We had the good fortune of connecting with Damian Martorana and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Damian, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Gratefully, I come from a family of artists and entrepreneurs, so it seemed an obvious path for me. In a way, we are all individually, our own business. Anyone can research the pros and cons of working for yourself and working for someone else. Running your own business means you have to do EVERYTHING. Including writing your own article for VoyageLA, which in my humble opinion, won’t be as interesting as having a verbal conversation. Be that as it may, I’m grateful for the opportunity to strengthen my writing skills. Keep in mind that I am an editor, not a writer.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Indiana Jones was the movie that got me hooked to be a filmmaker. My first taste of editing was in high school in the Broadcast Media class. At that time, we cut on the big VHS Decks. I fell in love with it. I wouldn’t edit again until my senior year at PSU when I cut a highlight reel of my collegiate volleyball career to get an agent and into the European Pro League. The next time I would edit would be during my Ballroom years. In addition to teaching hundreds of people, creating a dance fitness class that I taught in all the Bailey’s and YMCA’s gyms throughout greater Orlando,  producing theatrical ballroom dance shows, I wanted to create instructional dance fitness videos, but I couldn’t afford to pay a company to do it for me. So I bought a Laptop, downloaded Adobe Premiere and taught myself how to edit. My first paying project was to create a highlight video for a Ballroom dance competition in Venice, Italy. From the reaction I got, I knew I was on the right path.  Although I started editing in Orlando, Florida around 2008ish, I couldn’t call myself an editor until I moved to LA in 2012 where the best editors are. Coming from an athlete’s perspective, the only way to elevate your skill level is to play with and compete against the best. Within my first year I got hired to edit a 60 minute video for the Aquarium of the Pacific. Throughout 10 years in LA I cut everything I could get my hands on so I can get the experience and exposure I needed to make the economics that could sustain my livelihood.  Along with reading books from editors and watching movies to discover editorial techniques, I got myself an editing mentor to guide me through the process of becoming a feature film editor.

Most people have yet to learn who a film or video editor is or what they do by themselves in a dark room for hours, days, weeks, and months. The Editor is an invisible artist. You are not supposed to see the brush strokes, the seam, or the glue. A film goes through three written versions: The first time by the writer, the second time from the director’s perspective, and the third time in the editing bay with the Editor. The Editor brings all the pieces together in a seamless way. They preserve and enhance the story. They control the performances for comedy or drama while adding style and pacing, solving story structure or performance problems in magical ways. The Editor can grab and hold the audience’s attention from opening to closing credits. An editor can make and can break a film or tv show. So never say, “We’ll fix it in post.” It may not be possible. Instead, fix it in pre-production and consult with your Editor. I got to where I am professionally by editing, editing, and more editing. Then, of course, my background as an artist and athletics helps. Along with love for movies and stories in general. I have edited thousands of diverse small, medium, and large projects for free, food, experience, and exposure. One does have to have some talent, however. After that, it’s skill building and repetition. Mentors are crucial. I go above and beyond; regardless of the rate I’m getting paid. Sometimes to my detriment, but my name is on the product, so I want to be sure it’s perfect. Nothing good is easy, but challenging is fulfilling if you are on the right path. Playing sports and learning how to win and lose as a gentleman helped me compete with myself to better compete in the market and overcome personal and professional challenges.
I’m most excited and grateful to wake up healthy daily with three fabulous loving dogs and make money working on various editing projects.
I’ve learned that life doesn’t have the Cmd Z (Undo) buttons. Act accordingly.
Talent will only get you so far. So outwork everyone, but stay balanced.
When the editing software program crashes, the universe gives you a chance to make a better edit and tell a better story. Therefore, every day one wakes up, the universe provides one the opportunity to make it better and make it happen.
Focus on the work and know your worth.
Know what you want, why you want it, and what you’ll do to get it while knowing when and where you are physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Think it. See it. Write it. Do it. Be it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My mother spends the winter holidays with me, which has helped me explore more of LA than usual. Editors spend much time by themselves. When I go out with my mother or visit family and friends, I take them to beach towns like Venice, Santa Monica, and Malibu during the daytime. Then at night, we explore Sunset and Santa Monica Blvd. My favorite fun day would be eating a burrito with my three dogs at Rose’s Dog Park on the Beach down in Long Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Since I didn’t have a choice in my mother’s womb, I would like to dedicate this Shoutout LA article to my Mother and Father. I never had the best clothes or the newest toys. Still, I grew up healthy and happy in Rochester, New York, before the internet and cell phones, and I’m grateful for it. My parents, especially my father, ensured I always had opportunities, support, and encouragement to explore my talents and interests in arts and athletics. Thankfully, creativity, entrepreneurship, and leadership ran through both sides of my parents. We are still investigating where I got my athletic talents, but in retrospect, I realized what I was born with and ran with it. My mother once told me not long after college, “Think of what you liked to do when you were young, and if you can make a living doing that as an adult, then you’re winning the game.” Regarding my editing career, I’d like to spotlight and celebrate my mother. I started editing in high school on those big VHS decks, and I loved it. I once used editing instead of writing for a book report, and I got an A. I also loved volleyball, which led to a scholarship to play at Penn State University and then to the European Pro League. Unfortunately, I only focused on filmmaking while attending college. After volleyball, without training and desire to be a professional dancer, I walked into an Arthur Murray ballroom dance studio and asked if they were hiring. They hired me on the spot, on the condition that I move to Orlando, FL.
A few years later, I got back into editing when I started my dance company, Rhythm Fitness. I couldn’t afford to pay someone to create videos for me, so I bought a laptop PC and taught myself. Within a year, I edited for ballroom dance events, organizers, and professional dancers in addition to teaching dance. Then, one day I returned to a burglarized home, and my laptop was gone. Devastated, I told my mother that I could make money editing if I could get a good computer. Or at least I thought I could. My mother and her mother are where I get my creativity. When times are tough, my mother is the one who reminds me that I have lived successfully as an artist and an athlete my entire life. So she sent me the money. It was a MAC Pro desktop, and I had no idea it would create a career based on what I loved to do in high school, much less kick-start my editing career in LA.
In addition to my parents, I’d also like to spotlight my volleyball coach, Cal Wickens, who brought out the fearless and focused competitor in me. My PSU coach Mark Pavlik, for his patience and self-assessment. My mentor Ken Eulo, for his acting, writing, and storytelling technique. And finally, my friend, writer, and producer, Ralph Odierna, gave me my first award-winning short films to edit in LA. Over the next ten years, I would edit almost 20 award-winning short films and sizzle reels for him. This allowed me to hone my editorial skills, style, experience, and reputation.

Website: www.damianmartorana.com

Instagram: damianmartorana

Linkedin: damian martorana

Youtube: damian martorana

Other: Email: damianmartorana@gmail.com

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