From feature narratives to provocative documentaries, from docu-soaps to web work and commercials, from action thrillers to robust comedies, Adam Lichtenstein's uniquely varied editing credits reflect an uncommon versatility. Lichtenstein is a first-rate, experienced editor with a strong sense of story-telling, pacing and visual style. He has a talent for crafting compelling long and short form projects from start to finish. He is highly organized, creative, and reliable under tight deadlines.
Shortly after the end of the War, two colleagues from the mail order division of Haber & Fink — a camera shop situated on New York’s Radio Row — fell in love. Their home became a repository for an impressive array of consumer 8mm and Super-8 cameras, lighting, and editing equipment. It was in their basement that Little Adam lost himself at the rewinds, hunched over his splicer, taking scrupulous notes about what were the best movies ever made. Film school became inevitable from the moment that such a thing became known, and Scorsese’s alma mater more than sufficed.
A short while later, Adam began his editing career in earnest by going on supply runs to Rafik for Barbara Kopple (HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A.) and labeling white boxes for what would be her second Academy Award-winning documentary AMERICAN DREAM. Kopple's production company name captured the same inviting spirit Adam felt during his first professional editing experience. Cabin Creek was a place where Adam learned to appreciate a good cup of tea at the hem of a venerable socialist; a tranquil, inviting retreat from the chaos of East 11th Street and New York’s antique district. Intelligent conversation abounded in the cozy confines of Cabin Creek and he never wanted to leave.
From there Adam ferried across the Mersey to Liverpool where he became a member of the editorial team which produced The Beatles' Grammy Award-winning "Free as a Bird" music video. After making the leap to feature films and television — including Primetime Live’s network version of THE STAIR CASE directed by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade — Adam was the pilot editor of MTV's phenomenon THE HILLS, establishing its now-famous cinematic aesthetic, carrying it through three highly-rated seasons. Following these successes, his work on the sketch comedy series KEY & PEELE became the stuff of legend.
Adam went on to edit I KNEW IT WAS YOU: REDISCOVERING JOHN CAZALE for HBO and long-time collaborator Richard Shepard. I Knew It Was You was a loving portrait of the acting craft of actor John Cazale and a tour through the movies that defined a generation. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival’s Documentary Spotlight and led a week-long retrospective at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Adam also contributed to NBC’s A.P. BIO, Adult Swim’s CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, NTSF:SD:SUV, Comedy Central’s WORKAHOLICS and Funny or Die’s NO ACTIVITY. Along the way, there have been Sundance selections (SCOTLAND, PA), multi-award winning documentaries (MR. FISH: CARTOONING FROM THE DEEP END), SNL shorts, TV docu-dramas, indie crime thrillers, dozens of splashy Super Bowl ads and the occasional global sensation like Amazon Freevee’s documentary-style comedy series JURY DUTY for which he won a Peabody Award.
Adam has been a participating editor at the Sundance Filmmakers Lab, a teaching advisor at Alan Oxman's Edit Center, and a workshop leader for STAC, a unique high school program for gifted students of the performing arts.
