We all have a story to tell...

When I first moved to Los Angeles I was in film school and I was in class several nights a week. When I wasn't in class I was tracking down movies in theaters across the city I had to watch and critique before my next class. There wasn't a lot of time for other pursuits. That first year of film school, my first in Los Angeles, I watched something like 100 movies. Both in theaters and at home. That's in addition to my normal television favorites, writing two feature length scripts, reading every script and book I could get my hands on, having an internship, teaching, and just the general business of living. So I didn't have a lot of time to get to events. But since finishing film school officially at UCLA I've tried to see film and television events around town as a way to continue my education, something that's very important to me. I make it a priority to listen to podcasts (mostly Scriptnotes which is a never miss, but sometimes Marc Maron and Kevin Pollock, occasionally KCRW's The Treatment, etc.), watch live streams of Q&As, and so on. I also try to get to Writers Guild events and every year, Prime/Cuts which is the Emmy panel featuring nominated television editors.

It's true, I'm not an editor. I have absolutely no experience or training in editing. I know it happens on a computer. I know it's important. I know that some day, God willing, I'll be asked to step into the editing booth and give my two-cents on how the cut looks. But for now? I'm a sponge wanting to learn. Also? One of my favorite showrunners, Shawn Ryan, hosts the panel most years. And I'm all for hearing him chat for an afternoon.

So yesterday Angela and I went off in search of the Skirball Center and Prime/Cuts. And we spent a few hours listening to how these seven editors do their job, how they contribute creatively to some of the best television out there, and how they see what they do as really another draft, another way of writing the script. In the words of Mr. Ryan, "Editing really is the closest you can get to writing without putting pen to paper."

And while the editors talked about their personal experiences and their work environments and how they coordinate with the writers and directors, I kept thinking about the fact that there were only two women on the panel. And wouldn't it be something if some day, there were five women on the panel and only two men. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm glad there were two women up there. But still...a few more couldn't be found? Maybe not...

When Mr. Ryan opened up the floor for audience questions I waited a minute or two and then finally stood up. I wasn't sure how I was going to phrase my question but it came out anyway. I said I wanted to ask the two women on the panel how being a female has impacted their careers. Whether or not they feel they've missed out on opportunities because they are women. And if there's a similar problem with women getting work in editing rooms as there is with women getting work in writing rooms.

I sat back down in the front row and watched as the first female panelist, Cate Haight, picked up her microphone and spoke directly at me. She said, yes, there's a problem. The editors guild is 75% male. That's a problem. She talked for a few minutes about how important women's points of view are in the process and though she had never directly experienced not getting a job because of her gender, she suspected others had. Then the second woman on the panel, Kate Amend, chimed in and echoed the sentiments and stated that she'd gone into documentary work because it seemed easier for a woman to get work in that world.

The panel went on for a while longer, we heard some funny stories, and then it was over. As Angela and I turned to leave, a young woman bounded down the steps and stated, "You're the one who asked the question about gender. Thank you. I have a story..."

She proceeded to tell us the experience she had recently of being interviewed for a job on a hit show, being almost 100% sure she had gotten the job, and then being taken into the editing room to meet everyone. She said immediately she knew the job wasn't hers anymore. The room was taken aback by her, a woman, in the sea of male faces staring back at her. She talked about how she just can't seem to catch a break in the male-dominated industry and she's hopeful if we keep talking about the issue, it'll change. I promised her it would, and that with more women writers and more women creators, hopefully we'll see a shift toward equality. We exchanged cards and I'm hopeful one day we'll work together.

Angela and I said goodbye and headed toward the restrooms. But before we could get a few stairs down, another woman, this time older, and a different race, grabbed us and said she was so glad I'd asked that question, that I'd spoken up. She's not an editor, her husband is, but she's a playwright and a vocal feminist and she said we need to stand up and make a change. We chatted for a few minutes and she wished me luck.

In the span of twenty minutes I'd met two very different women, and heard two very different, yet similar, stories. I'd heard that while there's so much excitement and promise in this industry, and in this world, there's still so much left to change, left to make better. And I want to be a part of that. I want to be the change I wish to see in the world. I really truly do. I want to make a difference. To help women know that we can do everything. We can make the decisions. We can be involved.

We all have stories. We all want to tell our stories. Sometimes that happens in writing. Sometimes that happens in editing. And sometimes that happens with each other on the steps, after we've stood up, hands shaking, and been just a little bit brave. Sometimes we need to stick our necks out and remember that the worst thing that can happen is really probably not so bad after all. And that even the final draft of something I write will be changed a million times along that way, even after I think it's finished. Much like life.