So… Who is Andrew Wardlaw?
A hands-on problem solver. A technical mind with a strong attention to detail. A calm presence with fiery red hair. One of those people that is always learning about random topics on the internet…
I got my start editing at the age of 11 making silly action videos with friends. It didn’t take long until I started teaching myself FCPX, Premiere, and After Effects. Three years of high school graphic design classes rounded out the adobe trio with Photoshop.
When I wasn’t creating, I was playing games, watching movies, and listening to music like everyone else. I won’t bore you with listing favorites, but I ought to mention some that are particularly influential: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Spirited Away, A Ghost Story, Koyaanisqatsi, and The Last of Us.
An internship at Turner Studios in Atlanta launched my career.
During my final semester of the Mass Media Arts program at the University of Georgia, I was at Turner operating tape decks for editors who needed media digitized or laid to tape. Shortly thereafter, I began rotating between networks (TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Sports, Eleague) helping out in edit assist capacities as an edit T3. Cartoon Network subsequently picked me up as an apprentice editor where I worked directly with writers and producers, learned a lot from senior editors, and stayed late on Fridays to make sure everyone’s deliveries were squared away.
In my free time I cut segments for a Cartoon Network Latin America digital original show called CN Anything, a sketch show where cartoons are ripped apart and re-edited into completely new content using Photoshop, Premiere, and After Effects.
Think Adult Swim or trippy internet edits, but for kids. It was the culmination of skills and tastes I had been developing since childhood.
So, this is how I became an associate editor for Cartoon Network Latin America. To preemptively answer the inevitable question, we edited CN Anything in English and replaced the audio with Spanish and Portuguese for delivery (hablo un poco de español). Our team only consisted of two associate editors and an apprentice, but toward the end of the season the team had been whittled down to just me. This meant writing, editing, compositing, and voice acting short 15-90 second segments, then using them to edit and produce a cohesive 11 minute episode complete with custom made interstitial bumps, transitions, and sound design for a seamless watching experience. True turnkey editing.
When the show ended, I stepped farther into the editor/producer role handling logistics and communications for various projects from other branches of the CNLA creative services group. The atmosphere was chaotic, especially amidst the AT&T/WarnerMedia restructuring, but I thrive in the face of chaos.
If you care deeply about asset organization, project management, clear communication, and efficient workflows… we will get along very well.
Most recently I’ve prototyped and fleshed out a new TikTok compilation show for CNLA’s social team, cut promos for TNT prime movies, edited episodes of Eleague’s coverage of the Rocket League Championship Series, and put together a teaser for the FIFA 21 Global Series. With that, we have arrived at the present moment.