Face to Face with... Sean DeVeaux

Sean DeVeaux is executive producer at Fresh Editorial, a newly launched bicoastal creative studio with offices in LA and New York housing the talents of established editors Richard Cooperman and Todd Stewart.

Having worked with some of the industry’s top directors (including Jonas Åkerlund, Nigel Simpkiss, Henry-Alex Rubin, and Sam Mendes), the team will continue to deliver its own brand of fashion and beauty, sports, and automotive spots, with a touch of comedy for good measure with ambitions from DeVeaux to one day venture into feature jobs. Here, the EP tells us about the company’s expansion, his love for sports and future plans for Fresh.

Why did you get involved with the Fresh venture?

Fresh was born out of the fact that Richard [Cooperman] had been putting out some brilliant fashion and beauty and automotive work and it needed to be seen. By attaching Richard to a brand, we saw a great opportunity to raise his visibility and increasing work with Jonas Åkerlund, and in the meantime, having recently brought on Todd [Stewart], whose work was primarily in beauty and fashion as well as sports, it just made sense to have an East Coast presence in order for us to thrive as an editorial shop – especially with the bulk of beauty and fashion work coming out of NYC. 

What are the benefits of operating a bicoastal service?

By expanding to NYC, we are able to fly editors back and forth and work as 'locals' and come to the client – that's a cost service to the agencies and production companies awarding the jobs. It also opens us up to the centre of the agency world, being that NYC is the Mecca of advertising. Overall, it makes us a bigger brand.

Have you got your eyes on any more editing talent?

Our product is visual storytelling and we are always looking for ways to meet our clients' needs. So if that means recruiting more talent, then yes, we are looking. Right now, fashion and beauty, sports and automotive comprise our niche, but I'd say a good comedy/dialogue editor is on our radar for the West Coast, with a bulk of that type of commercial work coming out of LA and Chicago.

We are always looking to break in and be more diverse, but in the interim, beauty and fashion, sports and automotive is what we do and what were are good at. I want to stick to that and as we grow, we'll certainly open up to various genres because, ultimately, we are visual storytellers and if you do it well, talent translates to any job and any genre. 

How important are fresh ideas in today’s industry?

Fresh ideas and fresh talent are always a positive, no matter what role you play in the process. Being storytellers in their own right, editors are very important to the commercial and filmmaking process. I've always seen editors as ‘post directors’. They have a vision that may be unsung from an ‘outsider's’ perspective, but I believe everyone along the way in the production process sees value in the fresh ideas editors can bring to the table through their craft. 

How important is the editing process in terms of storytelling?

Editing is very important and may be the most important when it comes to commercials and film. It's like a Rubik's Cube. You have all this info and media, so to put it in a form that tells a clear, precise story that captivates the audience, whether it is visual or dramatic comedy, editing is an intricate piece to the puzzle and an important part of getting the message across. 

What motivates and inspires you to go to work every morning?

The challenges of convincing agencies, creatives and producers (along with directors) that we can get their message across. I'm a fan of the concept of ‘team’, which probably comes from playing sports growing up. I love the challenges of collaboration, of working alongside a team with a common end-goal, from project inception, to creative all the way to delivery, that's what inspires me. 

What helps you to keep a fresh mind away from work?

I like to do various things and have my own hobbies. I am a huge advocate for the outdoors; I love the arts, architecture and the many forms of interior design; playing sports and hanging with friends; I also believe exercise and working out is important to keep my mind and body in sync and rejuvenated to balance my work-life. 

What’s the long term goal for Fresh?

Branching into feature film would be a great next step. To take a 30-second spot and flip that into a 60 to 90-minute film that draws the same sort of emotion we aim for with our existing commercial work would be exciting. But the true long-term goal is, we want to sustain and maintain the Fresh brand, continue doing A-level work, provide a service that is fun and enjoyable and be the ideal home for editors for years to come.