Alum
Phil McLaughlin
Film and television editor and director
Phil McLaughlin, BA'07, thrived in the film industry because he had a community and strong connections.
“I'm friends with a lot of the other students that I met while at IU. I moved out to LA with what might have been 20 to 30 people. That has been incredibly beneficial — just having that network and having that safety net and a core group of contacts and friends to do something like move across the country with. I didn’t have any other footholds in California when I moved there.
I wouldn’t say that I necessarily set out to be an editor as much as I just really knew I wanted to be in a film and television and storytelling sort of role. I learned throughout my career how integral the editor is in that process.
TV is an artistic pursuit. And it's stronger when you're doing it with people that you enjoy doing it with. Lead with gratitude and humility and vulnerability and be open to things.”
Written By Ellie Albin
Photos By Emma Ramirez