Meet Don Money | Film Editor

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

Hi Don, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
In my opinion, the best art comes out of taking risks. The safe choice/route often leads to generic, or worse yet, boring results. The bigger the risk, the more fulfilling the result is to me. And for me, there is no better example of that then when I switched gears from being an actor to being an editor. Yes it’s in the same field, and there definitely is some professional overlap, but to basically change jobs after working so hard at one for over ten years was very scary. And having done so when my two sons were babies basically was also very risky. I didn’t have time to keep cracking away at something with only mixed results at best. But as I’ve said before, the risk was well worth the results in the end. Becoming an editor was the best career decision I’ve ever made. And the same applies to when I approach editing. The safe choice is easy, but not very interesting. Taking creative risks I also feel like keeps the creative art alive, it keeps the juices flowing, and for me, there is no better feeling for an editor than to try something risky, a little outside the box, and have it come together in a way that is way more impactful and interesting for the audience. Pretty much in general, in my life and my career, I’d rather take a risk and have it not work out perfectly, than to make the safe choice that goes well, but ends up being unfulfilling. Taking risks I also feel like makes us stronger inherently. Whether it ends in success, or some level of failure, you learn a lot more from taking said risk then just making the safe/easy choice.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Editing has been a journey for me a long time coming. I’ve always loved film and television (The Shawshank Redemption was shot in my hometown of Mansfield Ohio when I was a little kid), and although I started out as an actor, looking back on it now, what that really was, was just the beginning of my career as a storyteller. That’s what I truly am, I just do it in a different way now. And having been an actor, and training for years at it, has allowed me to be a way better storyteller in my editing, and I think that sets me apart from other editors. In essence, I am just doing for my actors now what I would’ve wanted my editors to do for me when I was in front of the camera. When I read a script, I can really visualize the story, and I can quickly see the beats in a scene, I can hone in on the character arcs, and the story arcs etc from all my years of breaking down scripts as an actor. And then when I go through the dailies, I rifle through the footage, picking out all the most honest/real moments within the takes, and I am gravitating toward what I would’ve wanted to have appear on screen when I was acting.

Giving up acting wasn’t easy by any stretch, but because I am still ultimately a storyteller, and that was what I was meant to be, it allowed me to let go of any regret, sadness etc, because I am still doing what I love, just a different shade of it now. And I’ve learned along the way that trying a new career path, didn’t mean I failed at my previous one, or that I gave up on my ‘dreams’, it just meant that I took a different road to start with, but that both roads were ultimately leading to the same place, it just took me awhile to get on the right one.

Having been solely focused on being an editor now for over ten years, I think I’m most proud of the amount of differing stories I have been able to tell. Much like taking risks, I also don’t like to cut the same stories or genres over and over again. I like cutting comedies just as much as I enjoy horror films. I like to change it up and keep it fresh. And most recently, I was lucky enough to cut a film that will be premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, and I’m really proud and excited about that because I used to volunteer at that festival when I was in acting school. So being able to go back now, and have my work screen there, will be such an awesome full-circle moment for me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man that’s such a hard question. Not because I can’t think of anything, but because there are so many great things to see and do. I think on my checklist would be heading to the beach, maybe even the Santa Monica Pier (our family loves to take our bikes and ride along the boardwalk). We would probably grab pizza at some point at Dino’s in Burbank, and then dinner another night at The Smoke House. We would have to do a hike at Runyon Canyon one day (throwing it back to our first apartment in Hollywood, which was right next to the lower entrance on Fuller). We’d have to grab an ice cream sandwich at Diddy Riese near UCLA, and a hotdog and fries at Carney’s. A week is definitely not enough time to see everything LA has to offer that’s for sure!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I definitely wouldn’t be where I am in life without the two best women on the planet in my corner. My mother, Beverly Money, and my wife, Emme Rylan. My mom basically raised me as a single parent after my father died when I was 11. She took me to every sports practice, came to every game (whether I played or not), came to every banquet and performance, supported me moving to NYC after college and chasing a seemingly crazy dream, as well as when I decided to change course and pursue something different. She never suggested I do anything ‘easier’ or ‘more normal’, or more importantly, that I quit and move back to Ohio. Her support has meant more to me then even I can express sometimes.

And then there’s Emme. We met doing a play together off-off Broadway what feels like forever ago. She helped and supported me through my auditions (even though I came nowhere near her level of success) and encouraged me to keep at it. And then when I switched gears, that support didn’t stop. She’s without a doubt my biggest fan when it comes to editing. She’s also a fantastic first viewer for me on all of my stuff. She has no problem telling me when something isn’t working, or when something I’ve cut just flat out stinks. And most of all, she have given me three beautiful children, and had no problems taking care of that massive load whenever I am stuck on crazy deadlines or long hours nearing the finish line on a project.

If I didn’t have either of those amazing, strong women in my life, I for sure would not be the man I am today, or anywhere near as successful in my career.

Website: www.moneyedits.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmoney596/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonMoney79