Red Car has added editor Michael Sullivan, who had most recently been at Gramercy Park Studios. He joins a Red Car NY editorial roster that includes Deirdre Bell, Charlie Cusumano, Greg Letson and Keith Olwell.
Sullivan came to editing via an unconventional route. He first arrived in New York from his native Texas in the early 2000s after securing a spot to study acting at the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts. During his studies, however, he increasingly found himself drawn more and more toward his primary interests, which were music and sound. His background composing electronic music and working as a DJ (he also plays guitar) helped him acquire audio production skills, which in turn led him to a job as an engineer at a New York radio station. During this time Sullivan became close friends with some editors, and something clicked.
“For me, music and sound were the best ways I knew how to tell a story,” he says. “But when I saw what editing was – and how it allowed me to tell a story using visuals and rhythm while still getting to play with sound – I knew I’d found what I’d been looking for.”
Sullivan dug in and started freelancing as an assistant, working his way up to become known as a talented senior editor. He freelanced for a number of New York post houses, including Outside Edit, Berwyn Editorial, Spot Welders, Post Millennium, Cut + Run, WildChild and his new permanent home, Red Car, as well as at the production, visual effects and design studio 1stAveMachine.
During this time Sullivan built a reel featuring work for BMW, Cadillac, Nissan, Google, SunTrust Bank, Consumer Energy and Qualcomm. Just before joining Red Car he was a staff editor with Gramercy Park where he cut spots for such brands as Land Rover, Kleenex, Etsy.com and HTC.
