Early Days in Docs
Attending the University at Buffalo, Chris trained in film and cinema under Tony Conrad, Keith Sanborn, and Alex Kort. He studied documentary storytelling under Brian Henderson and Sarah Elder.
It was Professor Sarah Elder's films that struck like lightning. Her deep studies in indigenous topics, including films like Drums of Winter, made a lasting impression on him.
After university, he moved to East Hampton, New York, to work under the documentary producer Courtney Sale Ross. "I still believe, unflinchingly, that the editing in her documentary, 'Listen Up! The Lives of Quincy Jones', is the best editing we've yet achieved as a species. It had five editors, Milton Moses Ginsberg, Pierre Kahn, Andrew Morreale, Laure Sullivan, and Paul Zehrer. I'm unsure what their situation was during that edit, but the end result was genius."
At that time, the Hamptons was a beehive of nearby activity.
"I did some work for the Ross School, for the Hamptons International Film Festival, and for Steven Spielberg's staff. They were next door, working on pieces for Amblin Entertainment."
Avid Media Composer
He saw his first Avid editing system at the New York Film Academy in Manhattan.
"To get to their Avid room, you needed to walk past a long row of 16mm film editing machines. That act alone held meaning. The first time I did so, a brilliant filmmaker named Elizabeth Schub (Cuba 15) was sitting there. She showed me how quickly cuts could be made in an Avid.
Working with 16mm and 35mm film at the time, an editor would average 3-5 cuts per minute. In Avid, it was more like dozens. So, once I was able to get into that room on my own, I never left. I'm still there, in a way."
Access to an Avid was limited in those days. So, when he learned that his hometown's PBS station had bought an Avid, he packed his bags.
His first foot-in-the-door job for PBS was as a secretary. He took it because it also gave him unlimited access to the Avid room. He spent 18 hours per day, learning everything he could. He apprenticed under Christopher Thomas, one of the most experienced television editors in the area.
Once he proved himself to management, they moved him into editing, full-time. "I'm glad they did... You couldn't find a more terrible secretary."
All documentary, all the time
PBS is the primary public broadcaster in the United States, and one of the most respected presenters of documentary works.
Most of Chris's editorial work for PBS focused on historical, environmental, and social subjects, as well as documentaries bringing Indigenous topics into the national spotlight. He also worked on various projects for Reading Rainbow and the Mark Russell Comedy Specials.
He trained under expert programmer and producer, John Grant, for whom he edited many television programs. Grant's wisdom in operations and in efficient storytelling taught him how to run productions like a well-oiled machine. (Examples)
His longest-running collaboration has been with documentary filmmaker Paul Lamont, focusing on the high-art of documentary cinema and pursuit of the human condition. Here is a behind-the-scenes example.
Chris has also edited content for American Public Television, Vision Maker Media, and the Center for Independent Documentary.
Due to budget constraints, there was little money for writers, associate producers, assistant editors, or VFX editors.
"I kept consuming more responsibilities because projects could rarely afford any of that. I was sometimes the sound mixer too. I suppose I could've been lazy but that's not me. I needed to deliver projects that looked, sounded, and felt like they had all of those people working on it. They just let me run with it. I even wrote and rewrote scripts. By standing up and taking ownership of the content, you truly do elevate a production to new heights."
Chris has edited a number of independent short fiction films, including collaborations with filmmaker turned author, Soman Chainani.
"Yes, outside of documentary, Soman was by far my favorite filmmaker to work with. His attention to every drop of storytelling was so much fun. He's always in hyper-focus, right down to the tiniest detail. He's a craftsman. I'm so thrilled for the successes he's found today, certainly well-earned."
At the time, there was a growing demand for industry learning, and a yearning for collaboration. He and a fellow editor at the station co-created the largest Avid User Group in the area, bringing in members from three upstate New York cities plus Toronto. They created curriculum, coordinated sessions with Avid engineering staff, and presented on Avid's workflows, features and updates.
"Everyone in these cities were editing on Avid, and everyone was doing relatively the same thing... but nobody knew each other because of the competitiveness of their c. The editors at the NBC station wouldn't be allowed into the CBS station, or vice versa. But, since we were at PBS, we were neutral territory. At PBS everyone was welcome. So, everyone came. It was a fantastic way to tear-down the unnecessary walls between people in the same industry."
Chris frequented the Avid Communities. Avid's own staff began reaching out to Chris to learn his workflows. He became an advisor for various members of the Media Composer design and engineering teams.
He became an Avid ACA Leader and a Master Class Instructor, representing Avid Media Composer and its workflows at various venues.
Career Pivot: The Move to Avid
In the editorial community, Chris Bové is also a customer advocate and support expert. He has spent many years supporting some of the top editors in the world on Oscar and Emmy winning films and TV shows.
Avid has recognized him for this by appointing him to several positions in customer advocacy, including Voice of the Customer and Avid Customer Association leadership roles.
Chris Bové first met Avid's President & CEO, Jeff Rosica, in 2014 at the Avid Connect event in Las Vegas at NABShow. Over the next few years, they often discussed Media Composer's future and the long-term needs of independent creatives.
Jeff invited Chris to multiple Avid events, including "Avid Connect", "Avid Vision & Strategy", and several "Voice of the Customer" sessions. He co-presented a Masterclass on documentary editorial workflows with longtime friend, Steve Audette ACE, Senior Documentary Editor for PBS Frontline in Las Vegas.
A staunch customer advocate, Chris was soon headhunted by Marianna Montague to work at Avid, replacing her as the head of the Community Team. He ran a series of Customer Success teams, their online Communities, and Digital Customer Success Managers which assisted Avid customers with adoption and retention. Highly successful, his teams averaged 5x their financial weight in the company. This lead to new opportunities in leadership, including working at a VP-level, strategizing and developing a new online community, customer adoption and enablement platform.
Connecting the Dots
Today, he spans two careers. He owns a consulting company that advises companies how to establish online communities, Customer Success teams, and LAER workflows. He also owns a company that allows him the joy of continuously editing documentaries, freelancing for public media organizations, and teaching the next generation of editors.