Interview with Corey Weisz

My 2nd interview was with Corey Weisz. He has worked on some big projects like NASCAR commercials, Nurse Jackie opening and the Bride Wars opening, just to name a few. Corey was short on time so he asked if the interview could be done via email. Below are his answers.


1. Can you briefly define your job?

As a video editor at a design/production company, my main responsibility is editing spots that our in-house director shoots (recently that includes a bunch of spots for Cooking Channel and Dancing with the Stars) and also create spots from pre-existing footage (like our Nascar on Speed series of spots). In addition, my job often includes color correction, pieces for pitches, generating ideas for pitches, sound design, and preparing spots and elements for delivery (ie. checking video levels for legality, final quality check).

2. How did you get started in the business?

I started at a company called Imaginary Forces as an office production assistant, answering phones, running errands, assisting producers, and whatever else was needed. Then, I got an opportunity to assistant edit there and ultimately edit.

3. How do you tell someone over you, like your boss, that you can't accomplish an assigned task?

There's normally a discussion with producers when a schedule is set to make sure it is doable in that time frame with the resources involved. If any issues arise during the project, I will generally talk to the project's producer to make sure that everything is covered. Normally, if there's an issue, whether it's time-related or skill-related, it's best to address it as early as possible.

4. Do you have any advice for a media student starting out like myself?

My main advice would be to figure out what you want to do and focus on getting into a company that does what you want to do in any capacity possible, even if it's just a lowly PA position or intern. Just getting that foot in the door can give you an opportunity to show how hard you are willing to work and also to gain skills. However, it's also good to keep an open mind and get to know people in different roles to see if that's something you would be interested in.