How to Become a Multimedia Editor in California

Nearly one third of all U.S. jobs available to multimedia artists are based in the state of California.  Countless California creative professionals enjoy steady employment as audio-visual editors.  Audio-visual editing is necessary for almost all multimedia productions.

California Schools and Training Programs for Multimedia Editing

California Universities, colleges and film schools offer the full range of film making instruction and degree programs.  Popular local design colleges include USC and UCLA in Los Angeles, L.A. Film School in Hollywood, Intercoast College in Burbank, California College of San Diego, International Academy of Design and Technology in Sacramento, California College of the Arts in Oakland, Expression College of Digital Arts in Emeryville and Carrington College in Emeryville and San Jose, to name only a few.

Nowadays, crowds of aspiring California editors acquire skills and degrees from accredited virtual film schools.  These include The Academy of Art University, Full Sail University, Stratford Career Institute, University of Phoenix, The Art Institutes, DeVry and ITT Tech, among others.  Some online design colleges provide supplemental campus-based training programs.  University of Phoenix has campuses in Bakersfield, Chula Vista, Concord, El Centro, Elk Grove, Fairfield, Fresno, Livermore, Oakland, Rancho Cordova, Roseville, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Visalia, as well as twelve locations in and around Los Angeles.  The Art Institutes has campuses in Hollywood, Inland Empire, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Sunnyvale.  ITT Tech is located in Fresno, Sacramento, San Diego, Stockton, Concord and Oakland, as well as nine Los Angeles area locations.

Working as a Multimedia Editor in California

Thousands of California businesses hire multimedia editing professionals.  Some California media editors sign up with local TV stations like CBS-Films or Fox Broadcasting in Los Angeles, NBC Universal or The Walt Disney Company in Burbank, Eye-Witness-News-29 in Bakersfield, Channel-59 in Fresno, Herring-Broadcasting-System in San Diego, Young Broadcasting in San Francisco, KXTV-Channel-10 in Sacramento, New-Majority-Media in San Jose and Metrocast-KBLM in Riverside, to mention just a fraction.

California sound editors are often employed by local radio stations like CBS-Radio in Los Angeles, Midwest-Television in San Diego, Redband-Broadcasting in San Francisco, KFOX-98 in San Jose, Inland-Empire-News-Radio in Riverside, Three-Angels-Broadcasting-Network in Bakersfield, Univision-Radio in Fresno and Smooth-Jazz-fm-KSSJ in Sacramento, for instance.

Full time multimedia artists employed in the state of California report an average annual salary of about $75,000, and a mean hourly rate of around $36.00.  California ranks first among states in terms of average annual salaries paid to multimedia professionals. 

Skills of a Professional Multimedia Editor

Multimedia editors are creative professionals with superb attention to the finest audio-visual details.  The job of a multimedia editor is to shift, alter and reassemble video footage or taped recordings under the careful scrutiny of a director or producer.  Multimedia editing used to involve working with many thousand feet of film or tape rolled up on spools or reels and stored in flat tin cans.  Editors used to cut celluloid film with scissors, then stick it back together with clear adhesive tape.  (How quaint?)  Although traditional editing techniques are still in use today, most multimedia productions are now digitally created.  Therefore, audio-visual editors must be fully familiar with all related digital editing design software.  Currently among the most prominent of these are Adobe Premier, Final Cut and Unreal Editor.