PASSAGES
 Maggie Ostroff Assistant Editor January 17, 1935 – February 4, 2008 |
Maggie Ostroff
Assistant Editor
January 17, 1935 – February 4, 2008
Guild members lost a true friend on February 4, when assistant editor Maggie Ostroff passed away after a long but well-fought illness. She kept her health issues private and didn’t let them interfere with the joy she had for living and her devotion to her family, friends and professional organizations. She couldn’t help but to put a smile or a giggle in anyone’s day, especially those who worked with her.
A member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild for 26 years, Ostroff served on the Board of Directors for over a decade and worked on the Editors Guild Magazine’s Editorial Policy Committee and the Finance Committee. For many years, she rallied members to join her in representing the Guild in the annual Los Angeles AIDS Walk.
Maggie is an inspiration to anyone who has a dream; her life reminds us that it is never too late to pursue what you really want to do for a living. Born in Indiana in 1935, Ostroff attended Northwestern University, where she studied TV and film. After graduation, she married TV writer Howard Ostroff and raised her family while working in non-film-related jobs. In 1982, at 48 years old, she had the courage to follow her dream to work in the film industry.
First as an apprentice and then as an assistant editor, she worked in sound editorial for many years, and then moved over to picture editorial when electronic editing became the standard. In an interview taped for the Guild Archives last October, Maggie said that she loved feeling the film roll through her hand when she was winding down a roll and that even when she started out with her hand on the reel, it always seemed to work its way to touching the film. The thrill of working in the business never left her; she loved it, she said, because, “We make magic.”
Ostroff also served on the Motion Picture Sound Editors Board of Directors from 2002 to 2004. Several projects that she worked on as an Assistant Sound Editor, received the MPSE Golden Reel Award. Among her feature film credits are Enemy of the State, Armageddon, Speed 2: Cruise Control, The Rock, Broken Arrow, Crimson Tide, Hocus Pocus, Patriot Games, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, The Naked Gun 2 1¼2, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Proof of Life and Her Alibi.
Maggie was equally passionate about the American labor movement and was a staunch union supporter. She also was a familiar face at all Guild events from mixers to picket lines, phone banks to film screenings. In recent years, she noticed that many members were not aware of important information relating to insurance, pensions and the other union benefits, so she volunteered to write a column in the Editors Guild Magazine that would cover a particular topic each month. It was originally titled “Stuff You Ought to Know,” but the committee decided that a more suitable name was “Maggie’s Corner.”
Ostroff is survived by her sister Rosemary Trubitt, daughters Lauren Ostroff Holt and Dana Ostroff, son-in-law Ken Holt, beloved grandchildren Lily and George Holt, and mother-in-law Leba Ostroff Phillips.
She is remembered with love and affection by friends from her college days, travel buddies and countless Guild members who were touched by her kindness––especially a group of us who always received birthday phone calls and sat in the dark with Maggie at screenings listening for the crinkling sounds as she unwrapped her nips and chocolates.
Sharon Smith Holley
 J. Paul Huntsman, MPSE Sound Editor February 4, 1953 – February 21, 2008 |
J. Paul Huntsman, MPSE
Sound Editor
February 4, 1953 – February 21, 2008
He was either a fisherman who loved to tell stories, or a storyteller who loved to fish. However you thought of him, Paul Huntsman was a passionate man with a compassionate soul. He recently passed away peacefully at his home, two years after he was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer.
Huntsman was born and raised in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He graduated with a degree in film from the University of Utah and then spent two years with the Peace Corps in Morocco. He began his film career in Utah at Schick Sunn Classic. After moving to Southern California, he began working with producer-director Michael Mann, eventually becoming an associate producer on the television series Crime Story.
During his career, Huntsman worked on over 60 feature films as a sound editor or supervising sound editor. Some of his favorites included Personal Best, Scent of a Woman, The Firm, Blue Chips and The Thin Red Line. He received a BAFTA award in 1991 for his work on The Fabulous Baker Boys and an Emmy nomination in 1997 for Don King: Only in America. But the film Havana brought him the most joy. It was on that picture that he met his future wife Jessica Gallavan (a fellow sound editor).
Paul spent ten years working at Todd A-O Studios before moving on to Warner Bros. Studios in 1996, where he helped the feature sound editing department transition to digital workstations. It was while working on another favorite film, The Illusionist, that he became aware of the illness that would later claim his life.
He may have worked in “Hollywood,” but for Paul, it was never about being in the bright lights. People were his number one concern, and he was a champion of the workforce. As a supervising sound editor, looking out for his crew was as important to him as the work they produced.
While working with established directors such as Mann, William Freidkin and Terrence Malick, he disregarded any perceived hierarchy in the workplace and embraced young filmmakers and workers alike, helping to open doors for them and guiding them through the post-production process. He was a mentor to many and a guardian to all.
A born statesman, Huntsman served 11 years on the Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. He was also a longtime member of both the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where he spent his last six years as a Governor for the Sound branch of the Academy’s board.
A deep-thinking man, he was extremely articulate. His unique ability to turn a phrase, along with his disarming presence, allowed Paul to be diplomatically assertive. Well respected by all, he walked the political minefields of opposing factions, bringing people together to resolve issues.
Paul’s desire for fairness defined his efforts. He worked tirelessly to help bring Foley artists into the Editors Guild. He also led a successful campaign at the Academy to gain full stature for the Sound Editing Oscar (previously, the honor was an “occasional award”).
Even though Paul is no longer with us, we will all benefit from his time among us. He was our colleague and he was our friend. We will miss him. He is survived by his loving wife, Jessica, stepson Brendan Gallavan, parents Max and Hazel Huntsman, brother M. David (Angie) Huntsman, sister Beverly (Harland) Hendricks and many relatives.
A memorial was recently held in the Stephen J. Ross Theatre at Warner Bros., where approximately 400 of Paul’s family, friends and co-workers gathered to celebrate his life. It was hosted by Kim Waugh (Warners’ senior vice president of post-production services) and speakers included Huntsman’s brother David, his stepson Brendan, lifelong friend Doug Jorgenson and industry notables Chris Jenkins, Anna Behlmer, Carol Littleton, A.C.E., and Scott Millan, CAS. It was an evening filled with laughter and tears. Many stories were told, and Paul would have loved them all––especially the ones about fishing.
Gregg Rudloff
In Memoriam
William DeNicholas
Picture Editor
(December 15, 1923 – March 21, 2008)
49 years as a member
Kenneth C. Denisoff
Picture Editor
(August 16, 1937 – January 15, 2008)
30 years as a member
Carl H. Pingitore
Picture Editor
(January 11, 1925 – February 23, 2008)
55 years as a member
NOTICE
In order for Editors Guild members or retirees who have passed away
to be listed in Editors Guild Magazine’s “In Memoriam,”
the deceased’s family must notify the Guild of the death. Please
call Fred Arteaga at 323-876-4770, ext. 243 with information.
Also, if family members or friends would like to write an obituary for their loved ones in the “Passages” section of the magazine, please contact Tomm Carroll at 323-876-4770, ext. 222 for guidelines and due dates.