We recently connected with April Merl and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, April thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

I’ve been freelancing since my first job out of college, so it’s been over two decades of life without a “regular” job. Sometimes the uncertainty of what’s going to be next is anxiety provoking, but ultimately, I can’t imagine another way to work. Some projects I work on are emotional stories that take months to create, like editing the feature documentary “Salt in My Soul,” which chronicled the life of Mallory Smith as she struggled with the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis. Some are lighter projects that take a few days to make, like when I produced a lo-fi version of a scene from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 for SYFY. It’s not always easy when you’re in the middle of pitches and hustling for the next project, but I feel very lucky to be able to explore so many different subjects and collaborate with so many other amazing artists everyday.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a professional editor and animator who has been working in the film and television industry for over 20 years. My work ranges from producing short social media assets through editing feature-length documentary films. I approach every project with a story first mindset – even 10 second marketing spots have to include some kind of arc or narrative logic that gets you from start to finish – and I love the collaborative process that is the root of all filmmaking. Documentaries I’ve edited have screened world-wide and I’ve worked on short form projects with SYFY, Warner Media, IllumiNative, New Jersey Council for the Humanities and many others. When I’m not working on client projects, I create gifs and animated shorts, including the award-winning short “Deep Field.”

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Right after college, my first job in the industry was in the production accounting office on an indie feature film – this is freelance work that lasts from pre-production through the shoot, and I did things like help with payroll and run checks back and forth from office to set. I was working in an industry I loved, enjoyed working with the people I got to work with, and kept getting hired for it. (And stuff like seeing Cyndi Lauper play an ancient piano while we were both waiting in holding by set was a highlight for sure.) Maybe five years pass, and I found myself moving up to the lead production accountant seat and working on television shows in this new genre called ‘reality television.’ And it was still exciting, but I was missing the creative work that had moved me to go to film school in the first place, and I was lamenting that maybe I should have spent all that money on business school instead. I started talking to some of the editors that were on the projects, asking them about the software and hardware they used. One of the editors had a project that he was doing after hours as a favor to someone and asked if I would be interested in helping him edit it. He couldn’t pay me, but he’d teach me how to use the Avid. And that’s where my pivot began. I’d forgotten how much I loved sitting with a bin of strands of 16mm film sitting next to me back in film school, painstakingly taping those clips together to tell a story. Back then it was difficult to learn digital editing – the Avid set up was very expensive, there was no iMovie or YouTube. Luckily the right opportunity appeared, and I jumped on it, not knowing where it would take me. It taught me a big lesson: stay curious, put yourself out there, ask questions – it might lead the people that you’ve reached out to back to you in ways you never expected.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

One big word: Connection. Whether it’s laughing together about a stick figure losing it’s head yet again, or crying together because we know what it’s like to go through the loss of a loved one, there is nothing more rewarding than having someone say “I’ve felt that before.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aprilmerl.net/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilmerl
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilmerl/
• Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/aprilmerl Newsletter: https://aprildeedee.ghost.io/

Image Credits
Salt in My Soul poster c/o Salt in My Soul LLC All other photos & Deep Field poster c/o April Merl