We recently connected with Chris Harvey and have shared our conversation below.

Chris, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Several years into my career, I had made the transition from assistant editor to editor, working on un-scripted projects (reality shows, docu-series for Animal Planet and Discovery Channel and the like). I considered myself strictly an editor at that point… but work dried up and I couldn’t find anything. One of my friends, a post supervisor, offered to bring me onto her current project as an assistant editor — I was reluctant but needed the work, so I accepted. On that particular job, one of the editors took a liking to me. He asked if I was interested in being an assistant editor on a scripted pilot he was about to do. Generally speaking, it would be a step backwards for me — I had been trying to further my career strictly as an editor and people tend to think of you only in terms of what position you had done for them.

But I had always wanted to get into scripted television. It’s a different world than un-scripted and for whatever reason, it’s hard to make the transition from one genre to the other. So I took the chance, rolling the dice that taking on another assistant editor position would lead me into a new and sought-after world where I could find more work that interested me.

It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Working as an assistant editor on that pilot introduced me to new people, one thing led to another: I got another job assisting on another pilot, jumped from that to assisting on a family sitcom, and it was there I got my first editing credit on a scripted series. I’ve been working in that field for over a decade now, and loving every minute.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a freelance film and television editor, and have been working professionally in that capacity for nearly twenty years. I’ve worked on a wide variety of projects for many companies and clients: interstitials, behind-the-scenes and short-form content, short films, independent feature films, un-scripted TV and comedies, etc; my clients and companies have ranged from one-person shops to giant conglomerates like Disney and Netflix. As of 2023, I’m editing a family comedy series for Disney Channel and Disney+.

In my early 20s, I knew I wanted to work in filmmaking, but wasn’t sure how exactly to get started. I had gotten a liberal arts degree in college, figuring it was broad-based enough to be widely applicable, but I didn’t have any direct connections to Hollywood. I was dabbling in related areas (starting to teach myself the basics of non-linear editing with Final Cut Pro) but was also trying to find any sort of film work that would pay. In retrospect, I wasted some time with some network marketing programs (trying to make some money quickly), but once I hit I was in my mid-twenties before I realized I wasn’t moving in the right direction, so I enrolled in the Academy of Art University in San Francisco — even then I still wasn’t sure what field I should focus on. I initially registered for their Computer Graphics program (since I had done an internship at Will Vinton Studios, an animation studio in Portland, Oregon, now known as Laika), but just before the semester started I switched to Film Production. I ended up dropping out of the program a couple of years later, but I was very fortunate to take a workshop with an instructor from the school called “How To Get a Job in Showbiz”, which was very pragmatic and results-focused and exactly what I needed to get me going. Through that, and my own various effects at networking, I slowly found work as a production assistant. My wife and I moved to Los Angeles, I kept working as a PA and then a post-production PA, and from there, landed a job at a production company where I worked my way up: from PA to post coordinator to assistant editor to editor.

Even then, my career was barely getting started. My first jobs were cutting interstitials — short pieces a few minutes long that fill the gaps between programming on cable channels. I also cut pitch reels for development producers, essentially short reels that sell the concept of a potential show to possible buyers. I learned a lot about multi-camera editing by cutting dog shows for Animal Planet; I learned a lot about documentary techniques by cutting an ongoing docu-crime series. Working on family shows has taught me a great deal about fast-pacing and comedy; working on independent features has taught me the importance of holding on a dramatic moment and letting the story dictate how fast the pace should go.

Once you get into this industry and start advancing your career, you realize very quickly that you never stop learning. One thing I always remind myself is, every job is a learning experience. Either you learn what NOT to do, or you learn new tips and tricks about how to become more efficient, faster, and broaden your knowledge. But above and beyond everything else, this is a people business. At my level of experience, all editors know the technical tools of the craft. But what matters more than technical prowess is whether people enjoy working with you. When I’m on a TV show, I’m often sharing my edit bay with directors or executive producers, and I make sure that the experience is pleasant for them. Editing is a very collaborative process, and being as flexible as you can to address their notes and concerns is very important. Even if I think a note won’t work, I’ll enthusiastically try it anyway — the effort is always appreciated and more often than not, my initial reaction was wrong (and it does work). I’m proud not only of the shows I’ve worked on but that people want to work with me again.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Art brings meaning and context to our lives, but it doesn’t have to be deep or philosophical to be a key component of society. A silly show that makes you laugh can help relieve any stress you’re dealing with and brings a little fun to your life. At the end of the day, artists are people, just like everyone else. We put all our energy into creating stories and art that (hopefully) speak to people and help provide meaning and entertainment in their lives… but we also need to make a living doing so. For a society to have a thriving creative ecosystem, artists need to be supported at every level: by local, state, and federal governments that provide funding for the arts, by foundations and non-profit organizations offering further support, and by people renting or buying creative art – whether it’s buying a ticket to a museum or theater or cinema, or purchasing a piece of art, by renting and buying movies, by subscribing to streaming services, and so forth. We all have budgets to work within but even modest support is invaluable. Supporting artists and creatives can be as simple as tweeting out how much you loved their book/movie/show/album/artwork.

Unfortunately there’s also a trend these days to demean art (and artists), whether intentionally or otherwise, by trashing people and the artistic process on social media, or by pushing AI art without realizing that by doing so, you’re marginalizing the very people you think you’re supporting. As in all aspects of life, it comes down to thoughtfulness and taking meaningful action.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, being an artist is deeply rewarding in three ways: the first is the act of creation, the struggle to make something meaningful from nothing. It’s enriching and satisfying to work for weeks, months, or even years on a project and then see it go out in the world. “I did that”, “I made that” is one of the fundamental thrills of my creative life. Secondly, collaborating with others is a huge plus. As an editor, for almost every project I work on, I’m helping someone else realize THEIR vision. My skills and creative thinking are in service to what they want, sometimes in unexpected ways. There’s an aspect of this where you have to put your ego aside and be willing to do what it takes to make their project THEIRS — but it’s also very satisfying when it’s finished and they’re happy with what we made together. Lastly, what’s incredibly rewarding is when other people see my work and appreciate it. We all make things to show others. I don’t think any art is really finished or complete until others get to experience it, and while it’s unbelievably nerve-wracking to screen a movie or show in public for the first time, it’s a unique and unforgettable experience, and a special thrill that I feel others who haven’t ever made things may not fully understand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chris-harvey.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisharvey712/
• Twitter: @christo_harvey
• Other: Mastodon: @[email protected]