Leslie Simmer

Currently Editorial Director as well as Senior Editor on staff, Leslie has worked at Kartemquin Films in various capacities for over ten years.  Most recently she edited with Steve James on the upcoming ESPN film No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson. Prior to that she edited the Emmy-nominated In the Family, for which she received the Best Editing win at the "Best of the Midwest Awards." In 2005 Leslie was co-editor with Steve James on theaward-winning feature documentary The War Tapes and from 2001-2004 wore dual hats on the seven-part PBS series The New Americans as both Series Story Editor and Post Production Supervisor.

In 2004 she took on the role of development producer for the "Odyssey Project" segment of series-in-development The Learning Chronicles. She was a co-editor and Post Production Manager for Future/Now Films’ MC5*ATT and a Post Production Technical Advisor for the feature doc Reel Paradise. While acting as Post Production Manager on the Life Stories series, she was also a Co-Editor for the "Quitting" episode. She was Post Production Manager on Stevie, Refrigerator Mothers, and 5 Girls. Leslie’s work as Assistant Editor on Vietnam Long Time Coming is what originally brought her to Kartemquin, and she also contributed additional editing to that film. Leslie got her BA in Communication/Theater Arts (Phi Beta Kappa) from Kalamazoo College in Michigan. She did graduate work in film at Columbia College, Chicago, where she began her long and passionate relationship with the Avid. When not in the edit room, she enjoys travel, good food and liquor, long naps on the beach, and helping animals.