Spotlight: A Titmouse Editor Visits MPTS
Animation is everywhere. It's on every screen, woven into the earliest memories of almost every kid who's grown up in the last few decades. And yet, for most people, the world behind the animation is almost completely invisible.
This spring, Haley Storbeck, an assistant video editor at Titmouse Inc., visited a post-production class at Motion Picture Technical High School (MPTS) on behalf of Titmouse Foundation. MPTS is a trade school in New York focused on giving students hands-on film and production training at the high school level.
Haley's presentation centered on a part of animation that rarely gets any spotlight: editing. Most people assume that once the animation is drawn, the project is done. In reality, editors are woven throughout the entire process.
“People kind of just assume there’s just animation and then it’s over. Nobody really knows that there’s a job for editors, or multiple editors, and different types working through an animation production.”
Haley walked students through real animatic timelines, revision notes, and how editors work hand-in-hand with storyboard artists, showing them exactly where their Premiere Pro skills fit in a professional workflow.
One moment landed especially well. A student asked whether it was okay to pull sound effects from YouTube for a project. Haley took the question seriously and explained exactly why copyright clearance matters, not as a classroom rule, but as a real professional reality.
What moved Haley most was the work. One student had independently animated and edited their own short film, with strong storytelling, confident design, and real creative vision. They just weren't sure it was good enough to share.
“I could tell there’s a lot of talent in these young students. They’re just not quite sure where to go next. ”
Helping talented artists is what Titmouse Foundation is here for. The students at MPTS are already doing the work. Sometimes all it takes is a push.
And for any aspiring artist who couldn't be in that room, Haley's message is simple:
“Continue working with what you have available to you. Don’t disregard what you’re able to do on your own. Whatever you can learn, whoever you can talk to, if you already have a passion for it, that’s already setting you up for success.”
Visits like Haley's are the kind of meaningful industry access the Titmouse Foundation exists to provide. Learn more about us and how to support our mission at titmousefoundation.org
Haley Storbeck, Assistant Video Editor at Titmouse Inc., at Motion Picture Technical High School
