Aftershock Digital

When the guy jumps off the cliff, there’s no story to be told without the film and video editor, and no one will know whether he lives another day. Without the editor the Superbowl is just a football game without commercials. Without the editor, Julia Stiles can’t dance. That is my job, to tell the stories, to make them better, and to help companies and non-profits grow. My story: after graduating from college, and spending two years in NYC as a Media Planner at top advertising agencies, Grey and Ogilvy & Mather, I studied filmmaking at the New School, and began making short films. One of these, a 5-minute music video set to a piece of music by Schubert, was of a young boy who becomes perilously lost in New York City at night. I dedicated almost a year of nights and weekends to capture the surreal and haunting story. That award-winning film helped me learn just about every lesson I have ever needed to know in post. Heading West, I cut trailers for the networks and the studios and was encouraged to start my own business. I built a company from the ground up that was designed to enhance the client’s creative experience. I put computers on weathered old doors and garbage cans. I collected discarded artifacts near the Salton Sea and mounted them on the walls. With all the trappings in place, I only needed a “name.” A week later, the Northridge Quake ripped across the southland and Aftershock Digital was born. I cut for anybody who needed me, and with a little good fortune, within a month was cutting for Sam Raimi and Ridley Scott. Word got out which helped me attract some gifted directors who may have cocked an eye at the furnishings, but poured on the work. Over the years, Aftershock has won more than 50 awards in every category of post—winning Effies, Tellies, and Promax awards. LinkedIn, has become a valuable tool in my creative arsenal. It is indispensable to my work. Now I can reach out, to people I respect, and become a support to their causes.