Five Senior Editors Become Partners at Final Cut

L to R: Jeff Buchanan, Ashley Kreamer, JD Smyth, Crispin Struthers, Jim Helton

Creative editorial house Final Cut is excited to announce the addition of a group of five senior editors as partners in Final Cut's US business, Jeff Buchanan, Ashley Kreamer, JD Smyth, Crispin Struthers, and Jim Helton. As an integral part of the management team, they will work closely with executive producers Sarah Roebuck and Suzy Ramirez, and managing director Justin Brukman, to bolster the creative leadership and guidance to Final Cut’s award-winning roster of editors. 

Jeff Buchanan’s celebrated body of work includes; Target’s Color Changes, which earned him an AICP award; ESPN’s World Cup ad, for which he holds an Emmy; Salesforce’s The New Frontier for the 2022 Super Bowl; and the HBO series Barry, for which he was nominated for two Emmy awards. Buchanan has edited numerous projects for award-winning directors Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze including Gondry’s 2021 Doordash Super Bowl campaign and A Dozen Eggs, shot on iPhone13 for Apple; as well as Jonze’s feature film Her, Apple’s Homepod film 'Welcome Home' with FKA Twigs, and the Emmy-nominated Beastie Boys Story.

Ashley Kreamer joined Final Cut in 2001 and honed her craft within the walls of its US offices, working alongside founding editors from both the US and UK. Ashley has been a mentor for the next-generation of talent, helping them expand their skills and become editors in their own right. With a cinematographer’s eye and gift for pulling out authentic performances, Ashley has edited moving films and global campaigns for Lincoln, Verizon, Facebook, P&G, Target, Walmart, GAP, Chase, HBO, and many more. Working alongside some of the industry’s most renowned directors including Nadav Kander, Elle Ginter, Dante Ariola, and Joy Kilpatrick, Kreamer’s work has garnered both One Show Pencils and Clios. 

JD Smyth has worked as an editor for 20 years, with over a decade at Final Cut. The span of work he’s edited has been honoured with Emmys, Cannes Lions, and One Show Pencils. He has cut highly-lauded work for GE, the NFL, AT&T & HBO; longer-form content for Unilever, GQ and Sandy Hook Promise; and music videos for Beyonce, Radiohead and Justin Timberlake. His first feature film, Stray Dolls, premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.

Two time Oscar-nominated editor Crispin Struthers joined Final Cut’s Los Angeles office in 2014. Struthers was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Editing for the critically acclaimed David O. Russell features Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, winning ACE Eddie Awards for both films. His commercial work includes the Super Bowl campaigns 'Good Odds' for Toyota, directed by Aoife McCardle; and Coke’s 'Mini (Hulk vs Ant-Man),' directed by the Russo Brothers. Additional commercial clients include Apple, Samsung, Hummer EV, and Audi.

Jim Helton is an award-winning editor of feature films, television, and commercials. A long time collaborator of director Derek Cianfrance, Jim edited Cianfrance’s Academy Award-nominated film Blue Valentine, as well as The Place Beyond the Pines, and the Emmy-winning HBO series I Know This Much is True. He has edited for commercial clients including Montefiore, Burt’s Bees, PNC, and Pfizer,  and perhaps most notably The New York Times The Truth Is Worth It campaign, which won both the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions in Film and Film Craft, among many other top industry honours. 

“I’m excited to see this team lead,” says Justin Brukman, managing director and head of global new business for Final Cut. “I view all of them as the next generation spearheading change and continuity of purpose. They are all a vital part of the DNA and soul of this company.”

“I’ve had the honour of working alongside this talented group, watching them lead and mentor our editors for many years,” says Final Cut founding editor/CEO Rick Russell. “I’m excited to officially welcome them to the leadership team, where they will continue to inspire and grow.”