Featured Member: Aren X. Tulchinsky

How many years have you spent working or studying in the Vancouver post production industry? I have been working in the post production community for over 15 years, as both an editor and story editor / writer. I have worked mostly in documentary and lifestyle television series, though I am currently moving more into editing on scripted shows.

Where did you get your start in our community? I am a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto. I wrote several feature length films that got as far as development- so far still un-produced. In 2005 I story edited KINK (Showcase), and then kept writing on numerous television series, including The Bachelor Canada. In 2017, I retrained as an editor and have been editing ever since.

What do you see as the biggest hurdle for your sector, relative to the Vancouver industry? So many shows get shot in our beautiful city with our outstanding production crews that end up going back to the U.S. for Post Production when we have so many amazing editors right here. It would be great if there was some government incentive program to encourage American shows to keep their post here.

What support does the Vancouver post community need most now? It is notable that it took a global pandemic for freelance contract workers in our industry to be eligible for employment insurance. It would be great if programs like CERB that were available to post production contract workers this past year were made permanent.

Why did you join the VPA? I joined VPA to connect and network. I am also a member of VPA's Diversity Committee. I joined the committee to help work on issues of importance to my BIPOC colleagues and also because I wanted to add my voice as a trans / genderqueer person and help represent other LGBTQ2S members.

Who was/is your mentor/inspiration/idol? I was honoured last year to be mentored by Daria Ellerman CCE, an editor with 25 years of experience. The wealth of knowledge she passed on to me is immeasurable.

If you could have worked on any series/film ever created, which one would it be, and why? Schitts Creek of course! (For obvious reasons)

What is your favourite project that you've worked on, and why? I have several favourites, but most recently, I was an editor on Queen of the Oil Patch for APTN, a documentary series that closely follows Massey Whiteknife, an Indigenous 2-spirited person who lives and works in the Alberta oilfields. It's a great series and we had a remarkable team.

In one sentence, what advice do you wish someone had given you five years ago, relative to your career today? Don't forget to breathe.

What is your favourite pastime outside of work? I am a sailor, a boxer and a gardener. And my other big creative pursuit is as a novelist. My most recent novel, The Five Books of Moses Lapinsky was honoured with a permanent plaque in 2019 at Christie Pits Park in Toronto. In between editing on television series, I have been working on another big historical novel. Stay tuned!