Category: Career Advice / Industry Analysis

The mantra for the last year was "Stay Alive 'Til '25." Well, it is 2026, and for many editors in Los Angeles, the phone still isn't ringing.

The streaming bubble has burst. Production has contracted. Experienced editors are staring at empty calendars and skyrocketing rent. The "Golden Age of TV" created a surplus of talent, and now that the industry is correcting, there aren't enough seats at the table.

If you are waiting for the industry to "go back to normal," you might burn through your savings before that happens. It is time to stop waiting and start pivoting.

Here is how to survive the LA drought by looking where others aren't.

1. The "Unsexy" Pivot: Corporate & B2B

We all moved to LA to cut narrative films, not "Internal Training Videos" for insurance companies. But right now, Corporate is where the stability is.

• The Shift: Stop looking on IMDb Pro or Mandy. Start looking on LinkedIn.

• The Pitch: Corporate clients don't care about your "Artist Statement." They care about ROI and Speed. Update your portfolio to show clean, polished, branded content.

• The Rate: Corporate day rates often match or exceed non-union narrative rates ($600-$1000/day), and they pay faster.

2. The "New Media" Pivot: High-End YouTube

Dismissing YouTube as "kids in basements" is a career-limiting mistake in 2026. Channels like MagnatesMedia, Johnny Harris, or MrBeast operate like mini TV networks. They have budgets, they have teams, and they need storytellers.

• Why it works: These creators are desperate for editors who understand pacing and narrative structure—skills you honed in TV.

• The Catch: You have to learn their language. You need to be faster, and you need to understand retention (the first 3 seconds matter more than the third act).

3. The Geographic Pivot: Do You Need to Be in LA?

If you aren't on a lot or in a bay with a showrunner, you are paying a "Location Tax" for no reason.

• Chicago: Huge market for Advertising and Agency work. Lower cost of living, high day rates.

• Washington D.C.: The land of Political Ads, Government contracting, and News. It is recession-proof. If you know Avid, you will never lack work here.

• Atlanta: Still booming for production, though post is often still tied to LA/NY. However, local commercial work is strong.

4. The "Remote" Reality Check

If you stay in LA, you are competing with every other unemployed editor in a 30-mile radius.

• Expand Your Radius: Look for remote gigs in "Timezone Friendly" cities. NYC agencies often need night editors (which is just "evening" for you in LA).

• The "Preditor" Role: To survive right now, you might need to be a Generalist again. Offering Motion Graphics or Color Grading as an "Add-on" can be the tie-breaker that gets you the gig over a pure cutter.

Summary

There is no shame in taking "boring" work to pay the bills. Your identity as an editor isn't defined by the credits at the end of a Netflix show; it's defined by your ability to tell a story anywhere. Pivot to corporate, embrace new media, or look at secondary markets. The goal is to keep cutting, even if the genre changes.