Meet the UK’s Emerging Editors Redefining the Modern Edit

Driven forward by a new wave of editing talent operating at the intersection of technical mastery and bold creative instinct, the UK’s post-production scene is quietly flourishing despite the peaks and troughs.

Editing is all about balancing the skill of storytelling; whether shaping comedy, crafting atmospheric tension, or building kinetic sound-and-VFX scenescapes, it’s the rising stars that are dictating the pace of today’s commercial and narrative ecosystem.

We speak to some of the emerging editors making a definitive impact on today's cuts to explore their origin stories, creative philosophies, and landmark projects.

Matt Gabzdyl, junior editor at Final Cut

I was always fascinated with storytelling and the technical side of filmmaking growing up so it was only natural that I'd gravitate towards the edit suite. After university, I joined Final Cut as a runner and started working my way up by throwing myself into projects and studying the timelines of all the editors I admired. All of this experience has given me a versatility to my editing, so whether it's comedic timing or fast-paced stylised edits, I feel I can bring something valuable to any given project.

Truman 'Converse Blues'

One of my defining projects so far was working on a music video/short film for artist Truman called ‘Converse Blues’. It was amazing to have a level of freedom from the music track where I could shift the artist's lines and create my own rhythm and pacing.
This year, I've been trying to lean more heavily into commercials working on projects for big brands like Samsung, Qatar Airways and Clif Energy Bar but also with a few music videos dotted along the way.

Michelle Koops, editor at OkayStudio

I didn't always know editing was the plan, but I knew it had to be something creative. I bounced between graphic design, animation, photography and film, before an internship at OkayStudio, where I fell in love with editing. Looking back it makes sense; I'd always been obsessed with music videos, teaching myself to edit on an open-source programme my dad showed me (shout out Kdenlive).

I've been lucky to work across commercials, music videos and short films. Spanning work for brands like Coca-Cola and Crocs and artists like Softplay and Dave. That mix has taught me more than sticking to one lane ever could: commercial work sharpens your pacing and music videos let you follow instinct over structure. I also always love to have a long form project on the side like short films and documentaries. A recent favourite was a short doc for an exhibition by Palestinian artist Mandy El-Sayegh, shot on film, 'Artist Portrait: Mandy El-Sayegh.'

James A. Demetriou, editor at Work Editorial

I came into editing in a very instinctive, self-taught way. I didn’t arrive through a perfectly mapped-out route — it was more obsession, curiosity and repetition. Editing became the place where all the things I loved collided: photography, music, performance, tension and atmosphere. I liked that it was invisible when it was working properly. You could make something funnier, colder, more dangerous, more tender, often by removing rather than adding. I’m proud of the prison feature, ‘Wasteman’. It was the kind of project that asks a lot from an editor: performance, tension, silence, violence, tenderness and restraint. The Weeknd’s ‘False Alarm’ and Leningrad’s ‘Kolshik’ are favourites for the opposite reason: they’re bold, kinetic, high-concept pieces with a lot of momentum. They remind me how fun editing can be when you’re allowed to push form and energy.

Leningrad's 'Kolshik'

Bruna Manfredi, editor at The Assembly Rooms

Editing came to me later in life. After graduating in architecture, I moved to London, where I realised that working as an architect wasn’t my calling. I took a few short courses, exploring different creative areas, before enrolling on a foundation course in art and design. It was there that I came into contact with moving image. Something immediately clicked. From that moment, I began to focus more and more on editing, the area of filmmaking that I enjoyed most. I went on to study film and TV, where I developed my understanding of storytelling and the craft of editing. After graduating, I started working at The Assembly Rooms as a runner. This gave me the opportunity to learn about many different formats and areas of moving image, while being surrounded by talented and supportive people. I’m incredibly grateful for all the support and knowledge that everyone has shared with me along the way.

I have a particular love for documentary and for telling stories about real people. So far, I’ve been focusing mainly on documentary and one of the projects I’ve particularly enjoyed being part of was 'If I Can Dream', directed by Luis Cross. Working on projects like this are why I love editing; finding the story in the material, shaping real experiences and creating something that an audience can connect with.

Rob McGuire, editor at Shift Post

Editing came onto my radar when I was about ten years old making LEGO man stop motion videos filmed on my grandma’s camcorder. Then later, in my teens, I was spending hours messing about on Premiere cutting skate films and promos of my mates gigs.

I started in the industry as a runner at Cut & Run before progressing to the role of edit assistant at a couple of Soho’s lead edit houses where I was lucky enough to learn from some of the industry’s leading editors. Since joining Shift a year ago, I’ve put all of that experience into developing my own style and now taking the next steps to join their roster as editor, which I cannot be more thankful for.

Editing is surprisingly social. Everyone thinks you’re just shut away in a room but it’s a very social thing and I have gotten to meet so many amazing people which is something I really enjoy, apart from the editing itself.

Some highlights of my career are definitely adidas x LFC ‘The Anfield Effect’ and also cutting the UK MVA’s opening montage last year and having the opportunity to work on promos for Doug Redden, Louis Bhose and Relta.

adidas x LFC ‘The Anfield Effect’

My favourite project to date has to be adidas x LFC ‘The Anfield Effect’, largely because it played so naturally to my strengths as an editor. The film relied heavily on a combination of pacey editing, sound design and VFX, everything I love working with. It also gave me the opportunity to work with Graiper, a director whose work and style I’ve admired for a long time, alongside the brilliant team at The Midnight Club.

Working on a job of that scale, for a major brand like adidas, and combining all the elements of editing I enjoy was incredibly special.

Joey Henshaw, editor at Trim Editing

For me, editing is a bit like playing a musical instrument. After putting in the years of practice learning the technical bits, the reward comes from finding your flow and reaching the stage where the hardest parts look effortless.

I’m drawn to work where musical or comedic timing and rhythm can completely dictate a cut and shape a story. Outside the edit suite, I’m the musical director of an improv comedy show, and the skillsets are surprisingly similar. Both are about instinct, listening, reacting and knowing how to lean into the fun. The joy comes from experimenting and playing around until you land on something that just feels right.

‘Sweet Boys Turned Sour’ for Bashy

I think the piece of work I’m most proud of has to be the  ‘Sweet Boys Turned Sour’ music video I cut for Bashy in 2024, where so much of the film was crafted in the edit.

We came up with a visual language where cutting between colour and black-and-white, plus using a range of animation styles, allowed us to build a whole new dimension of meaning on top of the shot footage.

Jack Cantrell, editor at The Quarry

I came up through production companies wearing many hats, directing, occasionally DP'ing, before settling into editing. Those years across departments shaped how I work, giving me an understanding story structure long before a timeline ever gets built.

Looking back the piece I'm proudest of is 'Originals United,' the Manchester United film we made with Barry Keoghan in 2024. It was a turning point and the first time I'd seen a piece of my work land culturally, beyond the industry, into something people were talking about.

'Levels' campaign for TNT Sports

More recently, it's the 'Levels' campaign for TNT Sports. Almost every scene carried VFX, which made it a genuinely new technical world, cutting for shots that weren't finished yet, working closely with the compositing pipeline, rethinking pacing around effects still being locked in.

The part of the craft I love the most is the point where editing stops being assembly and becomes architecture.