We recently connected with Rosalie Richey and have shared our conversation below.
Rosalie, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Although I feel like I’m still learning how to be more confident in myself, this is such a relevant question for me right now. When I first moved here about 9 months ago, I had an entry level job lined up on a path to becoming a film editor, but knew I wanted to edit for freelance gigs on the side. Coming out of college, I really didn’t have a lot to show for myself: I had maybe two student films and some promotional clips for a club that I was in, and trying to convince people that I was qualified for a job was hard. This lack of having anything really took away from any confidence I had in myself as an editor, kind of similar to imposter syndrome, like, “Am I really good enough to be doing this if I don’t have anything to prove it?” I had met one person who was looking for an editor for their short film and asked for me to send over some of my work. I was really nervous about it, because of my lack of true experience and also feeling like what I had was not a good representation of what I can do. Many of my friends reassured me and pushed me to not let an opportunity slip away because I was scared, so I scraped together what I could, including rough, unfinished cuts of some things which in hind-sight I’m SO embarrassed about but it was what I had, and sent it off. Long story short, the response I got made it clear they didn’t see me fit for the job, which I also read as they didn’t think I was a good editor, and it really threw me into a rut and my creative self-esteem was horrible. I would go to creative events and compare myself to everyone doing really cool things and being so good at their craft, thinking I had proof that I wasn’t good at mine. After letting myself wallow for some time, I knew that I just had to continue to fake it and push myself to put myself out there and get other opportunities to build up reel-worthy projects. Putting myself out there, even when I was feeling the worst about myself, allowed for just a couple people to believe in me. I’ve gotten a couple of freelance gigs since then, and I’ve received overwhelming praise for my work, and it feels so good. I’m so much more confident in myself, and who I am as an editor. At the end of the day, that little voice in the back of my head that was saying, “But you KNOW you could do something great if you were given the chance,” pulled through over any others of doubt. Fake-it-til-you-make-it is such a cliche, but it’s truly what got my to find my creative voice. That and blocking out all the negative self talk and listening to the one positive one, because even just one was enough to help me.
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?
Hi!! I’m Rosalie Richey and I am an editor. I recently graduated from the University of Georgia (go dawgs!) a little over a year ago with a goal of moving out to LA to pursue a career in film editing. After spending a couple of months job searching, I was able to make the cross country drive in June 2024. I started working as a Post Production Coordinator on season 2 of the HGTV show “Renovation Aloha.” Starting at the beginning of the season, things we’re slow, but I had interned with this company, Fields Entertainment, the year prior and they had got to know me and my goals of becoming an editor, so they let me help the story producer in my down time. For those who may not know, the story producer’s job is to cut stringouts, which is basically like making a script for reality TV by using a radio edit. It’s the step you take before a full edit, but it was a chance for me to develop my skills in story and had the same problem solving aspect as editing does. As time went on, my responsibilities grew, and as the season sped up the more I strung sequences to help with the workflow. I got better with practice with every scene I was given, and eventually gained the trust to build full acts. I am still managing the logistical aspects I was initially hired for, but I am now also being credited as an Additional Story Producer on some of the episodes. I am so grateful that I got to be really hands on in the post production process for my first job, and I’m proud for where this past year has taken me!
Outside of that, I continue to work on my craft as a freelance editor. When I first moved out here, I didn’t really know anybody or have any strong connections based on my work. I immersed myself in all of the creative events that I could, to meet people for personal as well as professional connections. There are a lot of opinions of the LA community being pretentious and every man for himself, but what I have experienced thus far has been the exact opposite. The joy and excitement of collaboration is so evident. It took a while before my network started to build, but after 9 months of me being here I’ve started being hired or recommended for projects. It can be hard coming home from a long day at work to then work some more into the night, but this is my time to fully explore my creative outlet; and when you love what you’re working on it doesn’t really feel like work. And I feel that way about my post coordinator job too, I enjoy going in everyday. I just love editing and post production so much, I do it all day everyday and I never get tired of it.
Editing is so special to me because it is where a story comes together, almost like a second round of writing. What other people may see as tedious, frustrating, or boring, I find so exciting. Getting to see a project start from multiple different pieces come together as a whole product is fascinating: the number of creative choices that you can make that can dramatically change the meaning or look of a video is so much more that one would think, or even putting clips together with the perfect music cue. It’s all so satisfying and, honestly, thrilling in a way.
Throughout my career, I want to work on projects that are not only entertaining, but propose a greater message. Stories are the perfect way to present ideas and subtle meaning to an audience, not only evoking emotion but continued thought and conversations. There is a lot going on in the world right now, which I feel like I’ve been saying for years, but it’s so important to spread messages of community and understanding. For me, editing is one of the ways I feel like I can contribute to that. I love it for the technicality of the craft, the expression of creativity, yes, but ultimately for the power it holds for storytelling.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
First and foremost, I think being able to adapt and being a quick learned have helped me the most. When I first started my job as a post production coordinator, I had a smaller set of responsibilities. As time went on, with us having a small team and me having extra time, I was assigned various tasks that increased my workload…until I was juggling multiple things at once. Part of this was me saying yes to everything because I wanted to prove that I was competent enough, and I’d rather be busy than bored, but it got to the point where everyday I needed to manage time and stress, to ensure everything was done. I had to learn how to use Avid Media Composer in a greater scope than I already did, and I had to learn it quickly. Thankfully, I work well under stress: it puts a bit of a fire in me to do good and I’m able to keep it all internal. I’m one of the most anxious people I know but I’ve been told many times that I’m one of the chillest people others know, so I must be masking well.
Being an editor, one of the most common qualities amongst us is being an introvert, but one of the most important skills to exist in this industry is networking. Truthfully, I love meeting new people, but I do have a level of social anxiety that makes it really hard for me to get myself to go to things or act like a normal human being when I get there. However, I’m really proud of myself for the amount that I’ve been able to force myself to go to these despite any internal fears. And, the best experiences, the best connections, and potential job leads have all come from me talking to others at these events. I still have moments where my anxieties win, but they’re significantly less knowing I have multiple evidence that getting myself out there pays off. All in all, having a “just do it” mentality has gotten me very far.
Lastly, one of the best pieces of advice that I’ve gotten is to know my limits and remember to have time for myself. To piggy back off of the previous point, yes, networking is so important, but so is balancing my personal life. I’ve made it a mission to force myself to go to networking/creative events, but also to find other communities in the hobbies that I enjoy. I’ve started playing volleyball again, and it’s something I look forward to every week and gives me a day to focus on things other than work. I’m a member of AMC A-list (if anyone lives out here that likes movies, get A-list it’s the best thing ever) and I take myself to the movies to enjoy them rather than study them (although sometimes I still do). Working in entertainment can sometimes feel like a full-time 24 hour job, but giving myself permission to take a step back every once and a while has saved me a lot of stress and grounds me when I’m feeling overwhelmed.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
There’s not really one specific person I can mention, but my immediate thought are my friends from Femme Creatives Connect. Femme Creatives is a monthly meetup for female identifying creatives, where we take a look at the month ahead and set goals and intentions, and just connect with other femmes in the creative space. I always feel like an ambassador for them, but I just truly love talking about it and support the mission wholeheartedly. Each meeting I am met with so much love and championing, and it’s so inspiring to see a group of badass women come together for what they love. Woman have always empowered me, and being a female in the industry can be hard at times. When things get overwhelming or I’m feeling down on my craft, going to FCC reignites my passion and motivation. They remind me that I’m also a badass creative, and I leave with a refreshed mind and spirit. I never feel more inspired than when I’m surrounded by women! It’s such a beautiful community and I’ve met so many wonderful people though it that have made my short time in LA so far amazing.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @rosalierichey
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosalierichey/
- Other: email: @rosalieadele0423@gmail.com
Editing Reel (vimeo): https://vimeo.com/1070918176?share=copy
Image Credits
Carleigh Hyser (1 and 3)
Sarah Selvig (4)
Peter Zakhary (6)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
