I edited over $10M of TV commercials and learned this

Becoming a high-end video editor isn’t easy—I learned that the hard way. Over the years, I’ve cut more than $10 million worth of broadcast TV commercials, but it took me a long time (and a lot of mistakes) to figure out what really moves your career forward. To save you some of that pain, I put together 11 lessons I wish I had known sooner.

Here are the highlights:

• Editing is about emotion, not just technique. Early on, I obsessed over perfect cuts, but my work felt flat. The turning point came when I realized editing is about how a story makes people feel.

• Story is everything. One mentor gave me pages of notes—not on my cuts, but on my story structure. Once I fixed that, my work came alive.

• Your reel attracts what you show. Corporate videos in your reel will only get you more corporate gigs. Build a reel that shows the creative work you want to get hired for.

• Work for free—but strategically. A short film I edited for free went viral, sold to a studio, and gave me the reel piece that opened real doors.

• Balance execution with creativity. Clients want their vision executed, but they also hire you to elevate it. The sweet spot is delivering both.

• Be specific with your reel. If you’re bidding on a comedy VFX spot, show them your best comedy VFX work—nothing else.

• You’re stopping too soon. Even when I thought a cut was finished, a pro editor could spot dozens of ways to polish it. Feedback is essential.

• Know your blind spots. Just because you can edit doesn’t mean you can design graphics or pick fonts. Collaborating with specialists can level up your work.

• Take feedback like improv. Instead of resisting notes, embrace them with a “yes, and…” mindset. It keeps collaboration alive.

• Find a mentor. The fastest shortcut in this industry is to learn directly from someone working at the level you aspire to.

• Cut the bad stuff. Sometimes, the biggest improvements come not from adding, but from removing everything that drags the piece down.

At the end of the day, the real craft is creating edits that move people emotionally. That’s what separates high-end work from the rest.

Happy editing!

Austen is an ADDY award-winning film & commercial editor with over 20 years of experience. He has worked with global brands like Meta, KPMG, SAP, and Christianity Today. His PSA work has championed causes like school safety (with Matthew McConaughey), driving safety, and anti-tobacco. A thought leader in the editing field, his online lessons quickly amassed over 100K views after launch.