Meet Mae Manning | Editor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mae Manning and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mae, is there something you believe many others might not?
That you have to go to school in order to have a creative career. I’ll admit, degrees and course experience sound interesting and can look flashy, but how far you’ll really go depends on the hands on experience you get from just getting out there and doing what you love. Some of the best storytellers of our time just picked up a camera one day and never stopped making things. I’ve also noticed that nothing (not even school) can really prepare you for what the experience is truly like. Every project I’ve been a part of did things a little differently, which sometimes I loved because it meant I got to learn something new. There’s also a lot of networking events for people to make connections, it’s all about just putting yourself out there.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I always knew I wanted to be an editor. When I was a kid, I didn’t even know the job had a title so I would just say things like, “whoever puts the video to the music, that’s what I want to do,” whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Movie trailers are what struck me first, I loved the way they made my heart skip beats or even caused me to tear up in the theater. When I was a teenager, I started making my own silly movie trailers and anime music videos after school in my mom’s basement using Windows Movie Maker. Editing those videos became my main creative outlet because things like drawing, writing and photography never made me feel the same way. I carried on editing for fun until in my 20s, when a video producer saw my YouTube channel and wanted to give me a job – that’s when my favorite nighttime hobby became my career.

I’ve been working fulltime as an editor for almost 9 years now and it’s been a crazy ride! I’ve had my fair share of challenges throughout but I’ve also had some wonderful victories and experiences. I’m always grateful that I get to do something for my career that I can literally feel in my bones, because a lot of people don’t get to do that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So I live in the suburbs just outside of Atlanta, and the first place I would take my friend to is Downtown Woodstock. We would hit Reformation Brewery for a pint, eat dinner at Salt Factory and end the night playing retro video games at The Blue Ghost Arcade. We’d take our dogs to Woofstock Park and take walks down the trails in Towne Lake. Of course, I’d also show them the city. We’d walk the beltline and have lunch at Star Provisions, then end the night with a movie or Wussy Event at The Plaza. Then finally, we’d end the weekend in a quiet cabin in Blue Ridge – the scenery out there is just too good to miss and I’m a big 0believer in surrounding oneself with nature
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Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Ultimately this shoutout is dedicated to all the independent filmmakers of Atlanta that are still tearing it up out there. It’s been a rough last few years but I see you – hustling multiple jobs, balancing your work and personal lives, budgeting wisely and telling your stories. Keep making art, I’m so damn proud of you.

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