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, 2026 through January 31, 2027, and select the next fellow in March of 2027
2026 Fellow
Stephen Takashima
We are happy to introduce our newest fellow, Stephen Takashima. Like many, Stephen fell in love with film and filmmaking without thinking it could be a career, shooting and editing his first documentary project in high school in Seattle, with editing software from Costco.
He began making short films while studying communications and psychology at Wheaton College in Illinois, and discovered the editor’s power to move the audience in different ways with different choices of shots or music.
As his abilities improved, Stephen began a career as a freelance editor, cutting narrative shorts and features for other filmmakers including Horace Priester’s feature film Fall Nights in China Grove, and assisting on Bao Tran’s kung fu comedy feature The Paper Tigers. Most recently he premiered “Don’t Kill My Vibe”, an indie feature film that he co-wrote, directed, and edited at New Filmmakers LA. Outside of work, Stephen teaches and studies Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
We were impressed by Stephen’s determination to make his own opportunities, and his eagerness to meet and learn from other editors. While he enjoys seeing his own ideas come to life on film he also values the alchemy that comes from collaboration.
"The Essence of Cinema is EDITING"
