Lyric Ramsey - Editor
Job title - Editor
Experience - 10+ years
““Always work!” Keep working, keep exercising this gift, and this talent, big job, small jobs, short or long, WORK! And the great philosopher Issa Rae once said “ Stop trying to work up, instead work across”. Game changers.”
Describe your job role and the kinds of projects/clients you work with.
I've worked all the positions in Post, I started as an Assistant, and worked my way up to Editor. I’ve been blessed to be apart of some really amazing projects, especially in the last few years. The list of shows are as follows : Dahmer - Monster : The Jeffery Dahmer Story, You People - Starring Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy, directed by Kenya Barris, A Black Lady Sketch Show Season 3, Sweet Life: LA, Masterchef, Project. Runway, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Below Deck, BET Hip Hop Awards, On My Block S4, and the Legendary I Love New York.
What does an average day look like in your post production working world?
Since working from home, and the Covid Era, my day begins with coffee, and a long walk to the dining room, where my avid station is set up. It usually starts with a 10am zoom call, and checking emails from the day and night before. I like to have a lot of stimulation in the background, so I will either have some lo-fi music playing in the living room, CNN or MSNBC on mute on the TV, The Joe Budden Podcast, on one monitor, and my personal heater on my feet. Once I'm cozy, I crack open my bins, and pop open my google doc or Frame io, and start dissecting my notes. If I'm not in the notes portion of my cut, I like to take my stringout from the producer, and work on my radio cut and get that into shape, before tackling music.
How did your career in post production begin?
My career in post production began by being in the right place, at the right time. I'm a graduate of the illustrious Howard University, and like any black girl who's been away from home for 4 years, I needed to get my hair down. So after kissing the pavement at LAX, I went to my hair salon on Crenshaw Boulevard, in Inglewood, CA, and a film crew was there. I'm not sure if I was overly confident or jet lagged, or just excited to see a film crew on Crenshaw boulevard, but I just walk up to the person I thought was in charge, and asked for a job! This person just so happened to be the CEO of a production company, and hired me on the spot, and the rest is history.
What has been your career highlight?
Some of my career highlights, would be my first job, which was a show called Trading Spouses on FOX. It was a huge moment where I stepped out on my dream, and was affirmed with a job and people who believed me. It was the audacity to dream. Other career highlights, are we I can work on shows that I love watching in my free time, so projects like Project Runway, Masterchef, and Real Housewives, are fulfilling full circle moments for me. Another, was my first scripted gig, which was The Goldbergs, shot out to Jeremy Ruben, who's an amazing human being, and gave me a shot as his assistant editor. Lastly, would have to be Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story. It was such a great experience working with my mentor Stephanie Filo, and another amazing editors such as Bradinn French, Taylor Mason (a fellow Howard alumni) and the Ryan Murphy Team. Chef's Kiss!
Who are your role models in post?
When I started my career, I was desperately seeking other mentors, I was definitely “Me Phi Me” for a huge portion of my career. So, I set my intention to seek peers and mentors and became more active in the editor community. I joined the LGBTQ Steering committee, and met always member like Mary DeChambres, Jamie Nelsen, and Nena Erb, which introduced me to mentors like Shannon Baker Davis, Daysha Broadway. Daysha, introduced me to my sister, and amazingly talented Stephanie Filo, who I still work with today. All of these women, have turned the volume up on my career, and have inspired me from near and afar, and I’m eternally grateful for the conversations, time, laughter, and memories I have because of them.
What advice do you have for others wanting to start a career in post?
I’ve had some great advice given to me over the years, earlier on in my career, when I had zero network, right out of college, in a career I wasn’t entirely sure I had a place in, a post supervisor told me to “Learn a skill in this business, that no one can deny from you” this advice lead me to editing, and I’ve never looked back. I internalized that advice, learn something, that no matter who you know, how you look, your work and talent will speak for itself. Another gem was “Always work!” Keep working, keep exercising this gift, and this talent, big job, small jobs, short or long, WORK! And the great philosopher Issa Rae once said “ Stop trying to work up, instead work across”. Game changers.