Did I #ThriveIn25
How has the year actually been, and how well did I live up to the challenges I set myself? Did I #ThriveIn25?
The last day of work before breaking for Christmas is often filled with a mix of rush and bluster, as people try to finish up and lock down a cutting room before the immovable end-of-year deadline and the closing of the edit suite. There’s a flurry of last-minute fiddly notes and fixes on the cut, while you pack away months of accumulated clutter, say your goodbyes in the hallways, and—if you’re lucky—share some chocolates and alcoholic beverages.
This year had all of that, as I locked my second full episode of television from my home office before we wrapped for the year.
Looking back, it’s certainly been a good year for me. Back in September 2024, I was a little nervous about what lay ahead. A few very shaky years in the industry—first with strikes, then with a rapidly changing landscape—had given rise to the phrase “Survive ’til 25” among many workers. It was Mark Purvis, founder of Mission Digital, who countered that with the phrase #ThriveIn25, introducing the basic concept behind the mantra. At the beginning of the year, I reflected on what 2025 might hold in my Flash Forward 2025 post.
Which begs the question: how has the year actually been, and how well did I live up to the challenges I set myself? Did I #ThriveIn25?
Did I #ThriveIn25
“Building a future where we thrive: embrace innovation, foster collaboration, champion new voices, develop sustainable production models, and reignite a passion for storytelling.” These were the core pillars of Mark’s post from September 2024. I’d like to think I embraced many of these ideas this year—both as an assistant and VFX editor on the Netflix series Hostage and the feature film Turbulence, and in taking on my first editing project.
This newsletter has often been a catalyst for that positivity. It’s forced me, week by week, to explore a subject in enough depth to form a considered opinion. The challenges I set myself encouraged me to think differently and more critically about my work and the industry.
A Changing Film Industry
While the industry does seem to be settling into a new normal, it’s doubtful it will ever return to its pre-pandemic peak. Many conversations I’ve had with friends and colleagues this year centred on how to prepare for a leaner, changed industry—and how to adapt to it.
The Role and Value of the Film Editor
Time and again, ideas from my 2024 writing have resurfaced. As 2025 draws to a close, I feel more strongly than ever that the most important thing for editors going forward is the ability to clearly define our value within a production.
A changed industry—perhaps not as cash-rich as in years gone by—combined with rapid technological advancement will increasingly reward editors who can articulate their value: individually, but even more importantly, collectively with their department and team. This year reinforced for me how crucial it is to have a strong team around you, and how vital the role of a department head is in empowering that team to achieve what’s needed.
A Continued Decline in Social Media
It’s hard to believe that when I was writing about “slop” and the decline of social media back in January 2025, we hadn’t yet experienced the full force of the second term of Donald Trump or the wave of jingoistic, cronyistic politics that followed.
2025 has been the year in which slop fully embedded itself into daily media diets: a flood of mediocrity across feeds, from wistful ChatGPT-generated LinkedIn posts, to Sora’s slopification of celebrity; Disney IP and Shrimpy Jesus, to Grok’s mecha-Hitleresque rewritings of history in Its Master’s Voice. And while advertising money continues to flow into social platforms at the expense of streamers and broadcasters, this year still feels to like a turning point, a peak social media, and the many signs of its future demise; marked by Australia’s ban on social media for under-16s and similar global moves hinting at long-term decline.
The Importance of Good Storytelling
One of the highlights of the year was editing my first two full episodes of television. There’s something deeply satisfying about shaping a story—about discovering all the different ways you can tell it, whether from a look or a line or a sound effect or a piece of music.
Work From Home vs Work From Office
This year, I worked both in an office and remotely, editing two full episodes from home. I also spent time working from another country entirely. Each mode of working came with its own challenges and advantages, but none proved particularly problematic.
In an ever-changing world of work, the ability to remain flexible—and to build teams that are equally flexible—will be vital for everyone in our industry.
Redefined Social Communities and the Importance of Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing
I learned a great deal this year about the importance of professional communities, through my continued involvement with the ISE (Irish Screen Editors) and Tempo. I also helped organise and moderate the first AI panel in September, which I have to say was far out of my comfort zone and a marvellous learning curve.
These communities—and the smaller, niche community that has grown around this newsletter—have given me confidence that sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas, and supporting one another will be increasingly important in the years ahead. As editors, we’ll need to work together to redefine—or at the very least clearly articulate—the value of our profession, both within the industry and beyond.
So, as I send out my last few tweaks to the director, tidy up my desktop folders, and sneak in one last Christmas pie, I find myself reflecting on a year of continued work in a world—and an industry—where I’m very aware that many are struggling to keep going. I’m deeply grateful for that work, for the great teams I’ve collaborated with this year, who lifted and supported one another, and for the editing community that continues to do the same—whether in WhatsApp groups, internet forums, or through guilds, organisations, and collectives.
I also feel that I stayed true to many, if not most, of the goals I set for myself in 2025, and I’m grateful to say that I did, indeed, #ThriveIn25.