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Women’s Work in British Film and Television

Monica Mead
Editor

Mead, Monica (Editor)

Also known by her married name Monica Gould.

Monica Mead was born in England in 1927 but spent her childhood in New Zealand. She started her working life as a Programme Assistant for the New Zealand Broadcasting Service in Wellington, first in radio and then in the Film Unit where she trained in editing. She came to Britain in 1952 and worked as a freelance editor through the 1950s and 1960s for a number of clients including the BBC, Movietone News, the Coal Board Film Unit, Samuelson's Film Service and the Children’s Film Foundation. In her later years she taught Editing at the London Film School and was Head of Editing when she retired in the 1980s. In her interview Monica talks about her training in New Zealand, getting started in the industry in Britain, the challenge of finding work and the importance of word-of-mouth contacts. She discusses part-time work, working from home and the value of live-in help when her three children were young. She also reflects on her own practice as an editor, editorial judgement and creative decision-making in her job, and the professional satisfaction she gained editing features for the Children’s Film Foundation.

©Melanie Bell

Interview

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How to cite this page

Women’s Work Oral Histories/Oral Histories/Melanie Bell, Women’s Work in British Film and Television, https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/bectu/Oral Histories,Thursday 25th April 2024.

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