"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.
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."
"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.
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