Curtis Thurber grew up in Colorado, and in high school developed a strong interest in filmmaking. After moving to California to attend USC and pursue his passion, Curtis quickly realized that Film Editing was the art he’d be most interested in pursuing as a lifelong career.

Shortly after graduating from USC, Curtis found himself on a small second season show that would become one of the most discussed shows on TV, Breaking Bad. This helped to jump start his career in Post Production, and has been fortunate to work on many exciting projects ever since (Fargo, Tales From The Loop, Legion, Better Call Saul).

In 2016, Curtis was nominated for both an Emmy and ACE Eddie award for his work on Fargo, and the same Emmy nomination again in 2017, as well as an ACE Eddie Award nomination for Better Caul Saul that same year. 

Curtis and I discuss the following in episode 7:

• How Curtis got into editing and started his career in Hollywood      
• Being a Post PA on Breaking Bad got him more opportunities
• Working with and being mentored by Emmy-winning editor Skip McDonald
• Having fun working on The Office
• How Curtis gained the trust of producers and got hired on big projects
• Doing what you can to make your direct bosses’ lives easier
• Getting opportunities to cut as an assistant editor
• The importance of learning to address notes 
• What Curtis learned from his mentor Skip McDonald
• Mentoring his assistants
• Curtis’ longstanding relationship with writer/producer Noah Hawley 
• Learning from one of Noah Hawley’s lead editors, Regis Kimble
• Advice on working on the cut with showrunners
• Breaking the rules on Legion 
• Tips on interpreting notes from directors and producers
• Sneak peek into season 4 of Fargo
• Curtis’ WFH experience and setup
• What Curtis misses most about going to an office
• Issues Curtis has had with his WFH setup 
• The pros and cons of working from home
• Will this new way of working affect the way we enjoy the job of editing?
• How will the business change moving forward?
• Finding a new way of networking, learning, and collaborating in the new age of post production
• The way Curtis continues to evolve as an editor and storyteller

If you want to hear more advice for Curtis Thurber, go to hollywoodeditingmentor.com/episode7 and sign up to receive bonus outtakes from this episode where Curtis talks about editing scenes and troubleshooting projects.

Would totally appreciate it if you left a review on Apple Podcasts by visiting hollywoodeditingmentor.com/review. It’s a way to support the show and help it reach a wider audience that’s looking to break in or advance their post production careers.

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