It is our privilege to introduce new artists and forces who bring change to the art world. These are artists who have a range of skills and express themselves across different mediums. Today, we’re speaking to Hyeseung Kim, an incredible editor and sound designer who is based in New York City. Her work includes extensive research, editing, and collaborating with other artists in the area who are breaking the grounds of multimedia. There are many highlights in her career that we’re excited to cover, and we look forward to hearing from herself on her experiences.
NY Art Life: Thank you for joining us, Hyeseung. Tell us, how do you define your work?
Hyeseung Kim: Thanks for having me. Based on my experiences and projects I’ve done, I’m an editor and sound designer and I’m proud of working in the production of projects. Although that is primarily my profession and how I navigate around working on production, I’m also skilled in video editing, motion graphics, compositing two-dimensional and three-dimensional animation, graphic design, and other aspects of production that are tied to the work I regularly do.
NY Art Life: Very well put! How did you enter the editing field?
Hyeseung Kim: My work has two points where I started. I began assisting with editing and media management for Getty Images Korea and edited many stock footage and managed metadata for products. I also translated those products for global Korean exports. My work also included sourcing raw footage from many sources ranging from freelance artists to broadcasting companies such as BBC, SBS, etc. Toward the end of my time at Getty Images, I was also part of strategy meetings for data organization and product selection. Then, I moved to New York and became a brand ambassador for Adobe Creative Cloud. I organized and executed many workshops for their programs, as well as managed their social media accounts. This led me to meet many influential people in the field as I engaged with organizations and audiences like myself.
NY Art Life: What was your experience with Show of Force?
Hyeseung Kim: I expanded my production expertise by becoming assisting with post-production duties at Show of Force. I was very passionate about being part of a project and knowing I’ve been active every step of the way during its process of becoming something whole and meaningful. I worked closely with editors, lead AEs, and postproduction supervisors in order to work out the main duties and goals that are lined out in the post-production of a project. These goals and tasks include rough edits, sound edits, subtitles, graphic work, and deliveries in Avid Media Composer. It’s a fulfilling career for me, as I watch and witness something go from craft to a finished project. And most of the things that truly seal the production are sound edits, visual edits, and other technical aspects of a production that cannot be ignored. It’s immensely exciting watching a crew work on projects like that and add their final touches.
NY Art Life: That’s incredible. How does that differ from your work at Hornet?
Hyeseung Kim: My work with Hornet is mainly working with clients on projects, where I act as an editor or associate editor depending on the project. One thing I’m passionate about with every project is working closely with directors, producers, and artists. Within the process of collaboration, there is so much shared between the editor and the person who is handing them the duties of production, whether it is a director or producer. Therefore, there needs to be a lot of clear communication and all parties need to be in sync throughout all departments. I often enjoy working on sound design and editing reels and social media content, which I get to do often.
It’s also very exciting working with Hornet and assisting their clients with editing as many of the projects come through Spotify, Facebook, Kroger, McDonald’s, and Target. Their projects are usually very exciting as they have a vision that embodies a product that has been in production itself for quite some time. Some of my projects with Hornet included editing footage for commercials, music videos, and documentary series. For instance, one of the great projects I worked on was Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered for HBO Docuseries. I assisted with postproduction, as well as editing digital extras for that piece. I did another editing project for HBO Docuseries The Vow. After these two projects, I edited a commercial for director Natalie Labarre and Yves Geleyen, who were both clients at Hornet. Most recently, I had the chance to diversify the projects I have worked on by editing a music video for Ingrid Michaelson called Merry Christmas, Happy New Year.
NY Art Life: That is very impressive, brava. You have also won at SXSW. What was that experience like?
Hyeseung Kim: It was surreal, to be part of a few projects that were widely recognized by important festivals like SXSW. A project I worked as an editor and Korean consultant called Parked in America was the SXSW 2021 Pitch-a-Thon winner. It was such a moment of joy for the entire team as each of us worked hard individually to make it all work together, and it did. It was also the SeriesFest Indie Pilot winner, as well as the NFFTY 2022 Best Episodic Nominee. And the project premiered at Atlanta Film Festival the same year. So being part of a project like that is something I will always cherish.
NY Art Life: Do you have any advice for editors?
Hyeseung Kim: Always have a good team you can work with. It is definitely something that will help your future, as you may want to go back to a brilliant team who you’ve had success with, and you know you can have success with them again. I’d also tell editors to train themselves in different areas of production, as it would be helpful for them to understand the entire process and to work better with their crew.
