ERICA FREED MARKER
“I didn’t go to film school,” Emmy-nominated television editor Erica Freed Marker says. “I learned on the job through the generosity and mentorship of my colleagues,” including an out-and-proud mentor who taught her that being a lesbian in a male-dominated field could be to her advantage. Marker learned those lessons well and now boasts a resume that any film school graduate would envy. She’s worked on a variety of critically acclaimed and award-winning shows, including Billions, Fosse/ Verdon, Alaska Daily, and The Good Fight, and was nominated for an Emmy and ACE Eddie Award for her work as a single-camera editor on the hit show Severance. But her work is about more than just the accolades. “I have always known how important representation was on the screen, but it wasn’t until I started editing that I realized how much control I had over that representation in the cutting room,” Marker says. “As a female editor, I work tirelessly to protect my female actors: replacing even just syllables of words to make their statements sound strongest, eliminating dialogue that feels inauthentic, and allotting so much screen time to female characters that I have made regular cast members out of what were initially guest roles.” With all her hard-earned and well-deserved success, Marker’s future goals are to continue doing what she’s doing, and to pay it forward: to “become a better and better editor, work with people I deeply admire, and make work that moves people,” she says. “The more people who see my work, the more I can shape how women are represented and seen on the screen—and the more I can have a positive impact on how little girls and queer kids see themselves.”
