Editor Jason Kileen has joined the New York office of creative editorial house Spot Welders. He comes over from Nomad where he’s been cutting spots for such clients as Hershey’s, Budweiser, American Express and Kit Kat.
Prior to that, he was with P.S. 260 where he cut for directors such as Spike Lee and Errol Morris for Heineken, M&M’s and Morgan Stanley. While there, Kileen also edited a J.J. Lask-directed feature film, On the Road with Judas, which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
Kileen recently cut a tongue-in-cheek Timmy Brothers Water promo directed by Paul Riccio, who’s represented by Sandwick Media. The piece reflects the editor’s light touch with comedy and dialogue, also on display in an earlier collaboration with Riccio on a Comedy Central promo about the travails of a guy born without a funny bone. Riccio’s affinity for humor is also evident in his American Express work featuring Tina Fey and a recent take on people in unfortunate situations for Chubb Insurance.
Kileen’s editing prowess isn’t confined to comedy. For example, he’s cut documentary-style ads for clients like Titleist and Fruit Roll-ups, and editorially-driven, visual storytelling work for Morgan Stanley and Budweiser. His “Have a Beat” spot for Kit Kat is a perfectly syncopated succession of scenes and clips, all cut to the irresistible timing of the brand’s iconic jingle.
An English and creative writing graduate of Arizona State, Kileen grew up in Phoenix playing in bands and skateboarding. While spending a summer in New York he studied at the New York Film Academy and found himself immediately drawn to editing. “As a musician and someone who was into creative writing, film and photography, editing seamlessly blended all the things I liked to do,” he recalled.
As the Kit Kat spot reveals, Kileen’s musical inclinations–he plays guitar, bass and drums–influence his approach to editing. “What I love most is that you’re in control of the mood,” he noted. “It has a lot to do with rhythm, timing and feel, not only in music driven stuff, but dialogue and comedy as well. Depending on your choices, any footage you’re given can be funny, dramatic or even a horror film. It’s not all that uncommon to find editors who are also musicians, as the creative processes go hand in hand.”
Kileen first got connected with Spot Welders’ New York EP Joanna Ferraro through a mutual friend, and while he was always impressed with the company’s reputation, its roster and its work, he wasn’t ready to make a move. “But they stayed in touch, and I was flattered by their persistence,” he recalls. “It’s always been a highly-respected creative shop filled with heavyweights, and I like the fact that such an accomplished comedy editor as Dick Gordon is there. I’m excited about the prospects of tapping more into that vein of work and am honored to be part of the Spot Welders family.”
