When I graduated with a degree in Animation in 2010, I knew that no matter what I did professionally, I wanted to tell stories. By chance I fell into the world of cinematic design in games, a field so niche that I imagine less than 200 people in the industry have held the title. In cinematics I found a space where my understanding of acting, editing, game design and cinematography came together to create wondrous moments for players.
Cinematic design took me from BioWare, to Trion, to Telltale Games. I grew as a designer and a writer, and even a director at Telltale for a short time. But cinematic jobs few and far between, and as I got older I was no longer willing to sacrifice my mental health for studios looking for “rockstars”. I sought a new path, especially one I could forge on my own.
I realized a few years ago that I was looking forward to watching trailers before movies. I love getting just a taste of a story that leaves me wondering what comes next. Trailers sometimes feel greater than the movies themselves, by leaving space for the audience’s imagination. This is where I realized that trailers are their own complete stories, driven by questions and possibilities.
So here I am, making the leap into the world of freelance game trailer editing. And I know even as my goals and responsibilities shift, I’m still telling stories.