Nice To Meet Ya!

Hi! I’m Melissa Lux, and I’m a supernerd for editing. Seriously, nothing makes me happier than the satisfaction of shaving off a single frame from a cut and seeing how it completely alters the way a scene feels. See what I'm saying? Supernerd.

Most people who know me would probably classify me as a storyteller. I completed the Summer Intensive for Television Writing at Columbia University—which means I love breaking down a good script and (if you’ll let me) ruining whatever show we’re watching together by predicting, in great detail, how it’s going to end based on the first two minutes. My love for storytelling is ultimately what led me to editing.

I had always thought about learning to edit, but being in my mid-forties, I was convinced it was too late to start a new career. Then, a friend told me they were taking a basic editing class at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), and I decided to tag along—you know, for fun. It wasn’t long before I became enraptured by the process. I loved how, even though everyone in class was given the same footage, each completed project was distinctly different. I started to see how every edit carries the energetic signature of the editor who made it. By the end of the course, I could look at an edit and immediately tell who in my class had made those cuts.

I stayed on at CNM to take all the post-production classes. Those lessons gave me the technical foundation I rely on every day.

My professional editing adventure officially began in 2024, during my internship at Katharsis Media. There, I got to sink my teeth into narrative films and docuseries, learning how to shape stories across genres. It was also the year I starred in and edited XYZ Dictionary, an intergenerational podcast that blended my love for storytelling with my technical skills in audio and video editing.

Fun fact: I’m an orchestral conductor and a classically trained bassoonist. This is where my sense of timing and rhythm really comes from. Editing is so much like music—it’s about pacing and finding the beat. It’s about knowing when to build and when to hold back. The musical skills I honed over the years are directly related to the art of editing, something for which I will be forever grateful (and amazed by).

My goal for the registered apprenticeship program is to continue growing my skills as an editor, both technically and artistically.

There are a lot of stories out there. Somebody has to cut them together.

-Melissa Lux