Meet the alum who works at Universal Pictures International

After participating in OCAD U LiVE, 2021 graduate Hunter Crouse's portfolio already packs a punch.

Now a videographer and editor, Crouse graduated from the Integrated Media program at OCAD University three short years ago. He then moved to London, England, where he was hired as an Edit Assistant in the Features and News departments at leading business news channel, CNBC. 

At CNBC, Crouse worked on inspiring features, such as with Nimsdai Purja, who climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in just six months; Silvia Earle, a renowned marine biologist and oceanographer working to protect oceans; and ground-breaking fashion designer and creative director, Harris Reed.

From CNBC, Crouse landed a role as a Post-Production Operator/Editor at Universal Pictures International in January 2024. This involves working on requests from NBCUniversal, independent agencies and current productions. He has supported the marketing and distribution of such titles as Migration, Drive-Away Dolls, Argylle and The Holdovers.

More specifically, in one facet of his job, Hunter says that when a film or television trailer has been finalized and approved by the studio/production in its original language and country of release, he and his team are then tasked with formatting the trailer to be localised in different languages for different countries.

“This means changing the graphics and titles, dubbing and subtitling the trailer, and removing and changing - if any - shots or scenes requested by the country's broadcast standards teams,” says Crouse. “We also do this for social media clips, television spots and extended previews, which are usually the first ten minutes of the film.”

In his time at OCAD U, Crouse was a resident videographer and editor at OCAD U LiVE, where he helped launch the 24/7 on-demand streaming service featuring OCAD U creators. He now helps coordinate the Short Film Grant Program.

Crouse continues to build his career in film and TV, where he credits much of his drive to his time at OCAD U, and OCAD U LiVE in particular.

In conversation with Hunter Crouse

How did you go from OCAD U grad to your current role?

What helped kickstart my career was being hired on to the OCAD U LiVE team in my final year at OCAD U. This opened doors for me to first working with other departments, and then various clients, which grew my portfolio. After moving to London, I was hired at CNBC as an Edit Assistant which greatly advanced my skills and experience, which then got me my current role with Universal.

What inspired you to follow this career path?

My career path continues to change and evolve as I spend more time in the industry, but I always knew I wanted to be involved in film and television in whatever capacity that may be. Over the years at OCAD U, I found working behind the camera and in post-production to be an interesting and inventive process. I am learning a lot, and I am excited to see where this leads me!

How have you had to adapt your skill set and career, working internationally? Is it different working in London vs Toronto?

When initially making the move over, I didn't think there would be much difference but to my surprise it's been a great learning experience. Thankfully, the software we use is the same but mainly it was getting to know language differences, slang, popular culture and ways of conversation with colleagues. Working with CNBC I was greatly exposed to the current events of the EMEA region and had to boost my knowledge on the key political or business figures when editing news or features. Both at CNBC and Universal, I have had to become more familiar with broadcast standards, what content is acceptable to show specific countries or regions and localizing our content in a multitude of different languages. Overall, the working culture is slightly different here and so far it's been an amazing experience.

How did your education at OCAD U support your career?

Studying at OCAD U helped me in experimenting with my creative voice, which was sometimes good and sometimes bad, both are important in growing! OCAD U has incredible artists and working professionals involved in their community and on their faculty, so getting insight on how to take that step into the professional world and how to tailor it to your interests was so helpful. OCAD U LiVE was such a huge part in supporting me and giving me the chance to not only apply my skills to paid work but also grow my network.

What advice do you have for artists and designers currently studying at OCAD U?

Be as involved as you can and grow that career network of industry professionals (whatever your industry is)! OCAD U’s talent network is also such a great resource so definitely check it out. Also, I have to remind myself all the time: there’s no set timeline of success, everyone is on their own path, and change is good! How you define what success looks like to you now will almost definitely evolve and change over time!