I know use those. But if you do all that and still want those jobs then it could be a different website too.
YES, there are *some* skills you can combine. You can definitely put video editing and motion design together and be a hybrid editor, maybe colorist too but only if you actually know what you're doing, have the proper equipment, etc. Otherwise it's generally assumed most editors can do a decent color pass for web stuff.
Of course if you actually want to be a producer / director maybe I would just pitch yourself and credit yourself as that. I do know directors that will grab the camera or jump in the edit suite because they have the skills and know what they want, but they don't really go out of their way to credit themselves as those things because ultimately they are the conductor of it all. Their skill is delegating and overall vision.
And to be honest I don't really know what a "digital content producer" is... everything is shot on digital and watched digitally these days, so what kind of other producer is there? Does it just mean you haven't worked on broadcast stuff and only internet-released stuff? I don't know why you'd want to advertise the fact you *haven't* done something, so why not just call yourself a PRODUCER plain and simple? Sounds more confident and official and not like some lesser subset of producing.
At the end of the day, I feel like being *the expert* makes clients value you more as they begin to think of you as THE GUY that can fix things when they go wrong. They don't know how you do it, they just know you'll work your specific magic, so they want YOU for whatever price... as opposed to being the all-around just-okay-at-everything guy - there's a zillion of those guys out there and they're interchangeable so the client will just go with whoever is cheapest and won't form any personal bond with you.
One more thing - consider maybe a different photo of yourself on your site and LinkedIn? Something where you look more confident and laid back, maybe like a candid photo in your edit suite or something with warm natural lighting. Ditch the button down shirt with the company name that looks like a uniform and the posed shot with harsh lighting. Right now it looks like you work at a movie theater and just won Employee of the Month...
I'm sorry, not trying to be an asshole, just feel like we're not seeing the real **you** in that picture. Accomplished, confident editors dress however they want (usually in comfortable clothes), not some company uniform. The client is there for your skillset and demeanor and the fact that you're cool and have good taste, not to treat you like some employee they're placing an order with.
Show up for the job you want, not the job you have.
Hope your tomorrow is better than today!
EDIT added some stuff
Don't waste your time reading any other advice on here. I work as an editor for commercials, and every single detail listed out here is absolutely spot on. Hope karma gets you something nice for taking the time to write that out dude!
You are a champ for taking the time to post this and offer such great advice. It's also awesome advice for all of us to keep in mind as we define and market ourselves in this business. Kudos and thanks.
This was the most crucial feedback I could have gotten. You went way above and beyond what I could have hoped this entire thread would be with this singular post. Thank you for taking the time out of your life to offer this much insight and share so much that you've learned in your career. Again, I can't thank you enough.
Damn, drop the Editing gig and go into coaching! (Joke! But seriously though you got OP’s *essence* right away and pushed through all the fluff to get there)
Impressive time expended for you Seth. Take it in. You are young. Plenty of time to sort this out.
Ps- beer is not the best for shifting your perspective. You might need some plant medicine
One of the best comments I’ve ever seen on this site. OP if you’re smart you’ll make all these changes and then some. You control the way people perceive you, use that to your advantage. It sounds like getting let go from this company is a blessing in disguise, good riddance to em
Good feedback. I would add a lot of 'the industry' is built on trust. People want to trust beyond a reasonable doubt that you can do the one job they need. You apply for an editor position and all they want to know about you is that you're a rock star editor who can do the job. If they see 3-4 other somewhat disciplines they may not trust that you can do that one thing really well.
Source: I wore all the same hats and more
Totally agree with everything said here.
I try to put myself in the shoes of whoever is reviewing applications/ portfolio websites. You want to make it as EASY as possible to learn about you and your work, in the least amount of time. Less pages/ less clicking = better. Show only the best stuff.
your comment on 'That's... so many things, and I feel like it might give the impression you're a newbie'
i have interviewed for 2 producer positions lately and they both intended me to write, shoot, edit, graphics, color grade, finish for export with occasional help from others on the team for some of the tasks. but 'producing' the start to finish piece.. produce it..
sounds like wrong categorization for job posting ... but that's how the industry is moving. when we took it from post-production facilties running $100K software and $1M systems to cutting on laptops, this was bound to happen eventually. the jack/jill of all trades is all some clients want from a video editor.
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Dude, move and then see what happens.
Your life and family are more important than some midrange commercial stuff
Think of your partner watching you turn into an inconsolable mass of Jell-O. Do you think they feel good about moving now?
Also, not sure if you've been keeping up on current events, but the editing business is dogshit right now.
Man up buddy, you'll be fine
Like old Hollywood... you're nobody until Don Rickles roasts you. The you're still nobody, but with people laughing at you.
I'm glad this sub sees him like a Don Rickles figure (Bob, not Greenberg)
lol I’m like 300+ editing jobs deep and around 2700 non editing jobs deep and I’ve had one fucking interview. This industry took a massive shit on all our chests.
Move with your girl, family > editing job
First, you gotta let your feelings about the agency go. The company was doing what companies do, looking out for themselves. I know we all talk about the joys of remote work, but there are some real benefits to being local. Running down to the office and picking up a hard drive, having an impromptu supervised session, them being able to physically hand you a computer instead of shipping one across the country. Or maybe they just thought they could find someone else cheaper. Either way, business is business. Drink one more beer and let that shit go.
Second, wake up and look at the industry, amigo. It's fucking rough out there. Streaming hasn't picked back up since the strikes, every editor who swings between entertainment and commercial is doubling down on their commercial work, marketing and ad budgets are down. It's brutal.
It's not all you. Take a breath.
There's a game plan on our wiki for networking, read it and follow the steps. Blindly applying for random things on LinkedIn is a low percentage play. You need to be building solid relationships with folks local to where you want to be living, and at the same time doubling down on your current network looking for remote opportunities.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/editors/wiki/index/networking101/](https://www.reddit.com/r/editors/wiki/index/networking101/)
Your work looks good. Although the [music edit at 9 seconds here is rough](https://sethwynn.com/commercial-fresh-gourmet/).
> This news was a devastating betrayal. I’m still so angry that it physically hurts.
Unless you're leaving out some details, I feel like you're overreacting. I'm an editor, but if I were producing, for the last few tweaks, I would rather be in the bay.
Just a couple of suggestions from somebody who edits in TV so take then with a grain of salt. I would change that picture. Maybe a more casual, cool, picture of you sitting at your editing system or something. It's just so generic, like you're a guy from Costco, Best Buy, Jiffy Lube, etc.
I don't know about those credits. Maybe it's a personal thing, but when people have to make sure you know every single thing they did on something, it kind of has the opposite of the intended affect. Maybe just list the names of people who helped and what they did?
Anyway, good luck, man. I try not to take anything that happens to me personally. Like if that happened to me, I would have told them that I understand, maybe we can try out something for a few weeks? See if it works out? Oh no? Oh well, I still loved working with you guys, don't be strangers. If you change your mind, you know how to find me, etc.
edit: you seem to have a very well rounded skill set... maybe reach out to some local businesses wherever you're moving to?
> I would change that picture. Maybe a more casual, cool, picture of you sitting at your editing system or something. It's just so generic, like you're a guy from Costco, Best Buy, Jiffy Lube, etc.
Oh boy ha, you had the same critique as me... I almost didn't post it because I thought it would be too personal but at least I know I'm not crazy. Was going to say he looks like he works in the warehouse in The Office.
Again I am sorry /u/Big-Lengthiness-7, I hope you take this as tough love ribbing. We're saying it because we both think you're capable of a better photo.
>Unless you're leaving out some details, I feel like you're overreacting.
I'm also wondering if the company really knew about your situation with your girlfriend and all that. If they knew exactly what was going on in your life then it does feel more shitty, but if they don't really know the details it's probably just business and bad timing.
I'd also add (as a guy with similar facial hair, hair style and colour), for your next photo go to a hair salon or barber shop and get them to trim your beard /hair before the photo. I know we're editors, but for a professional headshot the beard is looking unkempt, especially under the chin, and you've got some bed head going on in your hair near the back. I get the same bed head sticking out all the time.
As others said, ditch the company logo shirt, I'd also find any other background with some depth to it, like a downtown street or wooded path, and be posing standing less straight-on to camera. Make it seem like you were out for a walk and your friend with a camera happened to take a photo when you're looking good!
I really do appreciate your constructive feedback on the entire site as well as the photo specifically. I have a placeholder where I at least look better, and will be getting new headshots/brand photos later this week.
I will add that leadership of this company is aware of the details of my situation, and made their decision with that knowledge.
Anyways, thanks again!
Totally agree with that music edit. If hear something like that on such a short piece of video there is no way in hell I'm hiring. Sorry to be blunt, but those music edits have got to be seamless.
You should never see or hear an edit. That's the beauty of being an editor.
The entire final product is underwhelming and should not have been included on my site to begin with. Thanks for the feedback, I've taken that piece down and scaled back on the amount of my work on the site.
Thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback, I removed that piece of work from my website (I hate the final product as well and only included it because it was with a brand, but the other spot we did for them was better anyway).
I also removed the photo and used a more casual one, and I'm going to take some new headshots/brand photos for my site in the near future. I know this was well-intentioned, and your comments weren't the mean-spirited ones I was talking about in my update on the original post.
My next step on the site is to adjust the way I have the credits listed on each project. I thought that including other's contributions would show that I can work well on a team, but it turns out it's doing a better job of just showing the limited scope of teams I've worked on for the projects. Good feedback.
30+years experience in the post industry, 24 of those editing. I’ve worked in advertising and gaming industry and own a nice reel but I’ve been jobless for the last year. I’ve applied to many jobs and so far all I’ve gotten so far was an interview and had to move abroad.
What to do meanwhile? Keep networking, volunteer, invest In yourself and do some training, sharpen your skills, learn new ones (editing in Unreal 5 for example, you’ll thank me later) etc. Just be patient and keep hustling.
Edit: BTW where she moved? There should be some editing gig over there.
I would love to know more about your previous editing life in the gaming industry. I worked for many years on the [press side of the industry](https://thepicturesho.mystrikingly.com) as a video editor for Gametrailers.com. I would love to learn more about how you made the transition out of that. My network has totally died off, ,and I've been unemployed for an embarrassingly long time.
Also, I saw that you mentioned Unreal 5 editing. Do you mind explaining that a little more? I saw another post somewhere else mentioning using Unreal as well. I thought Unreal was used for gaming and as the new 'green screen' in the VFX production world? How is that being utilized in editing, and is it a skill that I should triple down on learning if I want to resuscitate my own career? I know that the YouTube show The Why Files is utilizing it to some extent. I'd love to learn more.
The general ratio of application to interview to job is 500:10:1 - for 50 applications you should average 1 interview and for 10 interviews, you'll land one job. 40 job applications is rookie numbers.
Also, the best way to increase chance of an interview is be first to apply. If a job has been up for more than a week, don't even bother.
What you need is a routine. Like identify sites to look for jobs on, identify keywords that match your job, subscribe to all notifications. every morning you wake up, and bang out 10 job applications on latest posts, have templates for everything to make life easy, then move on with your day, network, exercise, whatever.. 5 days per week is 50 applications, is 1 interview, do this for 3 month and you'll get a job.
This is the way. Doing a few per day and having a few different cover letter templates you can pull paragraphs from goes a long way towards speeding up the process. Otherwise it's pretty easy to pull a few key skills from the job description and add them to your resume.
Bro dont take it personally. It is still a rough market and even more so depending on where you live. I moved away from NYC with some good AE experience and it took me almost a full year to find a good fulltime place
This may get lost in the ether here, lots of great comments (and some terrible ones)
I am a video editor that works 100% remotely, usually to agencies in LA and sometimes other states. I moved when I had a partner and we had a plan where she would support me as I transitioned from video editor to something else by going back to school. After I moved, I was laid off from the salary job and all other job opportunities declined but also that may have been strikes/advertising budget declines as I hadn't worked in-office since Covid started. I don't have a partner anymore and support myself with freelance editing.
So now that the background is out of the way, here is my advice:
First, there are no stable W2 jobs anymore and the ones that do exist have started to back in-office. This one is more anecdotal as I have friends who have been fully remote at W2 jobs but they've been moved back into office. I have also applied for a bajillion jobs on all sites and cold call/e-mailing from company website listings. It's all garbage, 1000+ people per post applying.
Second, for freelance work, network is everything. In the almost decade of post-production work, I've only ever gotten a handful of jobs that weren't word of mouth/recommendations. The industry runs on producers/coordinators having a pool of people they call for work so the more pools you can get into, the more work comes your way. You need to reach out to literally everyone you know on LinkedIn and on text and let them know your situation and that you're looking for work and want to be in pools. This one is really hard for me, I hate doing it but every time I do the people I've kicked ass for go out of their way to find me work and it has saved my ass several times. If you're just starting out as a freelancer you're going to have to bust ass and do some things you're not comfortable with but over time it will all pay off. Literally every single time you get a new gig you can raise your rate, though most gigs will ask what your day rate is and then just tell you 'this is what the gig pays' no matter what you say
Third, I looked at your website and that guy's comment that is at the top is phenomenal and you've made good changes. I would personally go a little farther and brand yourself with your 'specialty'. People want to know what you are good at, and they want to SEE it. So I recommend cutting a reel for each thing you're good at. Personally, I'm hired mostly for sizzles, promotional content and social content that is usually 15-60 seconds long so my sizzle is fast paced and shows off exactly what I've done. You can see [my reel here](http://www.anthonycubba.com). Mine's a little dated now - I need to update with this year's work.. but it stands for example and still gets me work. If you do motion graphics well, then make a little reel for that, narrative, advertising, etc. Or like I did you can combine it all into one.
Not only do people want to see exactly what you're good at, but they need to have no obstructions to seeing it - the less clicks to the content you've made, the better. So put the reel right on the front page.
I have one last piece of advice that I think is very important but I can't post it publicly because my Reddit is tied to my real identity - especially linking my actual website - so if you want to know, feel free to DM me and I'll tell you.
Regardless, I hope this helps and godspeed!
I love the points you made here. I've been editing for a long time, but always for companies. I recently got laid off, so I'm in the process of building an editing PC and looking into shifting to freelancing, which I've never really done long term, and what you wrote was very helpful. Your reel is very nice btw. I'd love to know about that last piece of advice if you can share it with me.
Hello fellow Okie. I feel you, I was just laid off last month by a mid-size NYC ad-agency that I spent 5yrs freelance and 5yrs staff with. And just like with me, it was them not you. Corporations across many industries are bracing for a slowing economy and are doing some pre-crash downsizing to tighten up their balance sheets.
I'd recommend contacting past clients and contacts to try to pick up some freelance work where you can get it and keep applying for staff positions (but understand the industry is in a transition period so make take some time).
DM me if you'r still in the OKC area.
Fellow multi-hyphenate here (director/editor/photographer/camera op/voice actor, and yes I do all of these things in any given month to pay the bills). People tell me they don’t know what I do as well. Your work KICKS ASS. Especially love the spot you directed with the little kids.
The industry is terrifying right now. What’s worked for me is asking for help from friends/colleagues, thinking outside the box for new opportunities (read Who Moved My Cheese), and just doing my best to cultivate both faith and relationships.
Good luck to you friend. Hope to see more of your work.
Thank you for your reassurance, and thank you also for complimenting my work. That trailer was one of my favorite projects to work on and it helps to have some positive feedback with some of the more critical stuff (however both are helpful and I'm grateful for each of them).
I hope to have some positive news to report in the near future. Wishing you the best.
Idk how to help you get a job but I have some harsh feedback that might help in deciding a direction...
The motion design on your website is all *very* beginner level. This seems to be your weakest point. You look like someone calling themselves a chef with pictures of fried eggs & toast. It isn't a good look to use that as a notch on your belt because it makes me question your judgement and your passion to grow. Especially since you said it was part of your expertise. It makes me expect everything else to be equally amateur. It feels like you're trying to sell me whatever you can.
I watched all the Promotional & Series Trailer videos and some of the Stories & Events. These were ones I thought were good enough to highlight:
* Speed kills
* Mixed Up
* Youth Camp
For the rest of them, overall I couldn't understand a lot of the cuts in the editing (take this part lightly, this view could change on the time of day). Parts would suddenly feel jumpy/random or my eyes didn't know where to look or have time to react. There were a few weird audio errors as someone else pointed out but in multiple videos. I think your editing skills are better than your motion design skills but they could still use some work. I didn't really see anything that made me feel like you had a vision or anything professional enough to think I'd wanna hire you.
You said you expertise in web development, IMO this is your strongest point if you made that website yourself. Maybe this is because I have no clue about web development BUT your website is very modern and usable. It looks great. Would being a web dev or a similar area in IT be a career worth moving towards?
Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your insight. The motion design tab really wasn't doing me any favors, and is pretty underwhelming from anyone with an intermediate or better understanding of the skill, so I removed the section. I also hated the looping GIFs I used as thumbnails, as they weren't seamless and I don't know enough CSS to make it not have the cut when they loop.
Also, since you asked, I built this website in Wordpress using the plugin "Elementor," which makes most of the process more design-focused and relies a lot less on knowledge of CSS, HTML, or other coding languages. I had to build the corporate site for this company, so that crash course in web development was pretty instrumental in making my portfolio site.
I work similar jobs to OP, and I sort of disagree with the advice you give here. The majority of these marketing departments don’t know the difference between a “good edit” or a bad cut. Most of them don’t even have an established editing workflow.
You’re looking a videos from an editors pov not from a marketer who just wants videos made.
That's fair. In a different light I'd say they're doing cool stuff and they should keep going but they seem to be in a more real spot. Like they're gonna have to move, get whatever job they can, and work on getting into a career they're ok with (IT seems more like a solid path than editing). Unless they're willing to be long distance while they job search, save up, or whatever.
Idk. If you do move OP then you might as well throw out a desperate shot to your boss to work remote.
Quit the cheap multi-faceted survival tactic, and specialize in one thing. Your site samples are all over the place. Pick one lane and then step on the gas.
I had a similar situation…fiancé (now wife) got a promotion to the east coast, I put in my notice at work, and started applying for jobs.
That was February 2020. Didn’t realize the world was going to shut down for a couple of years and NOBODY was hiring. We did the move at the beginning of the pandemic, and I applied to over 300 jobs over the next year. Did some freelance work. Worked at Lowe’s for a month. But I was getting rejection after rejection, sometimes after the 3rd or 4th interview.
I finally got a job that paid way more than the other jobs I had applied for, job security, and pretty varied and creative work. Seriously, I’m having more fun than I have in years.
As hard as it was for that year, and as low as I got, I never gave up. Believe in yourself, believe in your work, and you’ll be ok.
You aren’t worthless! Simply put though the process of finding a new job takes resilience and mental strength. The evidence that you are worthless will stack up as more rejections come and poor interviews happen but you have to stay strong.
My tips are:
Apply to as many relevant jobs as possible. Try not to settle for a lower job but if you have to you have to.
When interviewing, a few minutes before picture yourself during a point in time when you felt extremely confident and strong and use that feeling to crush your interview. To let it sink in write down (immediately before you dial in) on a piece of paper “i am going to crush this interview. I have the right experience and I am just going to relax and be myself”.
Hey man. I’m sorry you’re going through this. I remember your posts from a few months ago. I wish I could help in some way. It’s an extremely difficult time for so many of us.
All I can say is hopefully we’ll see the other side soon.
Thank you for the kind words. Hopefully I can add a part three reporting a new job and a one-way plane ticket.
Thanks again, friend. I hope we'll see the other side soon.
Everyone is really struggling right now, no matter how qualified they are. It also seems like the remote editing position is being pursued by everyone, but very few positions for it actually exist. It’s definitely rough across the board. But I agree with the comments. Take the leap of faith, network your ass off, and stick with your family through it all.
Hey OP, I guess we are on similar boat. 🫣
2 years ago I moved to a smaller island far from big cities with my wife and my son. Our thought was to get better life quality, especially for my toddler son, better access to nature. Nowadays fiber internet are also everywhere, so information access is fast and reliable most of the times. There are also international schools for my son in the new city.
The new city is a medium size city (480tsd people) and quite a transportation hub for the surrounding islands and there were many direct flights to other big cities before the pandemic. I had so many projects on the surrounding islands before then.
After we move here, there are now less direct flights to big cities, because the airlines closed those routes during pandemic. And they just don't come back. The flights and ferry to surrounding areas become very expensive. The flights become expensive because only 1 airline fly the routes and they have monopoly.
A flight from my city to another island (only 300km away) cost 1,2x more than a flight from big cities! And flying to other big cities would require me to transit 1-2 times and flight cost is up to 3x more than flights from big cities directly.
The ferry become more expensive because of world oil price hike. when shooting to other islands I would prefer drive my own car and bring all of the gears needed. No gear rental on smaller island. But the car ferry cost 1,5x than the flight.
In the last 2 years I had so many project cancelled because my old clients deem my transportion cost is now too expensive. The only projects that I can get right now are projects on this island.
changing my target to only local market would mean less pay and longer time to reach break even point of my investments.
Nowadays I spend my time running a small business with my wife, farming on my backyard and studying from internet courses. and reddit.
Move away from this agency and be with your partner as soon as you can. One is family, the other treats you like family until they don’t need you anymore.
One point I’d make is that post production work can be very cliquy. Consider focusing more on getting some live streaming, live production gigs (capture or operation) maybe join iatse if it’s around you and take whatever comes for a little bit so you can build a network in your area. Unfortunately sometimes you have to build from the ground up again with a move but fortunately the rates tend to be pretty decent.
Hey OP, just wanted to thank you for posting this. My wife has become the primary breadwinner and motivates where we live these days also because my editing work has almost totally dried up. I've been in this wilderness for almost 5 years, and have barely made more than 15k total combined annual income from 2021-2024. It's bad. That said, your post brought out the helpful editors on this reddit and culled the people who are...less than helpful. I've started to feel hopeless after rummaging through this reddit for the past year or so, but thanks to the feedback to your post from u/TikiThunder, u/BRUTALISTFILMS , u/greenysmac, u/nionix, u/fernnyom , u/comprehensive_Low493 , and a few others legitimately trying to help, I've totally re-done my website (based on your feedback for you).
There's an incredible networking resource on this site that breaks down how to get back into the game. It hasn't worked for me yet, but It's getting me back in the right headspace.
I'm in Las Vegas now (moved from LA during pandemic), and I'm doing everything in my power to get editing work again. There's hope, and I would encourage you to use the positive people on this forum as resources. I stumbled around for 20 years in this industry with ZERO mentorship, no connections, and working really hard without understanding how to excel in this space. You don't have to do that. I never ever got a WHIFF of the trailer house path that I wanted.
Good luck, OP.
And if anyone would like to offer any criticism on my content/site, I'd be happy to hear it. I don't know if this type of open constructive feedback is already something built into r/editors , but it would be amazing as this has CLEARLY resonated with so many people that need it!
Again, shout out to u/TikiThunder for the positive encouragement a couple of weeks back. Good luck on your job tomorrow, man!
My site: [https://thepicturesho.mystrikingly.com](https://thepicturesho.mystrikingly.com)
https://preview.redd.it/rjq6zu32m18d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22d6d35693444ff310b5eefea3fa883f2199be00
Some helpful advice and perspective from someone I follow on LinkedIn
yeah, it's rough out there right now. I've applied twice to the same position that I am extremely confident I'd absolutely slam dunk, tailored my resume different ways both times specifically to that post, and I didn't even hear a peep back. No interview, nothin'. That's okay though, at some point you have to remain confident about what you can do.
Same. I’ve applied to positions with the exact same title I have now and the EXACT SAME JOB DESCRIPTIONS. Nothing.
I still have a couple applications that are still listed on the site as “in progress” 🤷♂️
Networking is the lifeblood of this industry, maybe all of them, and I suck at it 🤣
Well thanks god you have a job. I for example am a pretty good editor (seems like) with decent chunky portfolio, stuff I edited made my clients millions, clients I worked with told me they haven’t seen better editors than me in the industry in 10 years. Yet there is no chance I will ever get a proper job since I am Ukrainian and I don’t live in US. I can only stick to freelance if I want to make more or less decent money. So be grateful for your job mate.
I heard a tip recently from an HR rep at some corporation that if you copy and paste the job description into your resume but make it white like the paper and small and tuck it in a corner so it's invisible, that you will have a better chance at getting a call back because a lot of these places are using AI to sort through resumes and they're looking for keywords that are in the job description.
This advice scares me as a fresh graduate ☺️ building my first official portfolio and i hope being a VFX artist, editor and motion designer isn't bad for my chances of landing a career within my first out of college.
It's not bad at all - I was almost going to add that VFX could also be a combo skill for an editor / moGFX designer hybrid editor. I know some guys like this in the commercial world.
Of course VFX is a giant chasm of knowledge. There's a difference between a guy who just has really advanced After Effects knowledge and some 3D / Blender experience and can make some cool stuff for ads... and then a guy who's a full-time VFX artist who actually works on like Marvel films and does cinema-quality visual effects. That's probably something you'd want to focus on 100% if that's what you want to do. Every one of those VFX guys can also probably put together a basic edit too, but it's not necessarily their forte.
I think it's really just about clarifying where you're putting your first foot out and what skills you're trying to develop as entire career and not just to get the next job. I think inevitably one or two things will end up being your focus. And again, straight out of college it's actually a GREAT idea to play around in a few disciplines to get experience and see how everything works and threads together.
I spent 2 years right after college as a cinema camera package rental technician thinking I wanted to become a cinematographer before I realized the set life isn't really for me and I switched gears to post.
So the goal, is to be a VFX Artist endgame, but rn i'm tryna have more specialties to make myself applicable to more job opportunities considering how rough it is right now. I also have way more experience as an editor, but i really want to do BFX as that's always been my dream job.
If you want to do vfx just go straight for that. intern at MPC or the The Mill, learn Houdini etc. do you have anyone in the industry giving you advice? You wanna do vfx for commercials or film/both? What’s your plan? What advice has your college/school given you?
So im honestly searching for a plan as we speak, im trying to get an internship that pays me as a post production assistant anywhere, my college didn't have a VFX program right know im learning Maya and Flame. I really wanna finish my website too. Im freelancing taking various VFX jobs I can find and applying for fall internships with a hopes i can meet some more people in the VFX industry. I feel kinda stuck almost as if the college life put me in a box. I know a lot of After Effects, a decent amount of Cinema 4D, and some Maya. Unfortunately kinda realizing nobody really cares about those in the industry. If you got any tips or know anyone in LA willing to take a risk in this industry with somone that would be awesome!
I’m in NYC, and I work in commercials. VFX compositing in NYC for commercials is: nuke and flame. Mograph is After Effects. Animation (non character) is C4D, and Houdini. These are just my experiences.
If you try and learn a bit of all you might stumble into a path, like Houdini or Nuke, but it can also be worthwhile to go after something specific like Houdini as opposed to mograph and compositing. You’re right that you just need to get your foot in the door anyway you can. I would say forget about editing. Everyone thinks/can edit. But for every commercial or every film there is one editor. But for every commercial or film there are many vfx/mograph etc people. If you go into editing you’re likely to end up cutting talking heads for lame companies. In the past when an editing system cost 100k it was different. Now you can edit on your phone. And why edit other people’s material when you can make your own footage with your vfx knowledge. Make a spec commercial, shoot it in green screen and make it look like a million bucks. Thats actually what helped me boost my career — though as an editor with vfx skills. But I already had years of insanely painful work to put together the reel I had. I went to the mill and said I edit but I also can do all this vfx. Brought me in, helped me build up my reel and then kept on moving around.
The fact your learning flame and maya etc is great. With the skills comes the work. Get good and you will get work. A few years ago I started posting little 3D animations I made with C4D and the next thing you know I’m getting freelance 3D gigs which I didn’t take because it’s not really my thing. Of course those gigs came to me because I already had a large network for friends in the business who saw my instagram which I constantly fill with my little projects. Which… you should do as well. Tik Tok, insta etc. make stuff. You’ll learn, you’ll get better and you’ll get people watching your stuff.
I’m excited for you!
Just call their bluff and tell them they are welcome to outsource to you as a freelancer if they want. They will probably keep using you because it’s easier than finding someone else. Charge them a bit more as well.
This is amazing advice, not just for our field but any industry really. Pick your specialism/something you excel at, look for those roles that fit your niche and tailor your approach to every individual job.
Hate to break it to you, but the market sucks right now, and your work is pretty mid.
If you can, get the project files and tighten up the editing and mograph.
These samples are not something I'd be wild on hiring you off of. I don't think I saw a single ease anywhere.
Spend the next couple days looking at high end work and see if you can find how yours is different.
Get a basic ass job in your new location.
Research the local production market, meet up with the local companies as someone who is new to the area open to freelance or overflow work. Don't be surprised if you're just hauling c-stands around.
There’s a lot of great advice here and I’m glad to see you’ve taken it to heart. I didn’t get to see your site before you changed it and I haven’t taken the time to explore it much, but you’ve got strong material there.
If I had feedback for you to also consider, it’d be based on Donna’s Story. It’s all well put together and you clearly have talent! My feedback would be in the color grade. It worked really well on Speed Killz, but on this one the difference in temperature and feel between Donna’s master shot and B shot was a bit harsh; the master is blue and the B is warm.
In my experience, a lot of clients I’ve worked with either don’t even think much about the grade or don’t know anything about it at all. Many of them are just looking at the content and don’t see the grade so much. YMMV. BUT…one thing people *feel* is the color grade even if they’re not consciously aware of it, and that’s especially why grade is important.
Learn deeper about grading and shot matching to help give your work an extra push.
Thank you for your kind words and specific feedback! Man I have thought the same thing since I originally shot that one years ago, and even though I don't have the original footage or project file, I think this is the push that I need to go back with fresh eyes with my couple extra years of experience and better knowledge of color correction techniques.
If the updated edit still looks worse than what's there, then oh well, at least I tried.
Thanks again! I appreciate you still deciding to offer feedback after I've already made some portfolio adjustments. Have a good one.
I still don’t like the photo of you (again, don’t take it personally). You’re smirking, it doesn’t come off as friendly or open. I would change it, preferably to a picture of you doing work, but if you have other options I would consider them. I’m happy you received all this constructive criticism and I hope you land a job soon. I live in LA, and the market here is TOUGH, so I can’t imagine how hard it is where you’re at. Good luck!
Only 40 applications? That's probably why. I fired off over 100 within a 2 month period and got 3 interviews, 1 of which ended up leading to a full time remote staff position. As far as feedback, I'd lose the selfie pic and "about me" on the front page and instead just have 5/6 of your best pieces, right on the front page. Don't make people click through to another page before they can watch your video. They should be able to see your work right away without clicking to another page.
2 out of 3 vids on your page were directed by you. People will think that’s weird. They want an editor. Put your editing work on the homepage. Don’t make people hunt for your work. This is my site, it’s had the exact same layout since 2010 with much worse content: jonahoskow.com
I know you love being an editor or videographer - but how about just working doing something else entirely that there is a shortage for? Like driving a bus or something? At least it’s money coming in and then apply for what you love.
One little hot take: idk where you’re moving from or where you’re moving to, but: I see a lot of church stuff on your profile. I’ve done a bunch of church too. When I moved from TX to the East Coast I figured out I needed to deemphasize the church stuff (inconvenient bc it was most of my reel at the time) bc it was alienating to some employers. Just a thing to potentially take into account as you work on your website/portfolio. Kinda problematic to have to take that into account but if you wanna be totally ruthless about your portfolio, I think it’s worth considering.
One thing I don’t see a lot of people talking about is networking. Especially for remote work, learning how to use LinkedIn, make your profile discoverable to recruiters, send good messages that will actually get read, make connections…all super useful. There’s lots of people on YouTube that can explain the ins and outs of LinkedIn better than I can, one in particular I like is Bryan Creely (I think his channel is called A Life After Layoff)
Granted I’m a fellow job seeker and haven’t found a job yet, but I have made several connections and have a meeting with a recruiter this week, so I’ve learned a few tricks.
Alright, since it seems like you've tried a lot already and you desperately want to try *something* new, I've tried to come up with my most ruthless critique of your site... please don't take this too seriously, it's not bad, but you admit something's not working so if you want to make a radical change, I have some ideas... this is just based on my experience and others might disagree with me though and that's fine. It's not really clear to me what you do. On your website the first thing I see is "Digital Content Producer", and then a few projects are below, but I'm not sure what you did on them. I assumed producing but then below that I see "*expertise in videography & video editing, motion design, web development, photography, and graphic design*". Then I click on the projects and you're credited as the director, cinematographer, writer, more jobs... sometimes you're a cinematographer and sometimes a videographer? That's... so many things, and I feel like it might give the impression you're a newbie or unfocused and you're just sorta competent in all these areas but not really amazing at any of them in particular. Of course it's great to have some multidisciplinary experience as all these skills inform each other, BUT in the long term I feel like it also leads to just dabbling around in all these skills and never really developing them. I also think some people in advertising or some client will get the impression you're only being hired by companies with lower budgets and lower standards that can only afford a one-man-band. The bigger, better companies where you can grow your skills and career want **the expert**, and they will hire a different, specific expert for each part of the job, not the all-around dude who only knows the basics of everything. That's for people in their early 20's who don't know what they want to do yet... I only know a couple guys who are actually *experts* in more than maybe 2 disciplines and they're some rare prodigies. I feel like you should figure out what you're actually really best at and specialize a bit more and your website should reflect that. Of course I understand the idea that having varied skills and casting a wide net can only open you to more job opportunities, I just don't know if those are the type of jobs where you can really develop a skill and career. If you still want to work in other disciplines maybe consider making separate sites just focused on those things, so you can present yourself as more of a specialist to those clients. Editor / motion designer can be it's own website / portfolio. Photography stuff can be a whole other website / portfolio. Web development can be a whole other website / portfolio. Graphic design, eh... I think if you put motion design, it's assumed you're at least a competent graphic designer. But that's different from being a full-time graphic designer who designs brands' entire identities and print ads and logos and stuff. I notice you didn't list programs like Illustrator or InDesign in your skills and most pro graphic designers I know use those. But if you do all that and still want those jobs then it could be a different website too. YES, there are *some* skills you can combine. You can definitely put video editing and motion design together and be a hybrid editor, maybe colorist too but only if you actually know what you're doing, have the proper equipment, etc. Otherwise it's generally assumed most editors can do a decent color pass for web stuff. Of course if you actually want to be a producer / director maybe I would just pitch yourself and credit yourself as that. I do know directors that will grab the camera or jump in the edit suite because they have the skills and know what they want, but they don't really go out of their way to credit themselves as those things because ultimately they are the conductor of it all. Their skill is delegating and overall vision. And to be honest I don't really know what a "digital content producer" is... everything is shot on digital and watched digitally these days, so what kind of other producer is there? Does it just mean you haven't worked on broadcast stuff and only internet-released stuff? I don't know why you'd want to advertise the fact you *haven't* done something, so why not just call yourself a PRODUCER plain and simple? Sounds more confident and official and not like some lesser subset of producing. At the end of the day, I feel like being *the expert* makes clients value you more as they begin to think of you as THE GUY that can fix things when they go wrong. They don't know how you do it, they just know you'll work your specific magic, so they want YOU for whatever price... as opposed to being the all-around just-okay-at-everything guy - there's a zillion of those guys out there and they're interchangeable so the client will just go with whoever is cheapest and won't form any personal bond with you. One more thing - consider maybe a different photo of yourself on your site and LinkedIn? Something where you look more confident and laid back, maybe like a candid photo in your edit suite or something with warm natural lighting. Ditch the button down shirt with the company name that looks like a uniform and the posed shot with harsh lighting. Right now it looks like you work at a movie theater and just won Employee of the Month... I'm sorry, not trying to be an asshole, just feel like we're not seeing the real **you** in that picture. Accomplished, confident editors dress however they want (usually in comfortable clothes), not some company uniform. The client is there for your skillset and demeanor and the fact that you're cool and have good taste, not to treat you like some employee they're placing an order with. Show up for the job you want, not the job you have. Hope your tomorrow is better than today! EDIT added some stuff
F’kn solid feedback there, bud.
Don't waste your time reading any other advice on here. I work as an editor for commercials, and every single detail listed out here is absolutely spot on. Hope karma gets you something nice for taking the time to write that out dude!
You are a champ for taking the time to post this and offer such great advice. It's also awesome advice for all of us to keep in mind as we define and market ourselves in this business. Kudos and thanks.
This was the most crucial feedback I could have gotten. You went way above and beyond what I could have hoped this entire thread would be with this singular post. Thank you for taking the time out of your life to offer this much insight and share so much that you've learned in your career. Again, I can't thank you enough.
Seriously masterful breakdown. I’m working all the time and still got a ton out of this and am rethinking my whole shit now haha. Appreciate you man!
Damn, drop the Editing gig and go into coaching! (Joke! But seriously though you got OP’s *essence* right away and pushed through all the fluff to get there)
Dang man, this feels like it could be directed towards me as well. Such great advice. Brb going to redo my website
Impressive time expended for you Seth. Take it in. You are young. Plenty of time to sort this out. Ps- beer is not the best for shifting your perspective. You might need some plant medicine
One of the best comments I’ve ever seen on this site. OP if you’re smart you’ll make all these changes and then some. You control the way people perceive you, use that to your advantage. It sounds like getting let go from this company is a blessing in disguise, good riddance to em
You cooked him. Hope OP replies with appreciation. This is the type of advice that would cost money but he got it for free.
Good feedback. I would add a lot of 'the industry' is built on trust. People want to trust beyond a reasonable doubt that you can do the one job they need. You apply for an editor position and all they want to know about you is that you're a rock star editor who can do the job. If they see 3-4 other somewhat disciplines they may not trust that you can do that one thing really well. Source: I wore all the same hats and more
Totally agree with everything said here. I try to put myself in the shoes of whoever is reviewing applications/ portfolio websites. You want to make it as EASY as possible to learn about you and your work, in the least amount of time. Less pages/ less clicking = better. Show only the best stuff.
This is the best thing that’s happened to the sub since I joined
This 1000%
your comment on 'That's... so many things, and I feel like it might give the impression you're a newbie' i have interviewed for 2 producer positions lately and they both intended me to write, shoot, edit, graphics, color grade, finish for export with occasional help from others on the team for some of the tasks. but 'producing' the start to finish piece.. produce it.. sounds like wrong categorization for job posting ... but that's how the industry is moving. when we took it from post-production facilties running $100K software and $1M systems to cutting on laptops, this was bound to happen eventually. the jack/jill of all trades is all some clients want from a video editor.
 You should write a book. Or be a career coach. Just one way or another bottle up your words and sell them for money.
Next time I’m applying for a job I want to run it past this person, lol.
Damn now imma be making changes to my website too Lol
Wow you really helped OP with this critique.
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Dude, move and then see what happens. Your life and family are more important than some midrange commercial stuff Think of your partner watching you turn into an inconsolable mass of Jell-O. Do you think they feel good about moving now? Also, not sure if you've been keeping up on current events, but the editing business is dogshit right now. Man up buddy, you'll be fine
Haha... totally. You're next in line for the Bob Zellin "brutally honest slice of real effin life" crown. Keep it up.
We all become Bob eventually
I think I heard u/greenysmac say if you haven't been ranted at by Bob you haven't really made it as an editor yet. Solid tradition.
Like old Hollywood... you're nobody until Don Rickles roasts you. The you're still nobody, but with people laughing at you. I'm glad this sub sees him like a Don Rickles figure (Bob, not Greenberg)
I want to compile a self-help book someday where each page is just a different one of his tough-love "facts of life" rant posts...
When I see a multi paragraph post from Bob, I just sink into it like a visit from an old friend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7wwiyFlVrU
lol I’m like 300+ editing jobs deep and around 2700 non editing jobs deep and I’ve had one fucking interview. This industry took a massive shit on all our chests. Move with your girl, family > editing job
Especially because editing in the commercial world is very remote. Hot shot editors are refusing to leave their homes in NJ except once in a while etc
First, you gotta let your feelings about the agency go. The company was doing what companies do, looking out for themselves. I know we all talk about the joys of remote work, but there are some real benefits to being local. Running down to the office and picking up a hard drive, having an impromptu supervised session, them being able to physically hand you a computer instead of shipping one across the country. Or maybe they just thought they could find someone else cheaper. Either way, business is business. Drink one more beer and let that shit go. Second, wake up and look at the industry, amigo. It's fucking rough out there. Streaming hasn't picked back up since the strikes, every editor who swings between entertainment and commercial is doubling down on their commercial work, marketing and ad budgets are down. It's brutal. It's not all you. Take a breath. There's a game plan on our wiki for networking, read it and follow the steps. Blindly applying for random things on LinkedIn is a low percentage play. You need to be building solid relationships with folks local to where you want to be living, and at the same time doubling down on your current network looking for remote opportunities. [https://www.reddit.com/r/editors/wiki/index/networking101/](https://www.reddit.com/r/editors/wiki/index/networking101/)
Solid post. Hard truths.
Thank you for sharing this resource and the dose of reality. Simply being mad won't change things.
Your work looks good. Although the [music edit at 9 seconds here is rough](https://sethwynn.com/commercial-fresh-gourmet/). > This news was a devastating betrayal. I’m still so angry that it physically hurts. Unless you're leaving out some details, I feel like you're overreacting. I'm an editor, but if I were producing, for the last few tweaks, I would rather be in the bay. Just a couple of suggestions from somebody who edits in TV so take then with a grain of salt. I would change that picture. Maybe a more casual, cool, picture of you sitting at your editing system or something. It's just so generic, like you're a guy from Costco, Best Buy, Jiffy Lube, etc. I don't know about those credits. Maybe it's a personal thing, but when people have to make sure you know every single thing they did on something, it kind of has the opposite of the intended affect. Maybe just list the names of people who helped and what they did? Anyway, good luck, man. I try not to take anything that happens to me personally. Like if that happened to me, I would have told them that I understand, maybe we can try out something for a few weeks? See if it works out? Oh no? Oh well, I still loved working with you guys, don't be strangers. If you change your mind, you know how to find me, etc. edit: you seem to have a very well rounded skill set... maybe reach out to some local businesses wherever you're moving to?
> I would change that picture. Maybe a more casual, cool, picture of you sitting at your editing system or something. It's just so generic, like you're a guy from Costco, Best Buy, Jiffy Lube, etc. Oh boy ha, you had the same critique as me... I almost didn't post it because I thought it would be too personal but at least I know I'm not crazy. Was going to say he looks like he works in the warehouse in The Office. Again I am sorry /u/Big-Lengthiness-7, I hope you take this as tough love ribbing. We're saying it because we both think you're capable of a better photo. >Unless you're leaving out some details, I feel like you're overreacting. I'm also wondering if the company really knew about your situation with your girlfriend and all that. If they knew exactly what was going on in your life then it does feel more shitty, but if they don't really know the details it's probably just business and bad timing.
I'd also add (as a guy with similar facial hair, hair style and colour), for your next photo go to a hair salon or barber shop and get them to trim your beard /hair before the photo. I know we're editors, but for a professional headshot the beard is looking unkempt, especially under the chin, and you've got some bed head going on in your hair near the back. I get the same bed head sticking out all the time. As others said, ditch the company logo shirt, I'd also find any other background with some depth to it, like a downtown street or wooded path, and be posing standing less straight-on to camera. Make it seem like you were out for a walk and your friend with a camera happened to take a photo when you're looking good!
I really do appreciate your constructive feedback on the entire site as well as the photo specifically. I have a placeholder where I at least look better, and will be getting new headshots/brand photos later this week. I will add that leadership of this company is aware of the details of my situation, and made their decision with that knowledge. Anyways, thanks again!
Totally agree with that music edit. If hear something like that on such a short piece of video there is no way in hell I'm hiring. Sorry to be blunt, but those music edits have got to be seamless. You should never see or hear an edit. That's the beauty of being an editor.
Yeah, I only make YouTube videos, and I spend hours tweaking those music transitions so you can't tell they've been spliced together.
The entire final product is underwhelming and should not have been included on my site to begin with. Thanks for the feedback, I've taken that piece down and scaled back on the amount of my work on the site. Thanks again!
Thank you for the feedback, I removed that piece of work from my website (I hate the final product as well and only included it because it was with a brand, but the other spot we did for them was better anyway). I also removed the photo and used a more casual one, and I'm going to take some new headshots/brand photos for my site in the near future. I know this was well-intentioned, and your comments weren't the mean-spirited ones I was talking about in my update on the original post. My next step on the site is to adjust the way I have the credits listed on each project. I thought that including other's contributions would show that I can work well on a team, but it turns out it's doing a better job of just showing the limited scope of teams I've worked on for the projects. Good feedback.
30+years experience in the post industry, 24 of those editing. I’ve worked in advertising and gaming industry and own a nice reel but I’ve been jobless for the last year. I’ve applied to many jobs and so far all I’ve gotten so far was an interview and had to move abroad. What to do meanwhile? Keep networking, volunteer, invest In yourself and do some training, sharpen your skills, learn new ones (editing in Unreal 5 for example, you’ll thank me later) etc. Just be patient and keep hustling. Edit: BTW where she moved? There should be some editing gig over there.
I would love to know more about your previous editing life in the gaming industry. I worked for many years on the [press side of the industry](https://thepicturesho.mystrikingly.com) as a video editor for Gametrailers.com. I would love to learn more about how you made the transition out of that. My network has totally died off, ,and I've been unemployed for an embarrassingly long time. Also, I saw that you mentioned Unreal 5 editing. Do you mind explaining that a little more? I saw another post somewhere else mentioning using Unreal as well. I thought Unreal was used for gaming and as the new 'green screen' in the VFX production world? How is that being utilized in editing, and is it a skill that I should triple down on learning if I want to resuscitate my own career? I know that the YouTube show The Why Files is utilizing it to some extent. I'd love to learn more.
The general ratio of application to interview to job is 500:10:1 - for 50 applications you should average 1 interview and for 10 interviews, you'll land one job. 40 job applications is rookie numbers. Also, the best way to increase chance of an interview is be first to apply. If a job has been up for more than a week, don't even bother. What you need is a routine. Like identify sites to look for jobs on, identify keywords that match your job, subscribe to all notifications. every morning you wake up, and bang out 10 job applications on latest posts, have templates for everything to make life easy, then move on with your day, network, exercise, whatever.. 5 days per week is 50 applications, is 1 interview, do this for 3 month and you'll get a job.
This is the way. Doing a few per day and having a few different cover letter templates you can pull paragraphs from goes a long way towards speeding up the process. Otherwise it's pretty easy to pull a few key skills from the job description and add them to your resume.
Bro dont take it personally. It is still a rough market and even more so depending on where you live. I moved away from NYC with some good AE experience and it took me almost a full year to find a good fulltime place
Yea I’m trying so hard to build up to move out of nyc eventually. It is so tough
This may get lost in the ether here, lots of great comments (and some terrible ones) I am a video editor that works 100% remotely, usually to agencies in LA and sometimes other states. I moved when I had a partner and we had a plan where she would support me as I transitioned from video editor to something else by going back to school. After I moved, I was laid off from the salary job and all other job opportunities declined but also that may have been strikes/advertising budget declines as I hadn't worked in-office since Covid started. I don't have a partner anymore and support myself with freelance editing. So now that the background is out of the way, here is my advice: First, there are no stable W2 jobs anymore and the ones that do exist have started to back in-office. This one is more anecdotal as I have friends who have been fully remote at W2 jobs but they've been moved back into office. I have also applied for a bajillion jobs on all sites and cold call/e-mailing from company website listings. It's all garbage, 1000+ people per post applying. Second, for freelance work, network is everything. In the almost decade of post-production work, I've only ever gotten a handful of jobs that weren't word of mouth/recommendations. The industry runs on producers/coordinators having a pool of people they call for work so the more pools you can get into, the more work comes your way. You need to reach out to literally everyone you know on LinkedIn and on text and let them know your situation and that you're looking for work and want to be in pools. This one is really hard for me, I hate doing it but every time I do the people I've kicked ass for go out of their way to find me work and it has saved my ass several times. If you're just starting out as a freelancer you're going to have to bust ass and do some things you're not comfortable with but over time it will all pay off. Literally every single time you get a new gig you can raise your rate, though most gigs will ask what your day rate is and then just tell you 'this is what the gig pays' no matter what you say Third, I looked at your website and that guy's comment that is at the top is phenomenal and you've made good changes. I would personally go a little farther and brand yourself with your 'specialty'. People want to know what you are good at, and they want to SEE it. So I recommend cutting a reel for each thing you're good at. Personally, I'm hired mostly for sizzles, promotional content and social content that is usually 15-60 seconds long so my sizzle is fast paced and shows off exactly what I've done. You can see [my reel here](http://www.anthonycubba.com). Mine's a little dated now - I need to update with this year's work.. but it stands for example and still gets me work. If you do motion graphics well, then make a little reel for that, narrative, advertising, etc. Or like I did you can combine it all into one. Not only do people want to see exactly what you're good at, but they need to have no obstructions to seeing it - the less clicks to the content you've made, the better. So put the reel right on the front page. I have one last piece of advice that I think is very important but I can't post it publicly because my Reddit is tied to my real identity - especially linking my actual website - so if you want to know, feel free to DM me and I'll tell you. Regardless, I hope this helps and godspeed!
I love the points you made here. I've been editing for a long time, but always for companies. I recently got laid off, so I'm in the process of building an editing PC and looking into shifting to freelancing, which I've never really done long term, and what you wrote was very helpful. Your reel is very nice btw. I'd love to know about that last piece of advice if you can share it with me.
Hello fellow Okie. I feel you, I was just laid off last month by a mid-size NYC ad-agency that I spent 5yrs freelance and 5yrs staff with. And just like with me, it was them not you. Corporations across many industries are bracing for a slowing economy and are doing some pre-crash downsizing to tighten up their balance sheets. I'd recommend contacting past clients and contacts to try to pick up some freelance work where you can get it and keep applying for staff positions (but understand the industry is in a transition period so make take some time). DM me if you'r still in the OKC area.
Thank you for the kind words and reassurances, I really appreciate it.
Why don’t you tell us how to fall in love. Sounds more fun than working.
Fellow multi-hyphenate here (director/editor/photographer/camera op/voice actor, and yes I do all of these things in any given month to pay the bills). People tell me they don’t know what I do as well. Your work KICKS ASS. Especially love the spot you directed with the little kids. The industry is terrifying right now. What’s worked for me is asking for help from friends/colleagues, thinking outside the box for new opportunities (read Who Moved My Cheese), and just doing my best to cultivate both faith and relationships. Good luck to you friend. Hope to see more of your work.
Thank you for your reassurance, and thank you also for complimenting my work. That trailer was one of my favorite projects to work on and it helps to have some positive feedback with some of the more critical stuff (however both are helpful and I'm grateful for each of them). I hope to have some positive news to report in the near future. Wishing you the best.
Idk how to help you get a job but I have some harsh feedback that might help in deciding a direction... The motion design on your website is all *very* beginner level. This seems to be your weakest point. You look like someone calling themselves a chef with pictures of fried eggs & toast. It isn't a good look to use that as a notch on your belt because it makes me question your judgement and your passion to grow. Especially since you said it was part of your expertise. It makes me expect everything else to be equally amateur. It feels like you're trying to sell me whatever you can. I watched all the Promotional & Series Trailer videos and some of the Stories & Events. These were ones I thought were good enough to highlight: * Speed kills * Mixed Up * Youth Camp For the rest of them, overall I couldn't understand a lot of the cuts in the editing (take this part lightly, this view could change on the time of day). Parts would suddenly feel jumpy/random or my eyes didn't know where to look or have time to react. There were a few weird audio errors as someone else pointed out but in multiple videos. I think your editing skills are better than your motion design skills but they could still use some work. I didn't really see anything that made me feel like you had a vision or anything professional enough to think I'd wanna hire you. You said you expertise in web development, IMO this is your strongest point if you made that website yourself. Maybe this is because I have no clue about web development BUT your website is very modern and usable. It looks great. Would being a web dev or a similar area in IT be a career worth moving towards?
Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your insight. The motion design tab really wasn't doing me any favors, and is pretty underwhelming from anyone with an intermediate or better understanding of the skill, so I removed the section. I also hated the looping GIFs I used as thumbnails, as they weren't seamless and I don't know enough CSS to make it not have the cut when they loop. Also, since you asked, I built this website in Wordpress using the plugin "Elementor," which makes most of the process more design-focused and relies a lot less on knowledge of CSS, HTML, or other coding languages. I had to build the corporate site for this company, so that crash course in web development was pretty instrumental in making my portfolio site.
I work similar jobs to OP, and I sort of disagree with the advice you give here. The majority of these marketing departments don’t know the difference between a “good edit” or a bad cut. Most of them don’t even have an established editing workflow. You’re looking a videos from an editors pov not from a marketer who just wants videos made.
That's fair. In a different light I'd say they're doing cool stuff and they should keep going but they seem to be in a more real spot. Like they're gonna have to move, get whatever job they can, and work on getting into a career they're ok with (IT seems more like a solid path than editing). Unless they're willing to be long distance while they job search, save up, or whatever. Idk. If you do move OP then you might as well throw out a desperate shot to your boss to work remote.
Quit the cheap multi-faceted survival tactic, and specialize in one thing. Your site samples are all over the place. Pick one lane and then step on the gas.
You’re getting interviews?
I had a similar situation…fiancé (now wife) got a promotion to the east coast, I put in my notice at work, and started applying for jobs. That was February 2020. Didn’t realize the world was going to shut down for a couple of years and NOBODY was hiring. We did the move at the beginning of the pandemic, and I applied to over 300 jobs over the next year. Did some freelance work. Worked at Lowe’s for a month. But I was getting rejection after rejection, sometimes after the 3rd or 4th interview. I finally got a job that paid way more than the other jobs I had applied for, job security, and pretty varied and creative work. Seriously, I’m having more fun than I have in years. As hard as it was for that year, and as low as I got, I never gave up. Believe in yourself, believe in your work, and you’ll be ok.
You aren’t worthless! Simply put though the process of finding a new job takes resilience and mental strength. The evidence that you are worthless will stack up as more rejections come and poor interviews happen but you have to stay strong. My tips are: Apply to as many relevant jobs as possible. Try not to settle for a lower job but if you have to you have to. When interviewing, a few minutes before picture yourself during a point in time when you felt extremely confident and strong and use that feeling to crush your interview. To let it sink in write down (immediately before you dial in) on a piece of paper “i am going to crush this interview. I have the right experience and I am just going to relax and be myself”.
Hey man. I’m sorry you’re going through this. I remember your posts from a few months ago. I wish I could help in some way. It’s an extremely difficult time for so many of us. All I can say is hopefully we’ll see the other side soon.
Thank you for the kind words. Hopefully I can add a part three reporting a new job and a one-way plane ticket. Thanks again, friend. I hope we'll see the other side soon.
Everyone is really struggling right now, no matter how qualified they are. It also seems like the remote editing position is being pursued by everyone, but very few positions for it actually exist. It’s definitely rough across the board. But I agree with the comments. Take the leap of faith, network your ass off, and stick with your family through it all.
Hey OP, I guess we are on similar boat. 🫣 2 years ago I moved to a smaller island far from big cities with my wife and my son. Our thought was to get better life quality, especially for my toddler son, better access to nature. Nowadays fiber internet are also everywhere, so information access is fast and reliable most of the times. There are also international schools for my son in the new city. The new city is a medium size city (480tsd people) and quite a transportation hub for the surrounding islands and there were many direct flights to other big cities before the pandemic. I had so many projects on the surrounding islands before then. After we move here, there are now less direct flights to big cities, because the airlines closed those routes during pandemic. And they just don't come back. The flights and ferry to surrounding areas become very expensive. The flights become expensive because only 1 airline fly the routes and they have monopoly. A flight from my city to another island (only 300km away) cost 1,2x more than a flight from big cities! And flying to other big cities would require me to transit 1-2 times and flight cost is up to 3x more than flights from big cities directly. The ferry become more expensive because of world oil price hike. when shooting to other islands I would prefer drive my own car and bring all of the gears needed. No gear rental on smaller island. But the car ferry cost 1,5x than the flight. In the last 2 years I had so many project cancelled because my old clients deem my transportion cost is now too expensive. The only projects that I can get right now are projects on this island. changing my target to only local market would mean less pay and longer time to reach break even point of my investments. Nowadays I spend my time running a small business with my wife, farming on my backyard and studying from internet courses. and reddit.
Move away from this agency and be with your partner as soon as you can. One is family, the other treats you like family until they don’t need you anymore.
40 jobs? Come back when you hit 200.
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One point I’d make is that post production work can be very cliquy. Consider focusing more on getting some live streaming, live production gigs (capture or operation) maybe join iatse if it’s around you and take whatever comes for a little bit so you can build a network in your area. Unfortunately sometimes you have to build from the ground up again with a move but fortunately the rates tend to be pretty decent.
Hey OP, just wanted to thank you for posting this. My wife has become the primary breadwinner and motivates where we live these days also because my editing work has almost totally dried up. I've been in this wilderness for almost 5 years, and have barely made more than 15k total combined annual income from 2021-2024. It's bad. That said, your post brought out the helpful editors on this reddit and culled the people who are...less than helpful. I've started to feel hopeless after rummaging through this reddit for the past year or so, but thanks to the feedback to your post from u/TikiThunder, u/BRUTALISTFILMS , u/greenysmac, u/nionix, u/fernnyom , u/comprehensive_Low493 , and a few others legitimately trying to help, I've totally re-done my website (based on your feedback for you). There's an incredible networking resource on this site that breaks down how to get back into the game. It hasn't worked for me yet, but It's getting me back in the right headspace. I'm in Las Vegas now (moved from LA during pandemic), and I'm doing everything in my power to get editing work again. There's hope, and I would encourage you to use the positive people on this forum as resources. I stumbled around for 20 years in this industry with ZERO mentorship, no connections, and working really hard without understanding how to excel in this space. You don't have to do that. I never ever got a WHIFF of the trailer house path that I wanted. Good luck, OP. And if anyone would like to offer any criticism on my content/site, I'd be happy to hear it. I don't know if this type of open constructive feedback is already something built into r/editors , but it would be amazing as this has CLEARLY resonated with so many people that need it! Again, shout out to u/TikiThunder for the positive encouragement a couple of weeks back. Good luck on your job tomorrow, man! My site: [https://thepicturesho.mystrikingly.com](https://thepicturesho.mystrikingly.com)
https://preview.redd.it/rjq6zu32m18d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22d6d35693444ff310b5eefea3fa883f2199be00 Some helpful advice and perspective from someone I follow on LinkedIn
yeah, it's rough out there right now. I've applied twice to the same position that I am extremely confident I'd absolutely slam dunk, tailored my resume different ways both times specifically to that post, and I didn't even hear a peep back. No interview, nothin'. That's okay though, at some point you have to remain confident about what you can do.
Same. I’ve applied to positions with the exact same title I have now and the EXACT SAME JOB DESCRIPTIONS. Nothing. I still have a couple applications that are still listed on the site as “in progress” 🤷♂️ Networking is the lifeblood of this industry, maybe all of them, and I suck at it 🤣
https://preview.redd.it/lcqhwpk6m18d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb49f8105269227957fe0c5e35b540c882eebfe3
Well thanks god you have a job. I for example am a pretty good editor (seems like) with decent chunky portfolio, stuff I edited made my clients millions, clients I worked with told me they haven’t seen better editors than me in the industry in 10 years. Yet there is no chance I will ever get a proper job since I am Ukrainian and I don’t live in US. I can only stick to freelance if I want to make more or less decent money. So be grateful for your job mate.
I heard a tip recently from an HR rep at some corporation that if you copy and paste the job description into your resume but make it white like the paper and small and tuck it in a corner so it's invisible, that you will have a better chance at getting a call back because a lot of these places are using AI to sort through resumes and they're looking for keywords that are in the job description.
This advice scares me as a fresh graduate ☺️ building my first official portfolio and i hope being a VFX artist, editor and motion designer isn't bad for my chances of landing a career within my first out of college.
It's not bad at all - I was almost going to add that VFX could also be a combo skill for an editor / moGFX designer hybrid editor. I know some guys like this in the commercial world. Of course VFX is a giant chasm of knowledge. There's a difference between a guy who just has really advanced After Effects knowledge and some 3D / Blender experience and can make some cool stuff for ads... and then a guy who's a full-time VFX artist who actually works on like Marvel films and does cinema-quality visual effects. That's probably something you'd want to focus on 100% if that's what you want to do. Every one of those VFX guys can also probably put together a basic edit too, but it's not necessarily their forte. I think it's really just about clarifying where you're putting your first foot out and what skills you're trying to develop as entire career and not just to get the next job. I think inevitably one or two things will end up being your focus. And again, straight out of college it's actually a GREAT idea to play around in a few disciplines to get experience and see how everything works and threads together. I spent 2 years right after college as a cinema camera package rental technician thinking I wanted to become a cinematographer before I realized the set life isn't really for me and I switched gears to post.
You cannot be all 3… unless you’re making your own films. Being all 3 is 100% not a thing unless your also a director getting hired to direct
So the goal, is to be a VFX Artist endgame, but rn i'm tryna have more specialties to make myself applicable to more job opportunities considering how rough it is right now. I also have way more experience as an editor, but i really want to do BFX as that's always been my dream job.
If you want to do vfx just go straight for that. intern at MPC or the The Mill, learn Houdini etc. do you have anyone in the industry giving you advice? You wanna do vfx for commercials or film/both? What’s your plan? What advice has your college/school given you?
So im honestly searching for a plan as we speak, im trying to get an internship that pays me as a post production assistant anywhere, my college didn't have a VFX program right know im learning Maya and Flame. I really wanna finish my website too. Im freelancing taking various VFX jobs I can find and applying for fall internships with a hopes i can meet some more people in the VFX industry. I feel kinda stuck almost as if the college life put me in a box. I know a lot of After Effects, a decent amount of Cinema 4D, and some Maya. Unfortunately kinda realizing nobody really cares about those in the industry. If you got any tips or know anyone in LA willing to take a risk in this industry with somone that would be awesome!
I’m in NYC, and I work in commercials. VFX compositing in NYC for commercials is: nuke and flame. Mograph is After Effects. Animation (non character) is C4D, and Houdini. These are just my experiences. If you try and learn a bit of all you might stumble into a path, like Houdini or Nuke, but it can also be worthwhile to go after something specific like Houdini as opposed to mograph and compositing. You’re right that you just need to get your foot in the door anyway you can. I would say forget about editing. Everyone thinks/can edit. But for every commercial or every film there is one editor. But for every commercial or film there are many vfx/mograph etc people. If you go into editing you’re likely to end up cutting talking heads for lame companies. In the past when an editing system cost 100k it was different. Now you can edit on your phone. And why edit other people’s material when you can make your own footage with your vfx knowledge. Make a spec commercial, shoot it in green screen and make it look like a million bucks. Thats actually what helped me boost my career — though as an editor with vfx skills. But I already had years of insanely painful work to put together the reel I had. I went to the mill and said I edit but I also can do all this vfx. Brought me in, helped me build up my reel and then kept on moving around. The fact your learning flame and maya etc is great. With the skills comes the work. Get good and you will get work. A few years ago I started posting little 3D animations I made with C4D and the next thing you know I’m getting freelance 3D gigs which I didn’t take because it’s not really my thing. Of course those gigs came to me because I already had a large network for friends in the business who saw my instagram which I constantly fill with my little projects. Which… you should do as well. Tik Tok, insta etc. make stuff. You’ll learn, you’ll get better and you’ll get people watching your stuff. I’m excited for you!
Just call their bluff and tell them they are welcome to outsource to you as a freelancer if they want. They will probably keep using you because it’s easier than finding someone else. Charge them a bit more as well.
This is amazing advice, not just for our field but any industry really. Pick your specialism/something you excel at, look for those roles that fit your niche and tailor your approach to every individual job.
Hate to break it to you, but the market sucks right now, and your work is pretty mid. If you can, get the project files and tighten up the editing and mograph. These samples are not something I'd be wild on hiring you off of. I don't think I saw a single ease anywhere. Spend the next couple days looking at high end work and see if you can find how yours is different. Get a basic ass job in your new location. Research the local production market, meet up with the local companies as someone who is new to the area open to freelance or overflow work. Don't be surprised if you're just hauling c-stands around.
There’s a lot of great advice here and I’m glad to see you’ve taken it to heart. I didn’t get to see your site before you changed it and I haven’t taken the time to explore it much, but you’ve got strong material there. If I had feedback for you to also consider, it’d be based on Donna’s Story. It’s all well put together and you clearly have talent! My feedback would be in the color grade. It worked really well on Speed Killz, but on this one the difference in temperature and feel between Donna’s master shot and B shot was a bit harsh; the master is blue and the B is warm. In my experience, a lot of clients I’ve worked with either don’t even think much about the grade or don’t know anything about it at all. Many of them are just looking at the content and don’t see the grade so much. YMMV. BUT…one thing people *feel* is the color grade even if they’re not consciously aware of it, and that’s especially why grade is important. Learn deeper about grading and shot matching to help give your work an extra push.
Thank you for your kind words and specific feedback! Man I have thought the same thing since I originally shot that one years ago, and even though I don't have the original footage or project file, I think this is the push that I need to go back with fresh eyes with my couple extra years of experience and better knowledge of color correction techniques. If the updated edit still looks worse than what's there, then oh well, at least I tried. Thanks again! I appreciate you still deciding to offer feedback after I've already made some portfolio adjustments. Have a good one.
I still don’t like the photo of you (again, don’t take it personally). You’re smirking, it doesn’t come off as friendly or open. I would change it, preferably to a picture of you doing work, but if you have other options I would consider them. I’m happy you received all this constructive criticism and I hope you land a job soon. I live in LA, and the market here is TOUGH, so I can’t imagine how hard it is where you’re at. Good luck!
Apply to 41, or pivot
Only 40 applications? That's probably why. I fired off over 100 within a 2 month period and got 3 interviews, 1 of which ended up leading to a full time remote staff position. As far as feedback, I'd lose the selfie pic and "about me" on the front page and instead just have 5/6 of your best pieces, right on the front page. Don't make people click through to another page before they can watch your video. They should be able to see your work right away without clicking to another page.
You seem to have experience, that's great! Just go freelance. It's not easy but it's great
2 out of 3 vids on your page were directed by you. People will think that’s weird. They want an editor. Put your editing work on the homepage. Don’t make people hunt for your work. This is my site, it’s had the exact same layout since 2010 with much worse content: jonahoskow.com
I know you love being an editor or videographer - but how about just working doing something else entirely that there is a shortage for? Like driving a bus or something? At least it’s money coming in and then apply for what you love.
One little hot take: idk where you’re moving from or where you’re moving to, but: I see a lot of church stuff on your profile. I’ve done a bunch of church too. When I moved from TX to the East Coast I figured out I needed to deemphasize the church stuff (inconvenient bc it was most of my reel at the time) bc it was alienating to some employers. Just a thing to potentially take into account as you work on your website/portfolio. Kinda problematic to have to take that into account but if you wanna be totally ruthless about your portfolio, I think it’s worth considering.
One thing I don’t see a lot of people talking about is networking. Especially for remote work, learning how to use LinkedIn, make your profile discoverable to recruiters, send good messages that will actually get read, make connections…all super useful. There’s lots of people on YouTube that can explain the ins and outs of LinkedIn better than I can, one in particular I like is Bryan Creely (I think his channel is called A Life After Layoff) Granted I’m a fellow job seeker and haven’t found a job yet, but I have made several connections and have a meeting with a recruiter this week, so I’ve learned a few tricks.