CUTTING THE STORY SHORT: The Steady Rising of Ihunmehai Isaac
OYIZA ADABA Africa-Related, NEW YORK
Contributor: Fortune Ehiwayas
From a struggling accounting student to working on an Emmy-nominated project, Ihunmehai Isaac’s story is that of difficult struggles, dogged determination and rewarding triumphs.
Ihunmehai Isaac: video editor determined to make a difference/Photo by Yolanda Hoskey
Ihunmehai Cynthia Isaac is a dynamic African storyteller from Edo State, Nigeria, whose profile as a video editor in the U.S. film industry is on a gradual rise.
Having studied accounting in Nigeria, Ihums, as she is popularly known, had grown increasingly conscious of her artistic side.
From taking simple snapshots, she started applying for work in television and radio stations in Nigeria. She eventually landed a professional course at the School of Media and Communication Pan-Atlantic University, which is a part of the prestigious Lagos Business School.
Her desire to tell authentic stories led her to study film and acquire specific industry-related skills. In 2018, she migrated to the United States to obtain a Master's degree in Media Management from The New School in New York.
During her studies, she co-hosted a podcast titled The Grad Life Uncut, where graduate students from different schools were interviewed about their different experiences in the graduate school ecosystem.
Ms. Isaac has participated in several projects including Shalini Kantayya's educational documentary, which was post-produced by The Dakoit Team entitled ‘Coded Bias’. This received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Science and Tech Documentaries in September 2022. Others projects are ‘Freestlyed’, ‘Donut Kid’, a stand-up special called ‘The Ghost of Academic Future’, and ‘TikTok Boom’, a documentary on the impact of social media in today’s world and a special project achieved by passion and “very long hours”.
The role of the video editor is crucial to any production. While Wikipedia describes film or video editing as the process of ‘manipulation and arrangement of video shot used to structure and present all video’, Ihunmehai describes the job of a video editor as “demanding but tremendously gratifying”.
Ihunmehai Isaac/Photo by Yolanda Hoskey
Ihunmehai Isaac/Photo by Yolanda Hoskey
"Just picture a crowd of people viewing a movie you edited and laughing or reacting to it with the kind of emotion you expected. Observing that, having people respond favorably to your work, in my opinion, is simply the highest compliment you can receive."
As she continues to take on bigger projects, Ihunmehai Isaac's primary objective is to create narratives with strong emotional undertones that inspire and educate; treating subjects like life, love, education, women, mental health, social issues and entertainment. Her unique difference is to always have an underlying purpose, which is to add value.