My former co-worker and great friend, Wayne Persing, has retired.
Wayne and I worked alongside each other at my old job at First Generation for eleven years. When I arrived, Wayne commandeered the upstairs edit suite, overlooking the studio — and he was the benevolent, kind, and wise King of the Editing Castle. When I left, his crown remained firmly nestled on his head. He was, and always would be, the Senior Editor with an unmatched talent for pacing, honesty, and storytelling — sometimes a very tall order in the world of corporate video.
Wayne and I would often email each other clips of videos that we had just seen — a scene from a film, the opening of a TV show, an incredible animation — high-end work done by incredibly talented artists that would surely inspire us. The recipient would watch, and then reply to the sender with a well thought-out and nuanced reaction. The response was always the same: Two words that encompassed everything we could possibly express about the incredible example that was meant to motivate us to do greater things:
“I suck.”
When I said we worked alongside each other, that’s not quite true. We each had our own edit suite, lucky enough to work undisturbed for long periods of time — the necessary and chosen life of editors and animators. But for a stretch of time during the renovation of the office a few years back, we shared a cluttered workspace. I kind-of dreaded it. Wayne probably did too. I like my space, and who knows what it would be like — both of us trapped in the same room together for days … weeks … months. (Another coworker, John Costello, Mr. Wiseguy, even created a dividing line in the office with gaffer’s tape to keep us at bay.)
Looking back, it may have been the highlight of my time at FG. Because working in close quarters with someone for that amount of time, it’s not possible to hide who you really are.
And Wayne, you are as wise, insightful, knowledgeable, and as generous a man that I have ever had the pleasure to know. I love you, my Brother.
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