QUEST Volume 12, Number 6, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2005

Kent Kreiger: The Storyteller

	Kreiger (left) tutors students Spencer Gould (top) and Mary Toole.

 

 

Who:

Kent Kreiger, 47

Where:

Scottsdale, Ariz.

DX:

spinal muscular atrophy type 3; diagnosed at age 38, with symptoms at birth

What:

Instructor of editing and directing for film and television, introduction to audio, and basic camera operation courses. The certified senior Avid editor/instructor has worked on several television shows, including episodes of “The West Wing,” “ER” and “Spin City.” He also was part of the editing team that won the Academy Award for “Saving Private Ryan” in 1998.

How:

Kreiger has been editing since 1984 but thought he might have to give it up in 1993 because he could no longer move his arms without great difficulty. As a result, he learned digital editing using Avid computer software.

“If it hadn’t been for the computer, I’m not sure where I’d be. I love to edit, and just to be able to tell a story is a great experience. An editor acts as a storyteller because he has to take everything and put it all together. He can make people laugh, cry and even think.”

A memorable experience:

“I met Steven Spielberg on a business trip to Burbank [Calif.] for some advanced Avid training. I was doing some editing, and he quickly introduced himself. We spent the next three hours talking about editing and making movies. I’ve never asked him for work, and I never will. That is not the way I work.”

Kent says:

“Don’t quit. Even on the darkest day, still get up because the only way to move forward is to not move backward.

“Just because you have muscular dystrophy, you can still have goals and dreams. It’ll just be a little harder, but you’ll feel better once you get there.

“You have to do it for yourself and find the strength within. If I can do this, anybody can achieve their dreams, too.”