Eric Zumbrunnen Fellowship
ERIC ZUMBRUNNEN MEMORIAL EDITING FELLOWSHIP
ACE is very proud to support The Eric Zumbrunnen Fellowship. Known to many as “EZ,” Eric Zumbrunnen graduated from USC with a degree in Journalism, and began his professional life in video post-production. A proficient guitarist, his affinity for music informed his early work editing music videos. He developed close collaborative relationships with a few directors, and subsequently expanded into commercials for clients such as Nike, Xbox and Apple, and ultimately into feature films. He perhaps most notably found his creative kindred spirit in director Spike Jonze. The pair’s harmonious, highly successful collaboration spanned two decades.
A member of American Cinema Editors since his first feature, Being John Malkovich which earned him an Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy), Eric brought his love of a good story well told to Adaptation, Where the Wild Things Are and Her, as well as John Carter, for director Andrew Stanton.
In 2014, Eric Zumbrunnen co-founded Santa Monica and New York-based post-production company EXILE with partners Kirk Baxter, ACE, Matt Murphy and Carol Lynn Weaver. Regarded as one of the most technically proficient editors of his era, one who approached editing with insight and eloquence, Eric valued the opportunity to learn from the gifted writers, directors and editors he worked with. While he held himself and his co-workers to a high standard, he was also committed to encouraging and mentoring other editors and would-be editors.
If you would like to volunteer, please email us indicating your interest in our organization. If you would like to make a donation, please make checks to:
Eric Zumbrunnen Fellowship
c/o ACE Educational Center
5555 Melrose Ave
Marx Brothers Bldg #108
Los Angeles, CA 90038
All contributions made to the ACE Educational Center are considered charitable tax deductions.
Neither a scholarship nor a grant, the Eric Zumbrunnen Fellowship harnesses the goodwill of American Cinema Editors, Adobe, Avid, Pix, Media Arts Lab and Eric’s friends and colleagues to provide our fellow with state of the art tools, hands-on opportunities, and the wisdom of many of the talented and experienced professionals Eric worked amidst.
We’re looking for someone:
-who is currently working in post-production
-who is dedicated to pursuing a career as an editor
-who is based in, or planning to relocate to, Los Angeles, California
-who is willing to put in their own time for meetings, screenings and mentor-assigned projects
We will accept applications from November 1, 2025 through January 31, 2026, and select the next fellow in March of 2026
2025 Fellow
Seamus O’Malley Finnegan
Seamus’s filmmaking education began at Washington University in St. Louis. Arriving as a football player, he took an introductory film studies class and found his place in the universe. He shot short films with his teammates and edited them after practice until the break of dawn. Upon graduating from WashU, Seamus entered the graduate film program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, forging close friendships and collaborations that continue to inform his work.
His professional experience began with two seasons on the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola. Seamus then moved into work as a color assistant at Company 3 in its television department, a position he’s held for three and a half years. Working on everything from The Last of Us to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, his work at CO3 has provided the opportunity to learn at the highest level of the post production field.
When not working on movies, he’s often at the record store, at the gym pretending to still be an athlete, or with friends debating which sci-fi franchise is the best. He recently picked up his first electric guitar, fulfilling his career backup plan of becoming a rockstar. Seamus has also taken up 35mm film photography to document his travels.
Seamus believes that film has turned his life into an adventure, a non-stop roller coaster of opportunities and experiences that began with the VHS box sets of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Lord of the Rings from his youth in San Francisco. He hopes to work on stories that are uplifting, diverse and adventurous in their artistic ambitions and to help those around him in the same way that he’s been helped on his journey.
"The Essence of Cinema is EDITING"
