Paul La Calandra is an editor at Uppercut Edit, a post boutique with studios in New York and Atlanta. Uppercut launched in New York City in 2015 with editor and owner Micah Scarpelli at the helm. Over that time, the company has continued to grow its post offerings, which now include editorial, finishing, VFX and music — the latter is thanks to its partner Racket Club.

“Being both an editor and owner, Micah just gets it. He listens and has a close eye on the industry,” says La Calandra. “Micah is still in the trenches and understands how the industry continues to evolve and what that means for editors, our offices and the work at large.”

Orangetheory Fitness “Made for More”

In his role as editor at Uppercut, La Calandra works with ad agencies, production companies and directors. “I like to think that I shape stories and make them worth watching. Commercials, music videos, branded content, short films… whatever the medium, it’s all about telling a story and making it entertaining. Just making it watchable. Capturing people’s attention is hard these days. There’s so much out there, and at the end of the day you want people to watch the work and get something out of it.”

Let’s find out more from La Calandra…

What’s your favorite part of the job?
When I lose myself in my work. When you don’t think about what you’re doing and it starts to just unfold in front of you. You’re in the zone, it clicks and you keep riding that wave. I think it’s all instinct… the more you think about it the worse it gets. Which brings me to the next question…

What’s your least favorite?
When you overthink things nothing good comes out of it. It’s been my experience that the more time or people are involved the more things get watered down and become less and less familiar. The scariest part of that is when you lose it yourself. If the back and forth goes on for too long you can find yourself in a place where you can’t tell what’s good anymore.

What is your most productive time of day and why?
100% the morning! I’m an animal in the mornings; a morning person for sure. Those hours before noon, even the hours before people get into the office are my favorite. My brain function is in high gear, and it all flows at that time.

Lobos 1707 brand film

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
I always thought landscape architecture would be dope. I’d love to see my neurosis of always needing to put things in their place come to life with tangible materials. It’s like the old days of cutting on film, which I only did once in school. Designing a physical space… I’d love that!

I also love to curate travel experiences for people. My friends hit me up to do it for them all the time anyway, so it would be great to be compensated for it. I’d also love to have an antique shop, restore historic homes, or who knows… maybe I’d just get lost spending my life savings traveling in Southeast Asia or something. But yeah, those are the things I think I’d do instead.

How early did you know this would be your path?
My pops was a creative director. He started on the drawing table, smoking cigarettes while he was working on cigarettes. That Mad Men-era for sure. Despite him telling me to stay away from advertising because, ya know, it’s crazy, he hooked me up with a summer internship while I was in school for music production. It was a shop called Steel Rose, run by Tony Siggia. Some of the guys there got me cutting and finding music for some jobs, and I was totally into the atmosphere and vibe in general. I figured the vendor side would keep me safe from those insane stories I heard from my dad. So that was that. I went back to school in the fall, changed my major, and started making some horrible student films.

Can you name some recent jobs?
The Lobos 1707 brand film — I cut this with my close friend and director Ariel Danziger. It was shot by Jeremy Snell, whose work I love. It all came together on this one. The agency was great, the client was wonderful, the spot was moody and emotional, and it featured the biggest athlete in the country: Lebron James. I loved working on it, it didn’t even feel like work. That’s the dream. That’s why we do this.

Cash Lansky music video

Also, this year I worked on some of the Wendy’s branded content with VMLY&R, which I thought was fun. I never get comedic/parodic work, so I was very excited for the opportunity. It’s always a pleasure to take the piss out of things and not take things so seriously. It was almost making fun of advertising and the work I do. It was docu-style parody. So, fun.

Another one this year was the re-edit for Orangetheory Fitness with Tambros. It was an interesting project because it was cut before but they wanted a fresh take. It was another kind of challenge that I’m game for, sporty and inspirational, which is definitely in my wheelhouse.

Do you put on a different hat when cutting for a specific genre?
These days, I’m often sound designing my cut or doing rough color, but that’s across the board, not specific to a genre. I’m not going to call myself a sound designer, but honestly, sometimes I prefer what I do to what others do on some of my work. Docu-style work can make you feel like a writer, but I’m not going to call myself that. 

As an editor, director, actor, etc, you can get pigeonholed into similar type of work. It’s the nature of the business. That’s why it’s important to go out and get the kinds of projects you really want, even early on in your career — to make sure you enjoy the work you will probably end up doing a lot of.

Nowadays, I feel genres are all blending together, which is making a lot of our work in the industry feel redundant. But I like where we’re at in comparison to when I started in the industry. It’s more competitive and saturated, but there’s so much good work out there. It pushes you to be better yourself and wear as many hats as you can on every job.

Can you talk about editing during COVID?
There were some nervy moments for all of us at the beginning, but eventually, things returned, and the work started up again. I was working from home, which I absolutely hated. I need to leave my house every day and need to be in the office when working, so I’m glad that I’m back in now and others are starting to make their way back as well.

Somewhere short film

I went back in September of 2020 after five months of WFH, and it was a nice break. Then winter hit, cases went back up, and was back home for a few months again. The job I’m on currently has clients coming in, which I welcome with open arms. With Zoom sessions, the workflow is so much more challenging. You can work something out in a room with someone in five minutes that would take hours via postings and all that. 

What system do you edit on?
Adobe Premiere. I learned on the Avid Media Composer and went to Final Cut 7 when that was a thing, and then back to Avid for a while. I picked up Premiere in 2017 after I kept hearing all the hype, and for me it’s the best of all those worlds. It’s really intuitive, and I fly on it.

I know we touched on this earlier but can you talk about doing more than just the edit?
Sound design is a biggy for me. I honestly can’t tell if something feels right sometimes if I don’t plus it up with sound to help me feel it out. In the past, before I had an assistant, I did all my own graphics, which is an undertaking in and of itself, let alone while you’re editing.

In my career, I’ve been asked to pitch my work to rooms filled with people. I’ve been on set and asked my opinions and ideas there. Sometimes you also drive the creative. But, honestly, I just wrap that all up in the responsibilities of an editor. It’s all part of the gig, and I enjoy having an emotional attachment to my work, that sense of ownership where I care about the final outcome.

What are three pieces of technology you can’t live without?
Well, no one can live without their phone anymore, for better or worse. And, sadly, I’m no different. A Bluetooth speaker for sure. Always need some jams wherever I am. And whatever combo of apps I need to watch as much soccer as possible. I know that sounds lame, but it helps me de-stress and takes my mind off work.

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
Now more than ever I take my mental health very seriously. Exercise is key. I’ve always been into hiking, cycling and playing soccer. Taking time away is also huge. I was big on traveling before good old COVID but will definitely get back to it. I need to be outside as much as possible. I’ve been meditating recently and trying to avoid negative patterns of thinking overall. This all helps me destress and frankly makes me more tolerable for the people who love me most. It’s a journey. I try and stay away from social media as much as possible too.

How do you manage producer’s expectations with reality/what can really be done?
I get a lot of support from my producers, and we manage the expectations of clients as a team. It’s the only way. I mean, sometimes you have to just make it happen. Within reason, of course.

How do you manage your time? Do you manage expectations or try everything they ask of you?
I tackle things right away — I like to get a jump on it. I’ve always been this way. It makes everything feel less daunting. I also tell myself, “It’s all going to get done, and turn out great!”

I also have the help of my very talented and supportive team of assistants and producers if it gets out of control. But even the craziest projects usually work out just fine in the end.

How do you take criticism? Do you find yourself defensive or accepting of others’ ideas (good and bad)?
This is a loaded question! I would say it really depends on who it’s coming from and for what reason. I am always open to constructive criticism to make the creative better. I always want to push things in that direction. On the other hand, if someone is making a comment just to have something to say, that never feels great because it doesn’t make the work better. 

When someone who is starting out asks what they should learn, what do you recommend?
My biggest recommendation for someone starting out is to keep and hold dear the relationships they make in the industry. Especially the ones they feel passionate about. You’re only as strong as the people around you. That’s been my experience in this industry. There are many of us who know how to edit, design, color and retouch, but what good is it if no one trusts you to implement it? Or to express yourself while doing it? When they do, that’s the best.