Final Cut Welcomes Editors Nick Gilberg & Marc Thomas
Creative editorial house Final Cut has bolstered its award-winning roster with the addition of two editors, Nick Gilberg and Marc Thomas. Celebrated for their talent and craftsmanship, Gilberg and Thomas join the renowned team in the US and will be based out of Final Cut’s New York office.
Hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, Gilberg approaches his projects from a uniquely worldly, boundless vantage point, with influences spanning from film auteur Stanley Kubrick to new media pioneer Bill Viola. Over his esteemed career, Gilberg has won an array of awards, from Clios and Cannes awards to a D&AD Wood Pencil and recognition at the London Fashion Film Festival.
Gilberg’s memorable editing work includes the country of Dubai’s “A Romance to Remember” spot, which starred Zac Efron and Jessica Alba in a charming Wes Anderson-inspired desert caper. He’s behind the video for Taylor Swift’s single “ME!,” a feat of cotton-candy magical realism. He also put his skillful touch on Jif’s “The Return” ad, which made thrilling use of animation to morph Ludacris into a superhero.
“I’ve always admired Final Cut for their consistently well-crafted, boundary-pushing work, and to now sit alongside such incredible talent is truly an honor,” Gilberg says of joining. “I remember knocking on Final Cut’s door back in 2011, hoping to land an assistant role, but they didn’t have any openings at the time…Fast forward 13 years, and we’ve finally made it happen! Being part of a company I’ve respected for so long makes this moment feel all the more special.”
Thomas, in contrast, is a born-and-bred New Yorker. While studying film and making music, his career kicked off when friends asked him to cut their reels and music videos. He’d go on to work at competitive agencies such as JWT, BBDO, Y&R, and Droga5, citing directors as varied as Akira Kurosawa, Spike Lee, Todd Field, and Bong Joon Ho as influences on his highly impactful, socially contemplative work.
Among his editing achievements is Common and Stevie Wonder’s acclaimed “Black America Again,” a moving docu-video featuring slice-of-life, BIPOC portraiture. Thomas was also a creative force behind Meta’s “Black History Told By…” series, an immersive take on Black History Month. These are just two examples of the many collaborations between him and director/cinematographer Bradford Young, for which Marc has also edited multi-channel video installations for The Carnegie Museum and The Rotterdam Film Festival. He also showed off his knack for transformative fiction with his work on the short film “Protect You + Me,” an edgy odyssey into character studies. The projects he’s worked on have been heralded by his peers, winning accolades at Sundance and the Los Angeles Film Festival.
“I’ve been impressed with the talent, skill, and sensibilities of the editors at Final Cut for quite some time, and knowing that they are also such a great group of human beings, it was a done deal,” Thomas says. “Final Cut’s capabilities are unmatched, and add to that Machine and Significant Others, and what more can you ask for?”
“I've known Marc for years so it was wonderful to reconnect with him and his work and bring him onto the Final Cut roster. His work is beautiful and moving and it also transcends traditional advertising, which I'm especially excited about,” says Sarah Roebuck, Executive Producer of Final Cut’s New York office. “Nick's work is exceptional and he brings with him many longstanding director and agency relationships as he is incredibly well-respected in our industry. We are so excited to be working with both!”
