Andrew Coutts
Editor & Director
In the beginning, there was VHS. Aisles of possibility. Rows of scares, adventure and mystery. A mom-and-pop video rental shop where you could find young Andrew seeking other worlds in rectangular archives.
Andrew’s love of filmmaking started in Nobleton, a small Ontario town one hour north of Toronto. After building his experience in post production, his career expanded when he edited numerous feature films, including two chapters in the hugely successful Saw horror franchise, Saw VI, Saw 3D. As well as the comedy/horror Bloodsucking Bastards, and post-apocalyptic thriller The Day which premiered as part of TIFF’s popular “Midnight Madness” program.
His work in television has brought him through studios such as Fox, CBS/Paramount+, ABC, Starz, Marvel, and Netflix, and included popular shows such as Sleepy Hollow and Bull.
Leading him to the iconic Star Trek franchise. Firstly, as Editor on Star Trek: Discovery. Then as Editor on Star Trek: Picard led by the extraordinary Patrick Stewart. But space would not be his final frontier. He then worked on American Gods season 3 as Associate Producer and Editor. And subsequently on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as an Editor. In seasons 2 and 3 he was elevated to a Co-Producer role. Most recently, Andrew has stepped into the role of Director for an episode in season 3. Andrew has also worked on various commercials and continues to work on Star Trek today.
How did you get your start in editing?
In high school, instead of writing papers, I’d convince my teachers to let me make short films. As I was creating my own shorts, I loved exploring the creative impact that editing has as a vital aspect of storytelling and have been hooked ever since. The craft really spoke to me. So I continued focusing on editing through film school, and shortly after graduation I got a job at a post production facility. Quickly after which I became an Assistant Editor—and my career was on its way.
What brought you to LA?
When I made the jump from working as an Assistant Picture Editor to being promoted to Editor, most of the first projects I edited were for LA based Directors and Producers. They wanted to keep working together and sold me on the idea of editing near the beach in the sun year round.
You have edited on some pretty big shows. Any advice for people trying to get into what seems like a very close knit part of the entrainment business?
Skill, ability to be an effective collaborator, and being someone people enjoy being around are all important. That’s how you build a great network of people you like to work with and who like to work with you. With all the stresses of budgets, schedules, and creative needs, people are looking for the easy solution to filling roles—which often means hiring people they know and trust. The more you work, the more connections you create who can advocate for you in the future. Make yourself someone who filmmakers seek out for their projects.
You’ve recently started directing, was that always a dream of yours?
Ever since I was just a small town Canadian kid making no budget sci-fi films in my parents’ basement my dream was to tell meaningful stories. The more my career has progressed, the deeper my love for shaping the narrative has grown. I was so fortunate to end up in a place where my Showrunners, Producers, and Studios trusted me to take that new role on.
Would you like to continue editing or move into directing full time?
My focus is directing. But I love editing and am open to interesting stories and people to collaborate with in that capacity. I really enjoy both crafts, as each offers such different challenges and fulfillment.
Do you prefer editing for television or feature films?
Both are exciting formats—with features you'll spend months working to refine that one succinct story. At the end, you can see the sum of the story and its impact as a complete singular piece. Television offers the space to develop narratives and build character arcs over episodes and seasons. Any one episode is telling a story specific to that story, but also developing and setting up arcs for it all to develop. So it really comes down to the individual project rather than the medium for me. Working with people I enjoy creating with and stories that speak to me has become more of a motivating factor.
Any upcoming projects you can share or want to tell us about?
I’m developing some of my own projects now, but I’m also still working on season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which drops on Paramount+ in 2025. Strange New Worlds has a traditional episodic format. Which allows each episode to be its own contained story with its own individual style and tone for what best serves that narrative. I’m really proud of this season. The show’s evolving in a way that I think fans and newcomers alike will be really happy with.🖖