The Mentorship Gap No One Talks About in Post Production

Remote workflows made post production more flexible. They may have also made it harder for the next generation to learn the craft.

When I started my career in post production, there were no shortcuts.

You learned by showing up.

You learned by listening.

You learned by making mistakes.

Most importantly, you learned by being around people who were better than you.

As a post PA and later an assistant editor, I spent countless hours sitting near editors, producers, assistant editors, post supervisors, and engineers. Sometimes the lessons were formal. Most of the time they weren’t.

You overheard conversations.

You watched how people solved problems.

You learned how to communicate under pressure.

You saw what happened when deadlines got tight.

You learned why certain workflows existed instead of simply following instructions.

Many of the most valuable lessons I learned in my career were never written down.

They were passed from one person to another through experience.

That environment played a major role in my own career growth.

I was fortunate to spend a significant portion of my career at A+E Global Media during a period of tremendous growth. As a freelance AE and later a staff lead assistant editor, I had the opportunity to support dozens of productions while learning from talented editors, producers, executives, and post professionals who had been doing this far longer than I had.

Looking back, I don’t think I climbed the ladder because I was the smartest person in the room.

I climbed because I was dependable.

I showed up.

I stayed curious.

I asked questions.

I tried to solve problems before they became someone else’s problem.

And when things got difficult, I became someone people could lean on.

Over time, those habits created opportunities.

People remembered.

Recommendations happened.

Doors opened.

Projects led to other projects.

The relationships I built became just as important as the technical skills I developed.

That’s how careers are often built in post production.

Or at least that’s how they used to be.

Then COVID happened.

Almost overnight, the industry transitioned to remote workflows.

In many ways, it was an incredible achievement.

Teams adapted quickly.

Technology evolved.

Cloud workflows matured.

Remote editorial became commonplace.

Today, productions can operate across multiple cities, states, and countries without missing a beat.

The flexibility is remarkable.

But something was lost along the way.

The apprenticeship model largely disappeared.

Young assistant editors and post PAs no longer sit next to senior editors every day.

They aren’t overhearing conversations in edit bays.

They aren’t walking into post rooms to ask quick questions.

They aren’t observing how experienced professionals handle difficult situations in real time.

Many of the informal learning opportunities that helped previous generations develop simply aren’t available in the same way.

The result is a growing mentorship gap.

Today’s emerging post professionals often have access to more information than ever before.

There are YouTube tutorials.

Online courses.

Documentation.

Forums.

AI tools.

Yet many still struggle with the practical realities of working in professional post environments.

Not because they lack talent.

Because context is harder to acquire.

A tutorial can teach you which buttons to push.

It rarely teaches you why a workflow exists.

It doesn’t explain what happens when a producer calls because media is offline an hour before a client review.

It doesn’t explain how to troubleshoot a broken relink on a Friday night delivery.

It doesn’t explain how to earn trust.

It doesn’t explain how to become the person people call when everything goes wrong.

Those lessons typically come from experience and mentorship.

Unfortunately, both have become harder to access.

That’s one of the reasons I decided to create the PostOpz Workflow Kits.

At first glance, they look like project templates.

And yes, they include practical resources.

Folder structures.

Project templates.

Bin organization.

Naming conventions.

Assistant editor workflows.

Media management systems.

But that wasn’t the real goal.

The real goal was to create something I wish I had access to when I was starting out.

A resource that doesn’t just explain how to organize a project, but why professional teams organize projects the way they do.

A resource that doesn’t just provide templates, but shares real-world insights gained from years of working inside network television, documentaries, factual programming, and unscripted productions.

A resource that helps bridge the gap between technical knowledge and professional experience.

Because the reality is that not everyone has access to a mentor anymore.

Not everyone works in a facility surrounded by experienced professionals.

Not everyone has a senior assistant editor sitting one desk away.

Many people are learning in spare bedrooms, home offices, and remote workstations.

They’re figuring things out on their own.

I understand that because I’ve watched the industry change in real time.

The Workflow Kits aren’t intended to replace mentorship.

Nothing can fully replace learning alongside experienced professionals.

But if they can provide some of the context, structure, and practical guidance that helped shape my own career, then they’ve accomplished their purpose.

The post production industry needs talented new people.

It needs assistant editors.

It needs post coordinators.

It needs post PAs.

It needs future editors and post supervisors.

Most importantly, it needs experienced professionals willing to share what they’ve learned.

Because the next generation shouldn’t have to figure everything out alone.

About the Author

Michael Newton is an editor, producer, and post production executive with more than a decade of experience across documentary, factual, and unscripted television. He currently serves as Head of Post Production at VictoryRoad and is the founder of PostOpz.

His editorial work can be viewed at mnewton.xyz.

Workflow Kits for Assistant Editors and Post Professionals

The PostOpz Workflow Kits were built to help aspiring and working post professionals develop real-world organizational and workflow skills used throughout modern television and digital productions.

Each kit includes project templates, folder structures, workflow documentation, organizational systems, and practical insights drawn from more than a decade of experience in professional post production environments.

Available for:

• Avid Media Composer • Adobe Premiere Pro • DaVinci Resolve

Learn more at PostOpz.com

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