Talent Development

One of the questions most frequently asked by young people with aspirations in film and TV is: ‘How did you get your break in the industry?’ There’s a high probability that if you posed that same question to a hundred different people working in Post-Production today, that you’d get a hundred different and fascinating answers.  

It’s universally accepted that for every vacant position there will be a sea of applicants and that you’ll need a hatful of qualifications, a thick slice of luck and the hide of a rhino to get your toe anywhere near the door, let alone through it. Wondering how or where to start can feel like a daunting and overwhelming task, and one which could discourage some very fine applicants. So, at Sky Post-Production we seized the initiative and shaped our Edit Operations department in such a way that it not only serviced our internal requirements, but also provided a pathway into the industry for our Edit Trainees and Assistants. Not only that but at the same time we aimed to prioritise individual wellbeing and a positive work-life balance alongside continuous growth and development.  

The Editor Training Programme is one of many internal schemes available and these have been instrumental in producing the next generation of Sky Post Editors, User Support Specialists, Workflow Supervisors and Dubbing Mixers. No two journeys are the same but with clearly defined structures the road is that much smoother and the end goal becomes clearer. To give you an idea of what that looks like in reality, we spoke with our two most recent graduates, Angela Perez Sarasa and Emile Lewis, to find out more about their respective journeys into Editing. 

Congratulations on your promotion to Editor! How does it feel?

Angela - Thank you! It's great to finally reach this goal, as it took a lot of patience and hard work to make it here. I'm excited about being part of the editing team and looking forward to the new challenges ahead. 

Emile - It feels good to be finally doing Editing full time. The training programme has been a long on-off process, and I felt towards the end that I was more than ready for the permanent role. Mainly, I am pleased to be moving forward with my career.

When and how did you come to join Edit Operations?

Angela - I joined Sky in September 2018. Before that I had worked at The Farm Group, now Picture Shop, for two and a half years where I started as a Runner and followed their usual progression of Runner - Librarian - Edit Assistant. 

Emile - I joined Edit Operations when I first joined Sky in 2017. I had my own policy that if I ever saw a job advertised at Sky then I would go for it, no matter what I was doing at the time!  

What was your motivation at that time? Did you have a clear view of what you wanted to do or has that evolved?

Angela - I applied to Sky looking for new challenges and better working conditions as I felt stuck in my previous role. I don't think I had a clear view of what I wanted at the time, just an interest in TV Post-Production. I feel like the more things I have tried, the clearer my path has become. 

Emile - My primary motivation was the stability of working at Sky. I had come from the chaos and the churn of Soho, and I never wanted to go back to that. I had a vague idea that I wanted to be an Editor, but I still wasn't completely sure. I moved twice, first to Channel 4 and then to Sky, a more prestigious company with a better salary and a completely different working environment.   

Once you joined Edit Ops how did you progress? What did you learn along the way?

Angela - My main experience before Sky was ingesting media, so my first months in Edit Ops were all about learning all the other jobs. Less than a year after I started at Sky Post I was made a Senior Edit Assistant and given a dedicated role on A League of Their Own. I learnt to take responsibility for a project, deal with external clients and to become comfortable with all the other assistant duties. Establishing those relationships with the clients also led to my first Assistant Editor/ Junior Editor jobs in the project. Successfully completing those made my manager trust me enough to assign me to more complicated projects like dramas.   

Emile - With my background in Soho and at Channel 4, I quickly progressed to a senior position within the department. Most of the things you learn in this kind of role are technical skills specific to the role, the software we use, and the ways to troubleshoot when things don't go according to plan. 

How does the structure of Edit Ops lend itself toward progression? Do you feel as though it’s a role with an end goal in mind?

Angela - I always saw Edit Operations as a place to learn and to figure out what you want. The technical knowledge you get working there makes things much easier when you start to edit, and it also gives you an opportunity to try different things and work across a variety of projects while also having the support of a team in case you encounter any issues. It's a role with an end goal in mind but that goal doesn't necessarily have to look the same for everyone, so progression doesn't happen by just being in the department but by establishing your path and working towards your objective. 

Emile - Within Edit Ops there are two main levels of stratification. The Edit Assistants take on the day-to-day work supporting our client edits where they begin to be assigned to dedicated projects; the senior level Editor/Edit Assistants are mostly taking on dedicated projects with more advanced involvement such as scripted content, where the Editor requires a lot more hands-on assistance. This might also involve taking on smaller Edit jobs. In addition to this, time is also set aside for the Editor training programme.

Progression to the senior level within Edit Ops is how the department ensures people are moving along a structured track towards doing more advanced Assistant Editor work and then eventually getting the training required to progress into Editing proper.

When and how did you begin to make the move toward becoming a fully-fledged editor?

Angela - My progression and goals were always discussed during my yearly objectives. My first goal was to figure out what I wanted to do, and once I made my decision, I started discussing with my manager a way to make it happen.   

Emile - About two years ago I started formally training to become an Editor. There were two previous Edit Assistants who had gone through the process and been promoted ahead of me. The timescale was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but I would say it was on-and-off for about 2 years, doing a week or a month here and there. At first, I was supervised and mentored by another staff Editor to get up and running but once I became more competent and confident, I was left unsupervised. 

What did you do, and what did Edit Operations do, to help with your progression?

Angela – Firstly, I fully engaged with the Editor Training Program where I shadowed different editors at Sky for several weeks. I took this opportunity as well to ask questions and to learn everything I could to improve and to become an Editor. Once I felt comfortable with most of the duties, Naman Davda, Senior Manager of Edit Operations, gave me a secondment to cover another editor’s maternity leave, and that led to my current role. 

Emile - Whilst there was no guarantee that either of us would be promoted once the training had finished, Angela and I were given every opportunity to succeed. It was on us to make the most out of the opportunity and to prove that we could perform in the role. Naman is part of the initiative to make this training program a success and he’s just as motivated as anyone to get his Edit Assistants into training and then into Editing roles. 

What did you have to do to secure the role? An interview? A practical? An exam?

Angela - By the time the Editor roles arose I had been doing the job on and off for almost a year. It had been almost two years since I started training as an Editor, so even though I still had to apply with my CV and showreel, I believe that the work that I had been putting in over the years was what ultimately secured me the job. 

Emile - Angela and I were promoted together. During the course of the training program, I had been developing working relationships with the Staff Editors and the Editing Team Manager who ultimately made the decision to promote me. It was an organic process but still one that you have to consciously take part in to succeed in the program. 

Now that you are an Editor, what are your short and medium-term ambitions?

Angela - My current goal is to improve my editing skills as I believe there's still room for improvement. I’m also looking forward to gaining experience on different projects to figure out what kind of shows I enjoy working on the most. 

Emile - My short-term goal is to get as much experience in as many different types of edits as possible. At Sky there is a huge variety of projects from sport to entertainment so firstly I need to become comfortable with any potential work I might be assigned. In the medium to long-term, I want to progress to a higher level within the Editing Department. 

Do you have an ultimate goal?

Angela - I try to take things step by step, so right now my goal is just growing as an editor. I believe that whatever my ultimate goal ends up being, that will definitely be the first step to achieve it. 

Emile – I think a lot of people start out with a long-standing dream to become a certain type of editor, but I'm still navigating my way through and learning about what different possibilities there are. In five years, I might have a completely different perspective on editing and what I want to do in it. And then five years after that, it might change again!  

Our Edit Operations department in Post Production is our training ground for the future of our team. We sat down with some of the team to ask them "What's Your Why?", to understand their goals, and to find out more about their exciting career journeys to date.