Editor Tom Vogt Joins Spot Welders

Editor Tom Vogt has joined the roster at the New York office of Spot Welders, the creative editorial company.  A master of comedy editing, Vogt was a key player in the irreverent storytelling dynasty that Trey Parker and Matt Stone pioneered. His prolific work includes commercials, feature films, television series and documentaries. 
 
Vogt's career includes an extensive background in editing long and short form comedy for broadcast and cinema. He played a key role in shaping the groundbreaking animated TV series "South Park," for which he was lead editor. He credits also include "Team America: World Police" and "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut."
 
Vogt also spent two years working closely with the Academy Award-nominated director Morgan Spurlock, for whom he edited "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Story Ever Sold," Spurlock's take on sponsorship and branding.  Formerly on staff at Bluerock and MacKenzie Cutler, he has since freelanced for a range of agencies and post houses.
 
"Tom's a versatile editor with skills that go far beyond his work in comedy," says Spot Welders Managing Partner David Glean. "His background in long-form, coupled with his experience in production, animation and effects, makes him all the more valuable as an editor. We're happy to have him."
 
Vogt wanted to bring his skills to a company with a strong brand and experience and knowledgeable leadership. After meeting with the key players at Spot Welders in New York, including Partner/Editor Dick Gordon and EP Joanne Ferraro, he was convinced it was the best place for him.  "We really hit it off," he says.  "This is a company with a great reputation, a great infrastructure and great contacts – not to mention editorial talent."
 
Vogt adds that the ability to move back and forth between advertising and entertainment is a big part of what attracted him to Spot Welders.  "I see this as growing into a symbiotic relationship," he explains, noting that other Spot Welders editors work outside of the advertising arena.  "I see us as birds of a feather, kind of like kindred spirits."
 
Vogt's commercial work includes spots for FedEx, Axe, Oberto Beef Jerky, eBay, ESPNU and AT&T (starring the inimitable Will Arnett), to name a few. His deft timing on Bud Light's famous "Dude" spot helped launch the campaign that became an early internet sensation.
 
A former acoustical engineer, Vogt designed concert halls, recording studios and performance spaces for Walt Disney World, Epcot Center, Universal Studios Tokyo and EuroDisney in Paris. While in France he began to study art and photography. His work eventually caught the eye of Carter Tomassi, the Head of Cinematography at Colossal Pictures, the vanguard San Francisco studio behind numerous award-winning commercials, interactive media projects and TV series such as MTV's "Liquid Television." 
 
Vogt went on to join Colossal as a camera assistant and worked his way up through the production and effects ranks. That's where he discovered his passion for editing, which he saw as a link between his creative interests and his technical inclinations. After Colossal he sent his work to the creators of "South Park," who welcomed him to the fold. Within months he was serving as the show's lead editor, a post he held for eight years.
 
Vogt credits his experience in animation with teaching him many of the fundamentals of storytelling. While he enjoyed his time on "South Park" – and feels what he did there has resonated in popular culture – he's happy to ply his craft on a wider creative stage.
 
"For me, the joy of editing and being able to tell different kinds of stories shouldn't be limited to a specific genre," he explains. "What I learned in animation and comedy taught me a lot about rhythm and nuance, and those lessons can apply to anything. I'm looking forward to putting all that to use here at Spot Welders."