Reel Deal Demos

At the time of this review, I am brand spanking new to the LA area and this is the first acting reel I’ve put together, so as you can imagine I felt like I was in over my head. Thank goodness I got in touch with Tom. You couldn’t ask for a nicer, more professional, or dedicated guy. He works efficiently and gives sound advice, but makes sure that YOU are in charge of the final product. He makes wise recommendations based on years of experience, and he empowered me to make some interesting decisions while still maintaining the basic concept of the demo.
His pricing is fair and transparent, and you WILL be satisfied with the final product.

First thing, Tom is a super nice guy. It’s always nice to do business with a nice person. Second love, love, love the video he did for me. It was just as perfect as I thought it would be. I had him turn a bunch of VHS tapes into a cool DVD for my honey as a b-​day present. His prices are reasonable and the video was completed in no time.
I’ll be back when I have another project.

Awesome job on my reel!
This was my very first reel, after 2 years of building up footage, and I was more nervous than excited. Brought Tom basically everything I had. We went through everything, picked out the best parts. Took Tom a week to put everything together.
Couldn’t have come out better! Absolutely perfect. Super creative with the editing, great 15 – 20 second montage at the end of the reel. Now, I am super excited to be able to send this out with my submissions.
If you need a reel done, for anything — acting, hosting, musical — Tom @ Reel Deal Demos is the guy for you! I’m telling you, this guy did a tremendous job!
Thanks Tom!

Tom is da bomb.
If you need reel editing, he is THE guy.
He’s a tad more expensive, but TOTALLY worth it.

Tom at Reel Deal Demos edited my hosting reel and he will next edit my comedy reel and several other video projects.
What I LOVE about Tom is that he cares about your reel as much as you do. He and I did paper-​edits, phone-​calls, and week-​long breaks to re-​think the project. He then sent me multiple versions of the cut based on our mutual ideas, and week after week we cut 30 minutes down to 2 and a half minutes and he delivered at a lower price than any editor I have ever used for comparable services.
Most editors attitude is «Hurry up, I’m busy and the faster I get you out of here, the more projects I can take on» but not Tom. Tom is like an old-​world craftsman. He doesn’t want to take on lots and lots of jobs, his only care is that the jobs he has taken on are done exceptionally well. Tom simply will not put out crap– even if that means taking extra time to make sure the job is done right. It’s the difference between going to McDonald’s or eating at a farmhouse in Tuscany. There is no rush, what matters is that the food is GOOD.
His business model is fair, if unconventional. You call Tom to discuss your project and agree on a ballpark estimate (he stuck to his estimate). If you agree to work together, you are now in his timeline and he will probably start your project in a week or two. In the meantime you will drop off or email him your video assets and any notes about your project so that he can get started right away when he is ready. About a week after he starts editing your project he will send you a video (low quality so it can be sent through email and you will still want a final version) and you will tell him if you love it as-​is or if it needs any changes. If your changes are specific enough and easy to accomplish, Tom will schedule the final edit with you where which you will come over to his home-​studio (he is married with adorable kids (who are not around while you’re working) and has a great workspace in Burbank) and work side by side with him to create your finished product.
If you are a control freak (like me) then Tom may be the PERFECT editor for you to work with. He is TOTALLY open to your input. You could ask him to adjust and re-​adjust any element in your project and he will not frustrated (unlike almost any other editor I have ever worked with). Also he is the BEST VALUE of just about any editor out there. And both he, as a person, and his work are nice!
Tom is the PERFECT editor for ME. However, I am giving him 4 stars because he may not be the perfect editor for YOU and I want to save you both the agony.
In Hollywood there is something called the GOOD FAST CHEAP triangle. You can have any 2 corners of that triangle, but not all three.
For example:
You can have it GOOD and FAST but it won’t be CHEAP
You can have it FAST and CHEAP– but it won’t be GOOD.
**And you can have it GOOD and CHEAP but it won’t be FAST.
** Tom is the third of these. Painstaking detail. Caring execution. Unbelievable value! He will obsess about things as much as you do and it will make your video look great. But you cannot have it right away. You have to wait about a week until he is ready to work you into his workflow and then he will get you your first edit about a week later. He works with very few hard deadlines. That’s just not the way he does it and if you need a guy to turn and burn your project fast and have it done tomorrow, then please look elsewhere because that is not the right way to use Tom’s services. [I bet he will do it that way if you offer him a ton of money– but that’s not his usual way of working]. It’s a home studio and they are not yet using HD, however, as Tom explained to me, if any part of your video is not in HD (so any TV shows pre-​2008) then your entire reel will not look good in HD, so this should not matter. Tom edits using Adobe Première.
Tom is the nicest and sweetest guy to work with. The best value ever. And if you can handle working into his busy schedule and want someone to collaborate with, then I can give no higher recommendation.