Editors Peter Tarter and Nadav Kurtz have joined the staff of Cutters. Tarter worked at Jigsaw on a freelance basis in 2006, and was on staff there in 2005. His most recent work includes Jeep "Escape" and "Lemonade Stand" via BBDO/Detroit, as well as a client-direct spot for Thomasville. "When I walked into Cutters, I felt this sense of comfort and depth on every level," said Tarter, whose first assignment for Cutters is a PGA project via Richards Group/Dallas. "The company has an infinite, solid foundation, and the reels of the editors – and the assistants – reflect a broad spectrum of work. I am proud to be part of this team led by Tim McGuire and will help push the creative envelope on every level."
Kurtz, who was an assistant editor at Cutters in 2000, had been a staff editor at Outsider Editorial since 2001. He recently completed Kellogg's Go-Tarts "Grand Canyon," and "Shuttle," directed by Aaron Ruell (Leo Burnett/Chicago); his first assignments at Cutters are for John Deere (Leslie Dektor, director) and Dow (Iain Mackenzie, director), both via DraftFCB/Chicago.

"I've always known Cutters to be creatively supportive of their editors," said Kurtz. "They have great momentum right now, including some excellent additions to their LA office. I wanted to be part of that and contribute to that energy."

"Nadav and Peter bring such talent, skill, and diversity to our roster," said Cutters owner Tim McGuire. "On the heels of Joel Marcus coming into the fold, the complement in this new year has really been wonderful." Tarter is based in LA, and Kurtz resides in Chicago; the editors are available at both Cutters studios, as are all of the company's editors.

Peter Tarter
Over the past fourteen years, Peter Tarter – whose career trajectory has included gigs as a therapist, meat truck driver, actor, and Calvin Klein model – has worked on high profile campaigns for top advertisers AT&T, Chrysler, and others. On spot and music video projects alike, directors such as Mike Mills, Sam Bayer, John Landis, Diane Martel, Luke Scott, Lance Kelleher, Wayne Isham, Sean Thonson, Jeff Zwart, and Doug Liman have called upon Tarter for his acute sense of story and style, whether driven by visuals or comedy-dialogue. "I spent a lot of time searching for the right profession," explained Tarter, who briefly attended med school at UCLA before being discovered by photographer Bruce Weber at New York's Book Soup. "But I'm very happy to have landed right here."

The editor has made a name for himself with spots such as Chrysler 300 "Moonlight Drive," Mercury Mountaineer "Strength, Beauty, and Grace," and World Poker Exchange "Go Big." In addition to Jeep and Thomasville, his recent work includes Dodge "Snowmobiles (BBDO/Detroit), and AT&T "World According to Kara" (Rodgers Townsend/St. Louis). Music videos for Velvet Revolver, Eric Clapton, and Breaking Benjamin have added to his notoriety. In addition to his spot and clip work – not to mention his triathlons, snowboarding, and surfing expeditions – Tarter found time to cut Matt Donaldson and Chuck Leal's short film, Bullfight. "I learned very early on to spend as much time as possible with the footage I'm given," said Tarter, who first studied his craft at Spot Welders under the tutelage of Michael Heldman, Robert Duffy, and Haines Hall. "It all starts with the film, whether there's dialogue or not, and on occasion I’ll piece the story together first, with the sound off. A great story will unfold in the imagery, and evolve from there."

Nadav Kurtz
Not only did Nadav Kurtz earn a BA in English Literature at the University of Chicago, he also formed a filmmaking collective at the university that set the stage for a career in production and post. After working as a PA on documentaries in New York, Chicago, and in France, Kurtz pursued editing. Spots such as Boeing "Great Idea" (DraftFCB/Chicago) and McDonalds "Big Mac Beat" (Leo Burnett/Chicago) – both directed by Believe's George Jecel – as well as State Farm "Tight Fit" (helmed by John Mastromonaco via DDB/Chicago), exemplify Kurtz's dexterity with genre and scope. From lush panoramas to eye-popping, energetic anthems, and performance-driven comedy dialogue, Kurtz has a feel for structure and pace that has contributed to many award-winning projects.

"Every editor wants to work with high-profile clients and do 'the best work,'" he said. "For me, the 'best work' represents a cross-section of great advertisers and balanced personal creative challenges." In the course of pursuing that balance, Kurtz has garnered awards and honors for his work, including a Silver Hugo for Boeing "Hero" (DraftFCB/Chicago), Best Sound Design from the AICP/MoMA for "Crystal Breaks," and Best of Chicago, Chicago International Film Festival for Malik Bader's Street Thief, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and will open in March with distribution from A&E Indyfilms. Kurtz co-produced and edited the feature film, which has been described as an "is-it-or-isn't-it-a-documentary." A glowing review in Variety noted "the artful placement of cameras and the suspenseful intercutting between long-shot and close-up, as well as thoughtful jump cuts, sudden angle-changes and sophisticated montages." The film landed on the Village Voice's Best in Show list for the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, was described as a "buzz factory" by The New York Times, and won Best of Chicago at the Chicago International Film Festival. Kurtz has also added theatre to his repertoire: this past summer, he directed an original stage play, "Hedy Lamarr," and performed at Second City with improv group Melange the summer before that. "Wrecker," a dark short film directed by Kurtz, played at L'Etrange Festival in Paris, Rhode Island International and many other festivals.