11 Professional Video Editing Lessons From 500 TV Commercials

What do professional video editors learn after editing $10M of TV commercials?

Focus on emotion over technical perfection, get the story structure right, and build specific showreels that demonstrate exactly what clients want to hire you for.

Most video editors spend years perfecting technical skills but miss what actually lands high-end jobs. After editing over $10 million worth of broadcast TV commercials, here are 11 lessons that separate professional editors from everyone else.

Focus on emotion, not just technical skill

I spent four years editing non-stop and couldn't land a single gig. I'd been focusing on the technical side, learning my software, perfecting individual edits, but overall my work was flat and not getting me anywhere.

Then my first mentor showed me that editing is all about emotion. That changed everything for me. That's what launched my 20-year career into high-end commercials.

If your edits don't make people feel what you intend them to feel, clients will not care how technically perfect your cuts are. Professional editors understand that every cut serves an emotional purpose — the technical execution is just the tool to get there.

Get the story right first

Early on, I asked my mentor for notes on a short film. I was expecting feedback on individual edits or maybe some sound design here and there. Instead, he gave me literally pages of notes all on the story.

My inciting incident was too late. Act two didn't have enough rising action. The big gloom at the end of act two was in the wrong spot. I was frustrated because I was expecting only a few notes, yet I had all this work to do.

Over several revisions I pushed through, and by the end of that process I watched the film and it popped. It made it 10 times better.

Everything else comes after story. You can have perfect cuts and flawless color, but if the story structure doesn't work, the edit fails.

Build a showreel that shows creative work

There was a time early in my career where I was editing tons of soul-crushing corporate videos. Maybe you can relate. And guess what that showreel of corporate videos got me? It got me more corporate videos to edit.

It wasn't until I built a reel that showed my creativity that I could land high-end, creatively fulfilling projects. Because high-end projects pay you for your creativity. Low-end projects pay you as a technician.

Your editing showreel determines the type of work you'll get hired for. If you want creative projects, show creative work — even if you have to create spec pieces to build that reel.

Work for free strategically

I worked for free on a short film that ended up going viral and was purchased by Fox Studios and turned into a big Hollywood movie. Suddenly, I had a creative reel piece that opened doors to high-end jobs.

As an added bonus, when the film sold, I got a bigger paycheck than I ever would have if I had charged to edit it in the first place.

Working for free strategically can pay off huge, but pick the projects that actually push your reel forward creatively. Don't work for free on more of the same type of work you already have.

Want to learn the exact criteria professional editors use to evaluate every project? Download the free guide that reveals how broadcast editors think about crafting emotionally-impactful edits.

Balance following direction with creative input

When I started editing, I'd ignore the script and push my own ideas. It was really frustrating to my collaborators. Then I realized their frustration, so I swung the other way and said, "I'm just going to cut the script."

Until one day, a creative director at an ad agency told me they were disappointed because I wasn't adding any new ideas.

Here's the key: You've got to do both. You have to deliver what the client expects while also giving ideas that elevate the work. I think this may be the single most difficult task when editing for clients.

We all lean one way — we're either a rule follower or we're super creative. But high-end editing requires both.

Make your showreel specific to each job

Let's say I was going to bid on a comedic VFX-heavy commercial. Early on in my career, I might send a mix of my work: short films, commercials, documentaries, whatever was on my site. Let's just say I didn't close many jobs.

Later, I learned I should only send commercials for a commercial bid. I started landing a few more jobs.

Now, today, what do you think I'd send for a comedic VFX-heavy commercial bid? I'm going to send them my best comedic VFX-heavy commercials. And bonus if it's in the same industry. If it's a pharma job, then I'm going to put the pharma one at the front.

Your showreel has to be specific. Clients hire people who've already done exactly what they want.

You're stopping too soon

Early in my career, I once sent an edit I thought was finished to my mentor. He was a seasoned pro editor. I thought this was buttoned up, ready to deliver. I really just wanted him to say how awesome it was.

He did not give me zero notes like I was expecting. He gave me 32 notes.

If you think you're done, there are probably 32 things you could improve. And the only way to know is to get feedback from somebody who's already at the level you want to be.

You are stopping too soon. Only feedback from a pro will show you the polish you're missing.

Recognize your blind spots and collaborate

When you're starting out, you do everything because we all do. You're editing, but you're also responsible for sound and color and graphics.

Here's the problem: Just because you're a good editor doesn't mean you can color grade or design a graphic. In fact, most editors I know cannot pick a font to save their lives, myself included. And that could very well be ruining your work.

Imagine you send off this great edit to a potential client and it ends with an art card filled with Comic Sans. I know that's an extreme example, but that may be what you're doing.

If you're out there thinking, "Oh, this isn't me. I'm pretty good at picking fonts and designing," then it's definitely you.

Start recognizing your blind spots and start collaborating to bring your work up a level. I think a real graphic designer or art director should be at the top of every editor's list.

Take feedback without getting defensive

Early on, I had lots of creative ideas, which is great, right? Well, yes. Except my problem is that I thought my ideas were always right. And that's a little sad to look back on. I'm older, more mature now, and I definitely burned some bridges and lost some good opportunities back then.

But luckily, a mentor stepped in and said I needed to start approaching my editing, especially the creative feedback process, more like improv.

When an improv troupe is on stage, if someone throws another member of the troupe an idea, they can't say no because the performance will literally stop. Instead, they're trained to say "Yes, and..."

That's what I started doing. I'd get notes. I'd say yes, let's try it. And then I would add my own ideas.

If you want to get paid for your creativity, you must learn to collaborate in this way. Take feedback without getting defensive. Be willing to experiment, try new things, and trust the process.

Find a mentor for detailed feedback

I edited day and night for four years before landing a gig. That sort of put me in this rock-bottom type of place. So I was finally willing to do something I hadn't been willing to do before — approach a real pro editor and ask them for help.

Luckily, they said yes. In a few weeks, I learned more about creating an emotionally impactful edit than I had in four years going it alone.

In any craft, and editing is no exception, the only true shortcut to level up your editing and advance your career is to learn directly from somebody doing it at the level you want to be doing it.

It doesn't have to be me, but you do need to find a mentor to get detailed feedback on your own editing projects. Even if you're a pro, it's the only true shortcut and it will save you years.

Relentlessly remove everything that doesn't work

I remember this one project where my first rough cut was so bad that I didn't want to continue. Instead of giving up, the director and I decided we're just going to go through with a fine-tooth comb and cut out every single thing that was making it bad.

If an actor said something that kind of wasn't authentic, we cut out the line. If there were extra frames on a camera shot where it was looking kind of wonky, we cut out before the wonkiness. A story beat that dragged? Chop it out.

This took like a week and I remember watching it a week later and when we rewatched it, not only did we make it better, but it was actually good.

Relentlessly remove everything that doesn't work in your edit. Making the bad bits go away can turn a terrible edit into a great one.

These lessons won't matter if you can't execute them professionally. Learn the complete system for creating emotionally-impactful edits that win serious clients with real budgets.