Mar 1, 2026 I did go to another IAVA, at DGA Theater, my 18th, 16th live.

Nov 3, 2025 – I started at Key Code Media/Education doing their apprentice program, as an Assistant Project Engineer AV & Project Integration. That’s a full 7 months out of 12.

It’s been great up until last week, when I started helping with Project Management. I think I kind of hate Project Management.

But for the good side of things, I have learned a lot. Of the things I’ve learned, I think I like the Crestron programing the best. But things overall I like are: Audio (Dante), Networking (Netgear) and Programming (Crestron).

This last week, I went to the Golden Trailer Awards, my 4th. It was such a blast and really made me feel like I still want to edit trailers. I also recently joined a trailer editing community on Discord (Behind the Trailer). This week, I’ll attend Ping It On! (I think it’ll be my 3rd or 4th time to that one too.) And in July, is the Trailer Industry Social.

When I first heard about it, the first cohort was already going. I reached out to Otis to see if there was ANY way the classes could be taken as stand alone classes. They weren’t.

Now they have graduated and cohort two will start in 2026. I attended both the online and the live panels about this and will attend the last online session before submitting my application. After the in-person one at Otis, I was electrified. I couldn’t sleep until 3 AM, and that was even after driving over an hour home. I was SO impressed by the graduates and everyone I talked to really was supportive of me applying, including the one and only Dana Flowers, who gave me advice on applying and said just be “you”. And said she wanted to work with me in the future, AKA “I want to give you a hard time!”

I am still battling all the “you can’t do it” demons but I really feel the “you CAN do it” voices winning.

Doing this, I wondered, “What platform would I want my community to be on?” This made me think, “What was that one platform that I thought would be cool? Oh yeah, Patreon.”

Going there to look it over, I found and was reminded that I am a member of Sven Pape’s “This Guy Edits” community there and I used to pay monthly to be a part of it. (I am also one of his first students on his “The Go-To Editor” course. Six years ago this May 1st (May 1, 2019), I wrote Sven a lengthy email about how I thought the obstacles were quite insurmountable in trying to become an editor but that he’d “inspired me to be a go-to editor.” I will have to say that everything I wrote in the letter is still true for me today and in fact, besides a few cool points of progress, I’d say it’s even harder today, six years later. (I know I’m not the only one in this boat.)

I noticed, as part of his higher Patreon membership tier, one of the bonuses was a “CASEY NEISTAT BONUS STORY”. On a whim, I decided to search Google for it and found this one on YouTube: “CASEY NEISTAT UNMASKED: His Editing & Storytelling“.

On the side suggestions, I saw and went to: “How Casey Neistat Turns ANYTHING Into a Movie Idea“.

On the side suggestions for that one, I saw: “Casey Neistat Studio Tour!”

Which reminded me that I liked this video by Dan Mace: “How to Master the Art of Filmmaking”

Scrolling down to try to find my comment I left on that video, I was distracted by this video suggestion: Tom Cruise challenges his cocky rookies for 10 Minutes | Top Gun 2: Maverick Best Scenes because who can’t get enough of Eddie Hamilton, ACE BFE ‘s editing!

And it’s not even noon yet. I’m sure I’ll have more rabbit holes today….

PR101 Adobe Premiere Pro I, PR201 Adobe Premiere Pro II and ED201P Assistant Editor Essentials: Premiere Pro.

Hope I get to take those classes. I’ve taken the last one before but it was taught by a different person than I am hoping will teach this one. Hoping for John Knowles on this one.

Really want to tighten my PP skills, as I really feel there is a lot of opportunity out there with the program.

Started off with Russell Brunson talking about Story Selling, videos from his “free” lessons. Sprinkled in a bit of Tom Pardo’s Shambala The Hero’s Journey video from this Storytelling class. And adding in The Hero’s Two Journeys, Audible book recommended by Russell.

Realizing I need to “sell” on the counter-stories that people have come up with. AKA, people have come to Hollywood to make it. Some do, some don’t. The ones that don’t have run into obstacles and now need stories on how to defeat those dragons.

It was a chilly night in Burbank but Key Code keep us warm with Tacos, Street Dogs, Chips, Beans and Rice, Beer and Margaritas (and an assortment of non-alcoholic drinks).

Besides editors and AEs coming out, I also like that this event brings fellow ACSRs out and it always seems like at least one of them knows about some upcoming job somewhere. Which was just the case last night. So, luckily, I got a lead on a possible job.

Also, that day, I had someone reach out on LinkedIn about a possible support role. Today, I did talk to someone from MrBeast, so that makes three potential job contacts in two days. That’s the outer journey, eh? What about the inner journey. What am I actually struggling with these days? I am out of work. I am having problems at home. I am having struggles. I am massively in debt.

How was the presentation at Key Code? Here’s a link to the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdBnTqaD290

While technically true, let me explain.

March 20, I went to one of the last LACPUG meetings ever.

At the meeting, there were presentations by Toj Mora, a deaf editor and assistant editor; Philip Hodgetts, about captionAnimator; and the post on Beast Games.

On stage for the MrBeast presentation was Kara McCloud, Jeff Greenberg, Joshua Kulic and they also brought up one of the editors.

Beast Games Post Team

They were there on a recruit mission for more editors and assistant editors. Feastables with a QR code for setting up a Calendy meeting were given out at the break.

After the show, I did what I always do and that is go with the team to pizza afterwards. It was bittersweet as Philip and Greg are moving back to AUS and this was their last LACPUG meeting.

Since some of the MrBeast team was there, they were generous enough to pay the whole bill, which we normally split. And thus, MrBeast “bought me dinner”.

Yesterday, I got the opportunity to hang out with Bella Roberts and her brother Cam for a little bit in L.A. A couple other people (3) came by also and we just talked about living in California, different projects we’d been doing and just life in general.

It was really great to just chill out and make friends, be IRL and, for me, “act like humans” for a bit. By that, I mean isn’t that what we’re supposed to do, meet people and talk and exchange ideas? No agendas, just meeting new people and enjoying each others’ company.

It was really quite pleasant. We also got a sneak preview of the short film they’d been making and I must say, I’m really impressed with their skills as filmmakers.

They’re from England and are just visiting, which is a shame because I’d like to hang out more often. But I guess we have technology to help with that.

After that, I went and hung out with Joaquin Elizondo and some fellow Hollywood Editing Mentor peers at a “post-Eddies” meetup. This was very casual too. Just having a beer and talking about film and TV stuff. These folks, most are L.A. locals and a couple east coasters who come to town a couple times a year, it seems. At least I get to see them more often.

Traveling to and from LA, I listened to a couple podcasts and between those and the conversations I had, I came up with a theme for the day and that was, “Give yourself permission to just create”.

The commonality of both groups of meetup attendees and the podcasters I listened to was that we were all creators of some sort.

Heck even today, I re-listened to an interview of Bella from last year and when she was asked if she had any advice for up-and-coming creators, it was basically to just do it. Don’t wait for having the right tools, just go out and make ten videos. They’re gonna suck but just do them and learn. This is something that Chase Jarvis talks about all the time. “Go make crappy art”. The interview of his I listened to yesterday was with Amee Mcnee, called “Stop Waiting for Permission to Create”. It occurred to me that the thing in common with successful people is that they are doing it. Just doing it. They are out there doing it and talking about what they’ve done, not talking about what they “will do” or “might do”. They DO first.

Links:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stop-waiting-for-permission-to-create-heres-how-to-start/id1127915772?i=1000698892787

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/editing-obsessed-content-creator-bella-roberts/id1598151770?i=1000656916821

https://hollywoodeditingmentor.com/

Last night was the Eddies. I ended up not going so I caught the livestream of the ceremony and tried to look at as many social media posts from people that went as I could.

I had planned on catching the party or after-party but it turned out that I had to help construct a science Olympiad project for one of my kids who is doing that today. Overall, I’m glad I was there for my kid. In the end, that’s more important to me. It sure looked like a good time people were having though! Lol

Today, I am going to meetup with HEM friends at a post-Eddies meetup and before that with Bella Roberts of IG “Let’s get cracking” fame. She’s visiting America and specifically LA this week and I am such a fan of her work and journey, that I just have to meet her!

Today. I reached out to different friends and contacts.

Today, I worked on some other different tasks: editing some screen recording projects, posting on This Post Life. I did some laundry, I made and ate lunch and breakfast. I cleaned up a little. I took my son to school. But still haven’t finished my trailer project that is due in a couple days.

Maybe I need to review some trailer courses…

I’m procrastinating by having a lot of things to do.

Actually, I have a weakness, in using the program I have decided to edit it with. I realize I am not particularly strong in this NLE, so I start to do something, wonder how I do something basic and spend more time off trying to figure that out and then, oh yeah, some other stuff comes up. I’m finding it hard to “get into the zone” these days.

In looking at these jobs I applied for, a Community Engagement Specialist, an Assistant Editor position and a Technical Assistant. They are all things I do in my spare time, just for fun. Wouldn’t it be great to get paid to do them! I am looking at different positions because my direct path is no longer direct and really, kinda, not available anymore. This is a bad time for post.

Speaking of post, I have to go review those Post-Super classes I went through last month. I want to take the certification exams this month.

Today is much like any other day. I am just hoping that as I cycle through these days, that something will crystalize and come more into focus.