Fresh Editorial (www.fresheditorial.com) recently launched with operations in Santa Monica and New York. The bi-coastal editorial operation is dedicated to the art of “visual storytelling,” and is headed by executive producer Sean DeVeaux, with Richard Cooperman cutting on the West Coast and Todd Stewart working from the East Coast. Both use FCP 7.
The inspiration for Fresh Editorial stems, in part, from Cooperman’s own interest in growing organic produce. “You can learn a lot from nature and you can learn a lot from plants,” he explains. “There’s a lot of care that goes into building a garden, then you reap the rewards later. I kind of feel the same about editing.”
Cooperman got his start working on music videos in Toronto, and later settled in the LA area working at Brass Knuckles in the late ‘90s and then the satellite office of Chicago’s Avenue Edit. His pairing with Stewart seemed natural since both are image-based editors.
“Image-based spots can be auto spots, [or] beauty spots, where it’s more of a rhythmic editorial. I really got into rhythm-based editing to a track,” says Cooperman of his early work. “A lot of directors I’ve worked with over the years went on to direct image-based commercials, which are small music video-type projects, but as opposed to having a singer, they use a product.”
Some of these projects include a spot promoting Halle Berry’s Reveal fragrance and Jeep’s Sandbox commercial.
Working on image spots requires him to closely assess footage. “I’m really methodical about going through it,” says Cooperman of the footage he works with. Even in his music video work, he’ll stay away from the temptation of using multi-cam features. “If you do work up front, in the back end, it really helps out. When everything is squeezed down to four little windows, you can’t really assess if it’s the best or not. Sometimes you don’t pick up some great little moments.”
Fresh is currently looking for space in Santa Monica or Culver City, where it hopes to grow its business.