Editor Matt Elias is bringing his highly visual style of storytelling to the roster at New York-based boutique studio Big Sky Edit.
Elias was most recently with WAX, where he worked on ads for such brands as Vans, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Urban Decay, Maybelline and Avana.
Elias got his start at BlueRock (now LVLY), starting as an intern fresh out of SUNY Oswego, where he majored in film and video. While there he worked his way up to a senior assistant editor role, working closely with editor Olivier Wicki. It was from Wicki that Elias picked up what he calls his “frenetic” style of editing--the fashion-focused, visually driven look familiar to regular aficionados of hip hop videos and beauty ads.
Elias is also adept at forms such as docu-style or visual storytelling, and this is what impressed Big Sky founder/editor Chris Franklin and EP Sarah Van Tassel. “What we liked about his work was his feel for moving the story forward,” Franklin said. “His pacing has a lot to do with that; it serves the script or storyboard really well.”
There was a deeper connection, too: Elias had worked at BlueRock with current Big Sky head of production Ali Corsie, who recommended him. “We’ve been looking to expand our roster, and Matt’s personality seemed like a great fit for our team and our culture,” Van Tassel noted. “He’s talented and eager, and we were looking for someone to hit the ground running. Matt’s more than ready for the challenge; he’s down to earth, smart, and very personable.”
Elias said he’s eager to take on different kinds of assignments at Big Sky, moving him into new areas of narrative, such as dramatic and performance work, as his experience and expertise grows. “Your goals are to be able to work in as many styles as possible,” he remarked. “It provides you with more opportunities to learn, while still being able to occupy your own space as a unique talent.”
Franklin believes that for Elias, it’ll be an easy leap. “As an editor, Matt’s able to move fluidly between different styles and genres, and that ability enhances your skills as a storyteller. And by expanding on these skills, it just makes all of your work better.”
“We’re also looking forward to developing new client relationships that match his style,” added Van Tassel, in addition to expanding on our current ones with a fresh perspective, given his reel and his eye.”
Elias says he’s always been interested in film and video, and knew early on that he was leaning towards postproduction. “I was definitely one of those kids who was always playing with their Dad’s video camera,” he recalled, “and was fortunate to have a really great AV program in my high school. We got to try every aspect of video production from pre all the way to post, and I gravitated toward post immediately, so I knew I wanted to be an editor by the time I was 16.
“To me, editing is where the magic really happens, in putting all the puzzle pieces together and seeing your team’s work come to life in a big way,” he continues. “Solving puzzles in a way that can convey emotion to the viewer is really what I love about editing.”
