Where Are They Now: MRHS Graduate Lori Riendeau Pursues Passion for Film Editing at ABC News
If there’s one thing Lori Riendeau knows, it’s the importance of taking advantage of opportunities that can help you grow your skill set. Five years ago, Lori was a Marvin Ridge High student taking Film Production classes offered through the district’s Career Readiness department. She learned early on that she had a passion for film editing, and was eager to learn as much as she could about the industry before graduating.
Today, Lori is not only a 2018 graduate of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts — where she earned a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking with a concentration in editing and sound design — but she also works for ABC News in New York City.
This is what Lori had to say about her accomplishments in college and her career as well as how her time in UCPS prepared her for the future:
On her current role with ABC News: Currently, I am working at ABC News in the editing and operations department. I am like the head of post-production so I work with the bosses in my department. It’s awesome because I never dreamed that I would be here. I wanted to work for Disney, and I got to create magic with the Disney College Program. I applied for a paid Disney Professional Internship with ABC News and it just continued on from there.
On how UCPS and Marvin Ridge High prepared her for college and her career: I think that if I didn’t take film classes in high school, I would not be where I am today. Taking film classes in high school provided me with the opportunity to enter a Carowinds short film trailer contest, which I placed in the top three. I also earned my Adobe and Final Cut certification in high school because of those film classes. It’s so impressive even today to tell someone that I’m certified in any editing software, and I got those two certifications while in high school.
On her most memorable experiences: My most memorable moment in college was my third year thesis film. The crew members and I got to go to Austin, Texas because our film was screening there as a professional selection at a film festival. It was an incredible experience.
On why she wanted to pursue a career in film editing: It actually started off as a hobby. My parents got a computer when I was in middle school and I discovered iMovie. I would take old home videos, recut them to music and hand them out as birthday presents. My parents encouraged me to pursue that, so I took film classes in high school and my passion for this progressed even more.
On where she sees herself in the future: When you’re really young, you dream of winning an Oscar because that’s all you really know about the film industry. It wasn’t until I got older that learned about other roles, and I realized that what I really want to do is be an editor. Becoming an editor takes time because you have to put in the work and prove yourself every single day. I’d love to stay with ABC and earn a solo editing position in the future.