Meet JJ Zink

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful JJ Zink a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

JJ, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I derive a majority of my work ethic from my parents and peers. In my home, my parents never raised my sibling and I to expect career paths to present themselves haphazardly. My dad when he was very young wanted to be a pilot, he never just left it off like that. He instead spent years and years fine-tuning his craft and connecting himself with others to get where he is today, being a highly regarded senior pilot at a major airliner. I take a lot from that because of his willingness to attack what he wants. I also take a lot after my mom. She is the no-bullshit type of personality that always instills a motivation in my heart that I should do what I love and work with who I want to work alongside in the industry someday. Both of these personalities have shaped my general commitment to not only being a noteworthy voice in film and TV but also striving to be a reliable and committed collaborator.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

Primarily, I have a focus on video post-production as my current career path. But one passion I have fallen into recently in my time in school is a love and appreciation for the power of documentary. With documentary, I felt a sense of expression that I had never felt in my narrative work. Having edited a handful of narrative fiction work, I predominantly was the last person on a project who’s sole role was to sell the story and world of a film all within the edit. But what I found with doc, was the excitement of already having a world and story sold to me, because it was real. And where the fun challenge for me is how to depict the real world in a way that can fit within a conventional narrative structure. And mainly, doc is primarily editing focussed as well. So being able to take on a project early into production while managing to be ingrained in the story being told in my absolute dream. Telling real world stories and using that as a platform to speak on tough topics through environmental concerns and social discourse are the types of stories I am driven to tell.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I believe that I have valued my skills in communication, respect, and punctuality. I value these 3 skills because I believe they are what keeps me working currently as an editor. Communication for most can make our break and collaboration, and is integral to a workspace feeling positive and reinforcing. Respect is important because when I handle someone else’s own ideas and thoughts, it is my job to guide them down the most effective path alongside respecting their integrity as an artist. I like to keep my collaborators close and my reoccurring collaborators even closer, and I believe that respect for each of our roles in production is key. And finally, punctuality can show the difference between a good editor and a great editor. I might not be the best editor but I know for certain that if I can deliver at the right times and in a speedy manor, that makes an incredible difference to keeping a production alive.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

I would spend it exactly the way I am now. Some people may say I work too hard but I always value people who know where they want to be and will do what it takes to get to that place. And even if circumstances don’t entirely work out the way you may want, I do believe that anything will happen the way it needs to. I value the people in my life incredibly, and I feel that no one can do no wrong with a great support system.

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