We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Krushan Naik a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Krushan, thanks for joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I moved to the United States in 2019 to pursue my passion for film and television production by enrolling in an MFA in Film and Television Production at Loyola Marymount University. I specialized in Editing, a field that I found particularly fascinating and, with time, got good at. I was fortunate to work as a Teacher’s Assistant for post-production courses such as Editing, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging Technician (DIT). This experience gave me a deeper understanding of the creative and technical editing aspects and was the foundation for my professional editing journey. I learned more while teaching than just as a student.

During the same time, I also obtained my Specialist Certification for Avid Media Composer. This certification allowed me to gain a more in-depth knowledge of the various tools and techniques to shop my edits. The creative progress in my editing style developed over the past couple of years while working on different projects, and the technical knowledge came with repeatedly practicing the same technical skills. I became an Avid Certified Instructor (ACI), allowing me to share my knowledge and passion with others by teaching professionally. I worked as an Editing Instructor with the non-profit Ghetto Film School, conducting Avid Media Composer certification exams for their students. I also worked with Keycode Media Education, teaching at Morningside High, a public school in Inglewood and a part of Inglewood Unified School District. Teaching was an enriching experience, as I was able to help young minds develop their skills and discover their passion for post-production, which is something I wish I had access to as a kid.

In addition to teaching, I worked on various projects as an editor. I edited a wide range of projects, from documentaries to comedy, horror, drama, and more. Some notable projects include Anuja, a drama I am currently editing, produced in association with the Academy Award® winning media company Shine Global. Resurgence is an award-winning documentary that has garnered 14 wins and nominations so far and played over 25 film festivals, including Oscar®/Academy®, BAFTA, and Canadian Screen Qualifying festivals. Other titles include Unrest in Peace, an award-winning horror comedy that has been a part of eight film festivals so far, and Death & Taxes, an award-winning crime drama. I also worked as an editor on the musical Quarantween: The Musical, helmed by Emmy award-winning and Peabody finalist producer Carin Greenberg, and as an assistant editor for the 2021 Writer Guild Awards of America (East & West).

Krushan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a filmmaker, editor, and educator based in Los Angeles. I’ve taught film production and post-production and also consulted filmmakers on film festivals and marketing strategies. I come from a background in animation and visual effects, and I was the sole proprietor of an advertising agency in India called K.N. Kreative Studios for about eight years. During my time there, I worked with some of the biggest Bollywood celebrities and leading artists in the film and fashion industry. In a highly competitive and economically driven market, my agency specialized in producing, shooting, and editing high-quality marketing content with public-facing artists for local brands.

Because of my creative, management, and leadership abilities, I successfully transitioned to film and TV production in the United States. Since then, I have worked on numerous projects in various post-production roles. Over time, I have expanded my skill set from editing to creating post-production workflows and supervising the entire process from shoot to edit. I have experience creating workflows for various films captured on different professional and amateur film and digital camera systems, such as Arri, Red, Sony, Panasonic, Blackmagic, Canon, Apple, and more. This experience allows me to collaborate with Directors from the start and work with cinematographers to create a pipeline that generates a smoother workflow for every project, which helps to minimize technical issues that may arise later in the post-production process.

With independent projects, I often find myself wearing multiple hats, from being an offline editor to an online editor. I am well-versed in the latest film equipment. I have professional experience working with different camera systems and setting up workflows for non-linear editing software on Mac and Windows systems. My expertise encompasses managing and working with assets from diverse categories such as live-action, animation, VFX, graphics, color correction, and sound.

In addition to my post-production work, I have taught editing courses using Avid, Adobe, and Blackmagic applications. I am a certified instructor and specialist in Avid Media Composer. I have also expanded my skills in the American music industry by shooting and editing short-form content for public-facing artists with quick turnarounds, including behind-the-scenes footage, social media content, interviews, mini-documentaries, sizzle reels, live shows, and video songs. My technical abilities extend to ingesting and transcoding video assets to maintain proper formats, resolution, and frame rate, project setup, media/metadata management, motion graphics, multi-cam workflow setup, animation, VFX, motion graphics, color correction, online editing, and staying up to date with current codecs.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I have had the opportunity to be a screener/evaluator for the Big Apple Film Festival in New York, Head of Programming for the Utah Film Festival, and a judge for Lunenburg Doc Fest (Canadian Screen-Qualifying film festival), Richmond, and Mane Entertainment. This experience has helped me develop a keen eye for detail by watching many films and constantly learning about new styles. It has helped me expand my horizon as an editor, and I implement what I’ve learned through my experience into the movies I edit. Moreover, I have also been a judge at various film festivals, which helps bring perspective to my work and conversations with directors while in the edit. Being an active participant in the film festival circuit has allowed me to engage with other professionals in the industry, share ideas and insights, and learn about new techniques and approaches. While editing films, I often have conversations with directors about festival strategies and how to approach each movie, which has been very helpful to them, and that is something unique to me. Additionally, attending as many festivals as possible and staying connected with the people I meet there has helped me grow my clientele and expand my industry network. Besides film festivals, I regularly attend social events introducing me to new people. So, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that when people collaborate with me, they get more than they bargained for and help expand my clientele.

I also feel fortunate to have had the privilege of teaching, which has helped me develop my communication and mentoring skills. They have also allowed me to give back to the community by helping to develop the next generation of editors. Working with underrepresented students has been extremely rewarding and fulfilling.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As a teacher, one of the greatest joys in my life is seeing my students learn and grow. Nothing is more fulfilling than watching them absorb the knowledge and skills I have worked to impart. It is incredible to see their progress over time and to know that I have played a role in helping them reach their goals. As an editor, I enjoy the freedom to exercise my creativity and help directors bring their cinematic vision to life. It can be a thrilling experience when a director approaches me with a script, and I get to use my skills to present them with different variations of their film. My expertise in editing comes into play as I work to shape the film into its best possible version. The editing process is collaborative, and I love working closely with directors to help them achieve their goals. There is something extraordinary about watching a film come together, especially when the final product is slightly different from what was originally envisioned in the script. This is particularly true when working on documentaries, where the story evolves and changes throughout the editing process. Overall, whether I am teaching my students or working as an editor, it is incredibly rewarding to be able to help others achieve their goals and bring their creative visions to life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.krushanaik.film
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krushanaik/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/krushanaik7/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krushanaik/

Image Credits
I have the right to use the images.