Once upon a time, Flightless Bird Creative was a production company with no editor. But then the clouds opened up, and the universe gifted us with Sam Powell, now our head of post-production. Although he’s a Columbia College class of 2018 grad, Sam has been editing for 10+ years. (What was I doing when I was 14?) Young editors, listen up. Film junkies, tune in. Anyone looking for a friend, meet Sam: The film industry’s next big-time editor, and the world’s friendliest human.
“I’m a big superhero fan. My main thing was I wanted to give myself superpowers, and edit myself to be able to fly, have super speed, stuff like that.”
Sam started editing young. That doesn’t mean he took a class or joined a club. He just started doing it. “YouTube pretty much taught me everything in my foundation,” he says, “and from there I learned a lot by just working with different clients.” Now, Sam handles multiple client projects at a time, knocking out not just the edits, but any motion graphics, VFX, and cherries on top that the project calls for.
It sounds like a lot to juggle, because it is. He describes the feeling of starting an edit as “The feeling of unboxing a puzzle and looking at all these pieces, not having any idea what the final thing will be”. Yet he finds a way to make something way cooler than you thought the pieces could’ve possibly made.
Side note: In our interview, Sam stated what I think should be the mantra for any editor approaching an intimidating project (or any filmmaker in general): “How is this gonna come together? I don’t know. But we’re gonna figure it out.”
Now, as a penguin on the Flightless Bird team, Sam loves the wide range of projects that he takes on. From 30-second social media campaigns, to 1950’s themed music videos, and the occasional bonkers comedy short, Sam has expanded his arsenal by saying “yes” to anything that gets thrown his way. “I learn by doing,” he says. And working at Flightless Bird, “It’s given me so much more opportunity to do.”
Sam is often the first one in and the last one out. He pours his time, talent, and creativity into every project he touches. When I asked Sam what makes it all worth it for him, he answered, “I think there’s nothing more rewarding than a super happy client.”
Look out for the name ‘Sam Powell’ in the credits of the next big superhero movie. Or better yet, look for him flying across the screen.
Written by Stephen Kipp | Head Writer