Editor Chris Van Dyke has joined New York-based Vito DeSario Editing (VDE). This is the first U.S. roost for Van Dyke, who had worked at now defunct The Daily Post for over a decade until the shop closed at the beginning of this year. Van Dyke had been freelancing in Toronto before signing with VDE.
Van Dyke said he joined VDE because of its atmosphere and talent and that he was impressed by editor Vito DeSario’s reel. Van Dyke added that he liked the agency background that executive producer Michael Pollock brought to the table. (Pollock was head of broadcast production at J. Walter Thompson, New York for five years.)
"Coming from Canada, I needed a place that everybody knew and … was comfortable with," said Van Dyke. "I think nowadays it’s important for an editor to get into the American market. The size of the company really didn’t matter; it was just the support I was looking for as an introduction to the U.S. market."
Van Dyke said he was driven by visuals and was fluent in a variety of spot genres, though his recent work has been in the comedy vein. "The amount of comedy that goes on in the states is part of the reason I’m here," he explained.
In terms of style, Van Dyke said he often approached a spot by experimenting with different editing techniques until finding the one that fit. "I’ve done … jobs where I’ve been given lots of footage, not necessarily even with a direction," he said. "I love to mess around with [an idea] and take it to a new level." Van Dyke also likes to add subtle touches of music and sound design to his spots, which he felt was one of the reasons the agencies and directors in Toronto were attracted to him.
"Chris has a lot of enthusiasm for this market, and he’d done very well in Canada," Pollock observed of Van Dyke. "I thought the breadth of his work was interesting, and going from the [visual and sound] design [spots] to the more comedy-based work, his reel showed a nice range." Pollock added that both he and DeSario laughed while watching Van Dyke’s reel. Considering the popularity of humor-driven spots, Pollock opined that Van Dyke’s comedy chops would be in high demand.
Van Dyke is currently editing a campaign via RDA International, New York, for a video game manufacturer that he wasn’t at liberty to identify. In addition to spotwork, Van Dyke has edited music videos, including Len’s "Steal My Sunshine" and Our Lady Peace’s "Automatic Flowers." He and Pollock anticipated that he would continue to edit music clips while at VDE.
Van Dyke’s spot credits include Allianz’s "The Promise" via German agency BBDO Dusseldorf; Shopper’s Drug Mart’s "Show It To Me" via Ambrose Carr Linton Kelly, Toronto; Honey Nut Cheerios’ "Revelation" via Foote, Cone & Belding, Toronto; and Nettelmax’s "Rocker" via The Holmes Partnership, Toronto. The latter spot won a Bronze Lion at Cannes in ’98.
Van Dyke joins an editorial roster that includes DeSario, Lin Polito, Stephen Cheifitz, Mark Nicklesburg, and Kevin Chicken.
Pollock represents the company for national sales.
