How to Become a Multimedia Editor in Atlanta, Georgia

The city of Atlanta, Georgia features many visual artists and a thriving motion picture industry.  These days, more and more creative professionals in Atlanta seek careers in the field of multimedia design, particularly as multimedia editors.

Atlanta Schools and Training Programs for Multimedia Editing

Colleges, Universities and film schools in Atlanta, Georgia are packed to the rafters with aspiring audio-visual artists.  Atlanta design schools with strong multimedia divisions include Westwood College, Spelman College, Portfolio Center, The Creative Circus and American Intercontinental University.  Local art students focused on audio-visual studies typically major in film photography or communication design.

Some Atlanta artists acquire multimedia editing skills online.  Accredited virtual film schools include the Academy of Art University, Full Sail University, Stratford Career Institute, University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes, ITT Tech and DeVry.  Some online film schools offer convenient supplemental physical locations.  University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes, ITT Tech and DeVry all have campuses in Atlanta.

Working as a Multimedia Editor in Atlanta, Georgia

A large number of media-related Atlanta business associations recruit professional multimedia editors for virtually every kind of sight or sound production.  Editors are needed for feature films, animated cartoons and countless independent video productions, as well as broadcasting, advertising and many other purposes.  Local audio-visual editors often work for Atlanta TV stations like Cable-News-Network, Gray-Television, New-World-Communications, Susquehanna-Broadcasting and WSB-TV, for example.  Atlanta sound editors are often employed by local radio stations like Cox-Radio, GHB-Broadcasting, Cumulus-Media, Sheridan-Broadcasting and Turner-Broadcasting, among others. 

Roughly a thousand multimedia editors are employed full time in the city of Atlanta, Georgia and its surrounding metro area.  On average, an audio-visual editor in Atlanta earns about $53,040 per year, with a mean hourly rate of about $25.50, according to data compiled in 2010 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

Skills of a Professional Multimedia Editor

Among the most essential technical skills required of multimedia editors are computer operating expertise and proficiency with all related software applications.  Digital editing software packages currently in use include Final Cut, Adobe Premier, After Effects, Flash and Dreamweaver, among others.  Most editors are equally familiar with Illustrator, Photo Shop, Power Point and many other audio-visual design programs.  Nonetheless, traditional editing techniques like cutting, pasting and wax marking remain in use by business organizations like film schools, info tech firms and historical archives.  Interpersonal skills most important to multimedia editing are soulful collaboration with other artists, superb communication skills and extraordinary detail orientation.