Where are you currently employed?

Disney Television Animation.

Current projects?

“Big City Greens,” an animated TV series on Disney+.

Describe your job.

I am the post-editor, credited as editor.

I deal with the episodes once the animation is returned from the animation studio. For those who are unfamiliar, animation starts with storyboarding, which is kind of like a comic-book representation of the story, with black-and-white line art. This is pitched, approved, and then sent to the animatic editor, who creates the episode with the storyboards assembled as scripted, together with dialogue, sound effects, and music. This is used as a guide for the animation. When the fully animated footage comes to me, I adjust the pacing and cut it down to the show’s delivery running time. During this process, I also fix any animation, call retakes, and do normal post duties like ADR and prepping for mix.

How did you first become interested in this line of work?

When I was young, I would draw and shoot animation in the style of “South Park” with my parents’ Super 8 camera. It was basically stop-motion animation with construction-paper cutouts of the characters. It was very crude, but I really enjoyed doing it.

Who gave you your first break?

My first break came with my first industry job. I was a runner at a trailer company. At that time, I was going to film school and told them I was interested in editing. They encouraged me to learn the process, and eventually, I was doing small jobs to help the assistant editors. I later became in charge of the dub room, and that led to an assistant editor position.

What was your first union job?

I was an assistant editor at Disney Toons on “Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time.” It was supposed to be just a three-month job, but that expanded to other projects, and I’m still at Disney 20 years later.

What credits or projects are you proudest of, and why?

I worked on the pilot of “Gravity Falls.” It was such a fun and different project. When it was picked up, I was the lead editor, and it became a hit. I am really proud to be a part of it.

What was the biggest challenge in your job (or on a particular project) and how did you overcome/solve it?

My biggest challenge was also “Gravity Falls.” The show went through the creative process from start to finish, all the way up to airing. Dialogue rewrites during post and even throughout mixing were common. Since we were in animation, fixes to the changing dialogue weren’t a problem, but it created a navigation challenge. New dialogue had to be recorded from the actors, retakes were needed, and sometimes even new animation was required. Eventually, it all got into a rhythm, and I figured out a workflow that was flexible enough for the changing situations.

What was the most fun you’ve had at work?

My time on “Tangled,” the TV series. It was a very collaborative show. As the animatic editor, I was responsible for assembling the storyboards and timing out the episode with the dialogue, music, and sound effects. I would often record scratch dialogue for any missing production lines. There were a couple of instances where I covered several characters and basically was talking to myself in the scene. Sometimes the director would voice a character, and we would ad-lib the scene and have fun with it.

The best memory was working on the “Tangled” version of a Halloween episode. Horror is my favorite genre, and I was told to go for it. I fondly look back on how I put together a princess cartoon with temp music from “Evil Dead.”

Jobwise, what do you hope to be doing five years from now?

I like what I do. I would hope to be on an animated TV series or movie.

What are your outside activities, hobbies, passions?

I’ve been a member of the Pasadena Chorale for over 15 years. They’re a local choir that performs about five concerts per season. Last season was rough for us because our rehearsal space burned down in the Altadena fires. Several choir members were also affected. The choir has a huge sense of community, and I feel like I have 90-plus friends in the organization.

We performed “A Sea Symphony” by Ralph Vaughan Williams on May 13 at the First United Methodist Church of Pasadena.

Favorite movie(s)? Why?

I like movies in general, but I have to say “Star Wars.” I think, like so many, this is why I do what I do. The second I saw “Star Wars,” I knew what my path was going to be. Other than that, I tend to gravitate toward horror movies. The one I’ve seen the most is “Poltergeist.” I was always a fan.

Favorite TV program(s)? Why?

“30 Rock.” It’s genius to me. Fast-paced with multiple jokes back to back. Every line of dialogue seems so well thought out. I also love how they throw in cutaway scenes to nail down the joke. I think I’ve done four tours with that series.

Do you have an industry mentor?

I never had a flat-out mentor, but many people have encouraged me over the years. When I first started at the trailer company, the lead editor liked that I was inspired to become an editor and would give me small tasks so that I could get some time on the KEM [flatbed editing machine]. The tasks grew, and eventually I became his assistant at another company.

I was also encouraged by almost every editor I worked with on commercials. As I was developing sound design skills, the editors would ask me to do sound effects for their projects. A few even had me do a rough assembly of the commercial from the dailies. This was particularly great for me because many of the commercials were shot from a concept. This meant there wasn’t a script, so the body of the commercial was left to interpretation. That really developed my editing skills, especially when working on a montage to music. This led to director reels and small presentations, and ultimately to me being recommended for a package of commercials for Major League Baseball. After that, I was a full-fledged editor and built up my reel.

What advice would you offer to someone interested in pursuing your line of work?

Have persistence. Everyone has a different story on how they got into animation. Use your strengths to find a way in.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your fellow Guild members, some words of encouragement?

When I first joined the Guild, opportunities in the commercial field opened up for me. Since the Guild didn’t cover commercials, I didn’t have much interaction. When I started working on union projects, it was animation. At first, I felt like I was on the outskirts of the union’s umbrella, but that changed. The Guild has really made its presence known to me. I’m encouraged to reach out, ask questions, and not feel alone.

My encouragement to fellow Guild members is to do your job and love your job. Don’t let situations at work get in the way of that. If you feel like something at work isn’t right or unfair, reach out to your steward or field representative. They are there for you and will help in any way they can.