dustin muenchow
Written by: Milla Nguyen
Dustin Muenchow is an editor and director with experience in diverse media. He is no stranger to creating engaging pieces in genres such as comedy, drama, experimental, and even animated media. Even in our interview, Dustin was energetic and passionate about the science behind editing. The more I learned about his story, the more I wanted to know about his future plans. Starting with his childhood, Dustin mentioned that his parents grew up in the Midwest. Afterwards, they moved to California, where Dustin was born. He loves surfing, sailing, and water sports. I asked him if he recalled when he wanted to be a filmmaker. He replied, “I always knew I wanted to be a filmmaker. My middle school had a broadcast journalism program. At age thirteen, I started learning how to edit on tape to tape. Media 100 was a software I was using that no one knows now.” He compared his dream of being a filmmaker to his life on the water. He said, “When you’re on the water, you’re charting your own course. You’ve got to make your own path.” At the time, he had an internship at the local public access place where he edited a spot for Anime Expo. He also completed a PA gig at Raleigh Studios, where he participated in setting up the DirecTV Championship Gaming Tournament. During the summer, he also created his first documentary that screened at a LA film festival. Once he was steadfast in his passion for filmmaking, he decided he wanted to go to film school. From there, he was later accepted to Loyola Marymount University.
He said, “It was a dream come true. I knew I was lucky to be there. I truly love Loyola and all the collaborators I met there. I worked in lighting and grip. I looked up to the upperclassmen that I worked with.” Dustin spoke of the time he studied abroad in Germany through LMU. He was able to delve deeper into documentary filmmaking and recalled special memories shooting there. He said, “The enduring legacy of LMU is the fact that I still work with many of the people I met when I was a student there. A lot of the 2012 class is still working in the industry. It’s so cool.” During his time at LMU, he also earned a minor in business administration, which helped him hone his skills in every department.
Dustin is most known as the editor of the award-winning television pilot, Halfrican American, which won the Special Jury Award at the SXSW film festival. It’s a semi-autobiographical piece loosely based on writer and director Zeke Nicholson. Zeke Nicholson has worked on projects such as Loot, Miracle Workers, and more. The story follows a young, half-Black man who reconnects with his father after not knowing him in childhood. The rest of the episode is from his perspective as he meets his father’s side of the family, whom he didn’t know existed. Dustin said, “The piece is about identity. Fitting in. Finding where you come from. It’s a fun, hard R family comedy. I edited the sequences to the script. Comedy is about the performances. I’m just pulling from the improv, intercutting, and spending time in editorial.” Then, the news came. The team was officially accepted to screen Halfrican American at SXSW, one of the largest film festivals in the world. He recalled, “It was like camp going to South by. Zeke, the crew, and I stayed in one house. It was a lovely, life-affirming event. I’m glad I extended my trip because we didn’t expect to win.” Suited up and dressed to the 9s, Dustin sat with his crew at the award ceremony. Their pilot was the first award to be called. He said, “I gave the most guttural yell. It was cool to get recognition for a comedy. It’s the kind of film I like to make. It’s the line between artful and commercial.” Afterwards, the pilot was accepted into the Aspen Film Festival and the Boulder International Film Festival. To Dustin’s surprise, the pilot also won best short film at the Boulder International Film Festival.
When it comes to editing, Dustin said that his directing and music skills have come in handy. He mentioned that music was always a part of his life, and that different genres of music, such as lo-fi, rock, instrumental, etc., are core in setting the mood. He said, “I believe in the theory that playing instruments is akin to editing rhythm.” His favorite music project he’s directed is a music video for a Japanese artist named starRo. The song was nominated for a Grammy. He emphasized his love for dance choreography and his utilization of projection mapping on the project.
He has also edited commercials and promos for high-level brands such as Netflix, Nike, Nickelodeon, Capital One, Disney World, and more. Dustin elaborated that one of his favorite projects was Funny or Die’s High Science, a MAX original. It was a challenging project that utilized green screen and heavy visual effects, pushing him to his fullest potential. In the Nike brand spot, Nike Running: Seoul to Chicago, he worked with Dirty Robber, a production company that encouraged him to interchange mixed media effects and 35mm photography.
To add to his list of impressive accolades, Dustin has worked extensively with JASH, a comedy community and advertising agency founded by Michael Cera, Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, Sara Silverman, and Reggie Watts. He has edited many different types of projects with the company featuring comedic talent like Norm Macdonald, Beth Stelling, Stephanie Beatriz, and Nicole Byer. He elaborated, "I love working in comedy. It has the perfect mix of working within constraints while still having enough flexibility to really try things and push the medium.
There's so much power in editing with comedy. I feel very lucky to be able to sit in the room and collaborate with some of the funniest people around". After his time at JASH, Dustin continued his journey in comedy. He worked extensively with All Things Comedy, a production company founded by Bill Burr and Al Madrigal. Further in our discussion, we conversed about the future of editing. Dustin admitted that the strike changed the landscape. On the other hand, most digital editors today can adapt to changing technology. He remains optimistic about the industry’s future and the rising generation of filmmakers. He said, “It’s really neat. I’m delving into the indie filmmaking world more and creating things that I’m excited about. I’m exploring new things.”
In lieu of the future, Dustin recently edited a feature film titled, The Toast, directed by fellow LMU alumni Tom W. Meyers. The film is about a desperate wedding party that scrambles to prevent the drunk Father-of-the Bride from giving a disastrous welcome toast. He is also working on children's television show pitch with Johnny Pemberton, known for Fallout and 21 Jump Street.
Finally, I asked him if there was anyone he would like to thank for supporting him in this career. He mentioned his parents. He said, “My parents were so ecstatic for me. I could not have more loving, wonderful parents.”. He added, LMU, Tanner Kling, and Chris Hanada of Retrofit Films. He mentioned they had given him one of his big breaks in his career. Together, the trio edited content for the CW and Cartoon Network.”