In Tribute

Norman Hollyn was a dear friend to us and instrumental in the creation of the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts. He was a trusted advisor who enthusiastically shared his knowledge and expertise with us and wouldn’t hesitate to make time for us. For those of you who hadn’t met Norm yet, he was often described as a “media expert,” a reference to his experience in both the old and new media worlds. He was a well-respected film, television and music editor (Heathers, The Cotton Club, and Oliver Stone’s Wild Palms) who served as an Associate Professor and Head of the Editing Track at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts for over a decade.

He also worked extensively in entertainment and media Internet development for large entertainment companies and schools. He was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, American Cinema Editors, the Motion Picture Editors Guild, METal (a group of entertainment entrepreneurs) and the Editors Advisory Group (a select group of top editors who advise major non-linear editing companies on strategy and content).

He was a frequently published author, having published nearly 100 articles in many magazines and peer-reviewed journals, and he wrote the standard editing room textbook, The Film Editing Room Handbook. His recent book –The Lean Forward Moment, a book about shaping stories across all filmmaking crafts –came out from Peachpit Press/Pearson in 2009 and has been adopted in schools and companies across the world. In the New Media realm, he was the co-writer, co-host and co-producer of 2 REEL GUYS, a series of video podcasts about telling stories. He appeared on video and audio podcasts such as The Digital Production Buzz and Macbreak Studio, as well as running webinars for a number of companies. Norm was a frequent speaker at conferences and conventions and blogged regularly at his web site, Hollyn-wood. He taught both nationally and internationally, including workshops for the Royal Film Commission in Jordan, the Sundance Institute, Dreamworks Pictures and the Philadelphia Inquirer, and worked as an expert witness in legal cases involving the aesthetics and history of editing. His last documentary, Rivers, a worldwide cooperative venture about people's relationship to the rivers in their countries, was shown for the first time at an international conference in Beijing, China.

Norm, you are deeply missed. We will celebrate you and be grateful for your contributions to our center every day.