Ep160: Convincing People You Can Do The Job (When You Don’t Have the Credits) | with Chris Patterson

<p>When editor and 1st AE <a href= "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0666155" target="_blank" rel= "nofollow noopener"><strong>Chris Patterson</strong></a> reached out to me earlier this year, he was stuck trying to figure out how to convince his colleagues he was ready to edit. He knew he had the skills, but he didn’t have the experience (or the credits) such that people were willing to take the chance on him. Not even six months later after working with me in the <strong><a href= "https://optimizeyourself.me/optimizer-workwithme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Optimizer coaching & mentorship program</a></strong> he posted this in the #wins channel in our Slack community:</p> <p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16837" src= "https://optimizeyourself.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ep160-screencap.jpg" alt="ep160-screencap" width="609" height="119" /></p> <p>Editor Chris Patterson has spent much of his career as the lead 1st AE working with some of the biggest names in editing & directing. A short list of the features he's worked on includes <em>Ready Player One</em>, <em>The Post</em>, <em>Royal Tenenbaums</em>, <em>Zero Dark Thirty</em>, <em>The Town</em>, and <em>Analyze That</em>. And Chris has worked with editors such as Michael Kahn, Dylan Tichenor, Billy Goldenberg, and many more.</p> <p>But when Chris decided it was time to make the transition into the editor’s chair, he hit more than a few roadblocks:</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">One of his biggest fears was “bothering people” in his outreach.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">Another fear was “selling himself” without sounding egotistical about his level of skill and experience in the industry (I mean c’mon...he’s worked with Spielberg!).</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">And ultimately he didn’t know how to address the “elephant in the room” that he didn’t have enough editing credits for someone to take a chance on him.</p> <p>When the pandemic hit and Hollywood shut down, Chris recognized that he was ready to make the transition to editor. Y