Ep 240: Reel Ambition: How Olivia Deitch Cut Her Way Into the Industry

🎧 Guest: Olivia Deitch

🎤 Host: Damien SwabyIn this episode, Damien sits down with the talented Olivia Deitch to explore her inspiring journey through the entertainment industry — from wide-eyed film student to head online editor by the age of 23.

🗂️ Topics Covered:

• Olivia’s origin story: From Boston University to breaking into Hollywood
• Discovering her passion for editing during high school
• The move to Los Angeles and navigating early career uncertainty
• Getting a foot in the door as a PA at a boutique post-production house
• Working on major TV shows like The Walking Dead
• How early technical training with Avid gave her a crucial edge
• Understanding the landscape of post-production: online vs. offline editing
• The value of mentorship and learning-by-doing in smaller companies

🌟 Highlights:

• Olivia shares how starting out in a small post house gave her a crash course in the industry and opened doors quickly.
• Her non-traditional career path shows there's more than one route to success in entertainment.
• She explains how understanding the back-end technical workflow helped her stand out as a creative editor later on.

📚 Educational Takeaway:

🎬 What’s the Difference Between Online and Offline Editing?Offline Editing

This is the creative process where editors shape the story, select takes, and build the episode or film. It's typically done with lower-resolution files and without final effects.Online Editing
This phase finalizes everything: high-resolution footage is conformed, effects and color are locked in, and the final delivery is polished and technically perfect.🔑 Why it matters: Many aspiring editors overlook the online side of things.

Olivia’s experience proves that understanding both can accelerate your career and make you an invaluable asset on any post-production team.

📲 Follow Olivia Deitch on https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-deitch-bba9184b/ to stay updated on her latest projects and insights from the editing room.

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