In the entertainment industry, every creative position on a production plays a vital role to its success, and the job of the editor might be the most important of all. Even more so than the writer’s words or the actor’s lines, the editor is responsible for crafting the final version of what the spectator sees.

The editor helps make the footage speak to the audience, which is exactly why David Guthrie stands out among some of the most brilliant editors working in the industry today. Without his wonderful ability to tell a story, the sheer volume of film footage from the productions to which he’s lent his skill would lack a cohesive narrative. 

“Most of the skill in editing comes from making creative decisions, what shot to use where, what music tracks to use, the pacing, rhythm, etc. All of that is easily done on all three platforms,” according to Guthrie.

The Toronto born editor has a knack for creating an effective, riveting story regardless of how many hundreds of hours of footage he has to sort through. Guthrie has also benefited from having a background in music, which greatly enhances the cadence of his edits.

“You try a hundred different tracks of music and none of them are the right one and you just don’t know why and then you find the one that works and you just know, you can feel it and then you cut it in and the whole scene comes to life.”

Guthrie’s exceptional talent landed him the role of editor on the critically acclaimed televised adaption Billy Bishop Goes To War  directed by Academy Award nominee Barbara Willis Sweet, as well as the smash hit documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

Currently streaming on Netflix, Jiro Dreams of Sushi has been an official selection at numerous festivals including Toronto, Berlin, and New Zealand International Film Festivals, as well as the Tribeca Film Festival.

After the documentary’s overwhelming feat, Guthrie took on the challenge of working on the labor intensive Weather Channel reality show Cold Water Captains.

“You can give me hundreds of hours of footage with no direction and I can sift through it and find the story thread. Having a writer‘s approach to editing has always been my strong suit, as well as having a music background,” says Guthrie regarding his editing process.  

In Guthrie’s next project, he carried multiple hats as a director, writer, editor and star in the TV comedy Room & Bored. The project paid off immensely by becoming an official selection at the New York Television Festival, which led Guthrie to secure a development deal with the Gannett Network.

The outstanding editor recently completed production on the comedy series Beck & Call, produced by Rockfield Productions, Inc.  The series follows two talent agents struggling to make it in Brooklyn. Season 1 of the show is slated to be released later this year.

Regardless of the genre or medium, David Guthrie’s remarkable editing prowess has placed him among the best editors in the industry; and, as he continues to flex his skill across platforms, it seems there is literally no stopping this talented Canadian.