Write like a drunk and edit like a surgeon.
This quote plays the most important role in shaping my career.
Let me tell you a bit about my writing journey.
I’m a self-taught writer with an electrical engineering background.
When I started writing, I wrote like a drunk but I struggled to edit like a surgeon.
This profession became a nightmare for me.
Last year I was quitting this industry.
But then I found a show that totally turns things around for me.
It brought me back into the writing industry and now I’m on my way to being a content surgeon.
Now, let me share this secret YouTube channel that top-tier writers and editors are watching to level up their game.
In this show, you’ll see content experts editing content with surgical precision, similar to how surgeons perform surgeries in an operating room.
Curious to learn more about this YouTube channel? I bet you are!
It’s called “The Cutting Room: Live Edits with the Masters of Content.”
I was lucky to find this show, and it quickly became my weekend binge-watching ritual.
As Dr. Fio eloquently puts it, The Cutting Room is like Netflix for editors and writers.
Moreover, The Cutting Room has outgrown its status as a mere YouTube channel.
It has evolved into a full-fledged academy for content marketers.
Yeah, it sounds like a grand claim, but once you read this blog, you’ll agree with me.
In this article, I will dive into the show’s theme, guests, and why content marketers love it.
Let’s explore the captivating world of The Cutting Room together.
Table of Contents
Why Tommy Walker started The Cutting Room?
I’ve always been curious about how someone can create a program where industry big names share their secrets.
So I asked Tommy Walker why he started The Cutting Room.
Amna: What was your philosophy behind The Cutting Room?
Tommy: “When I started my consultancy, I set up a ton of meetings with people who I’d consider my ideal customer, mid-career content marketing leads at Fortune 1,000s and fast-growing startups.
A common sentiment in those conversations was “there isn’t a ton of content out there for me”.
I sat with that for a while, and one day I was lamenting to a peer that my email list wasn’t growing as fast as I would like, and he encouraged me to do a small series of live events that could build my list.
I don’t like doing the same thing as everyone else, so I asked myself what could only be done live, or at least best consumed live, so we could encourage people to show up and interact.
“That’s where the live edits came from.
While live edits on their own are interesting, doing that would only show the end result.
Now I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to have gained some really solid credentials [Editor’s note: Tommy was the first marketing hire at Shopify Plus, Global Editor-in-Chief at QuickBooks, and has consulted with companies like GoDaddy, Twitch, LinkedIn, and Vimeo] and I’ve been able to meet some really talented people, so the next thing I wanted to know was “why do these people approach the work the way they do? How do they get it created? What do they do before they sit down to edit?”
And that’s where the premise of the show came about…” ’’
What is the theme of the show?
The Cutting Room is a one-hour show, broadcast every Tuesday which you can watch live or catch the recorded episodes later on The Content Studio’s YouTube channel.
In the first 30 minutes, they share:
- Their content marketing philosophy
- Their process for creating content
- Pregame before writing or assigning an article
I love this part.
You can’t sit and edit a blog in front of the screen.
Because it will be just tearing a piece of content.
It’s about the thought process.
Editing is like constructing a building.
It needs a thought process to ensure the various elements come together cohesively and flawlessly.
This first part is a bridge to connect with the second part of the show.
In the second half of the show, they edit an article live so you peer over their shoulder and see their whole thought process as they go through line by line.
How cool is that😎
Who graced this show?
The Cutting room’s guests are its backbone. Jacob summed it up well.
This show has been graced by numerous industry titans who have shared their expertise and insights.
Some of the notable guests include:
- Emily Anne Epstein (Asana)
- Jimmy Daly (Superpath)
- Margarita Loktionova (Semrush)
- Robyn Showers (Vimeo)
- Tracey Wallace (Klaviyo)
- Melissa Eisenberg (DocuSign)
- Margaret Jones (Airtbale)
- Benyamin Elias (Podia)
- Devin Bramhall (Former CEO of Animalz)
- Amanda Natividad (SparkToro)
- Melanie Deziel (Creator Kitchen)
- Alaura Weaver (Writer)
- Brian Dean (Exploding Topics)
- Kameron Jenkins (Shopify)
- Camille Trent (PeerSignal)
- Eddie Shleyner (VeryGoodCopy)
- Brooklin Nash (Beam Content)
- Erica Schneider (Grizzle)
- Ramli John (Appuces)
- Brendan Hufford (Growth Sprints)
- Ronnie Higgins (OpenPhone)
- Tiffany Smith (AKASA)
- Dr. Fio Dossetto (Postmark)
- Kevin Indig (Ex-Head of technical SEO of Atlassian)
- Peep Laja (Wynter)
- Shayla Price (Primostats)
- Aaron Orendroff (Recart)
And many others.
One thing I like about this show is gender equality as features an inclusive lineup of both male and female guests.
Why do writers love this show?
This show has a huge impact on writers’ lives.
And many writers have shared how watching The Cutting Room has significantly transformed their writing style.
This is amazing how a single show can change someone’s whole career.
Here are some stories and views from writers that how this show help them to improve their writing skills.
“When I was a newbie to content writing, like every other writer, I was looking to learn more about it.
That’s how I found out about this show and most of what I know today I learned from watching experts share their philosophy and writing process in detail on this show.
Take it from someone who has watched all the episodes, this show is a masterclass in content writing and editing.
I gained valuable insights from Shayla Price about the importance of recent statistics, Ryan Law’s perspective on standing out in the midst of AI content, and Erica Scheinder’s tips on providing constructive feedback.
If I had to recommend one show to anyone starting out in content writing or marketing, it would be this one.”
‘’There’s no show out there that caters to every single content writer – no matter whether they have begun their journey or are 10+ years in the industry.
Like I couldn’t find a YouTube channel that does it.
Usually, it’s newsletters or LinkedIn posts people have to rely on.
Most YouTube channels are for beginners.
That’s where the Content Studio changes the game.’’
Why do editors love this show?
You know what’s amazing about The Cutting Room?
It’s not just loved by writers, but editors are equally loving this show.
Look how editors are admiring this show👇
Erica’s episode is the most viewed episode of The Cutting Room.
Dr Fio mentioned The Cutting Room in her newsletter cf65:Content has a surprising amount of detail.
She was talking about how to grow in a content role by figuring out two scenarios (scenarios detail in her newsletter).
She mentioned The Cutting Room as an example for explaining her point.
What are treats from The Cutting Rooms?
Podcast
Guess what? Tommy Walker has just released the podcast edition of The Cutting Room!
It’s a repurposed version of the first 30 minutes of the show, specifically designed for all you audio lovers out there.
If you’re someone who enjoys immersing yourself in the world of podcasts, then this is perfect for you.
To give it a listen, all you need to do is hop on over to iTunes, Spotify, or any other platform where you usually indulge in your podcast cravings.
It’s just a few clicks away from becoming your new favorite show to tune into.
The Vault
Alright, let’s talk about The Vault—The Cutting Room’s editorial database.
In The Vault, their team shares edited articles by their incredible guests.
If you’re a follower of The Cutting Room’s newsletter, you have exclusive access to this hidden gem.
it’s a goldmine of knowledge! And Garima Khatri considered it Godsent.
She is right!
Seriously, folks, this is a golden opportunity to peek into the editing styles of ace editors.
You can freely dive into the Vault, and read all the comments and feedback left by these mastermind editors.
It’s like having a backstage pass to the editing world.
During my free time, I love cracking the Vault and immersing myself in the edits.
It’s like going on an editing adventure!
I carefully study every change made by these amazing guests and jot down my own editing notes.
This Vault sparks a flurry of ideas for editing.
Each editor brings their own distinct editing style to the table.
It’s like a buffet of different flavors and techniques.
If you want to level up your editing game, dive headfirst into this Vault.
It’s an editing paradise just waiting to be explored.
Here are my notes from Vault.
Guest list
Whether you‘re a self-taught content marketer like me or not you need other content marketers to learn from and network with it.
Well, let me tell you a cool trick.
The Cutting Room gathers the industry’s most knowledgeable and reputable people as their guests.
The show’s episodes serve as your first handshake with these incredible guests.
In the next step of building a connection, why not follow their social media accounts?
It’s a great way to stay updated and befriend these industry experts.
You will say it’s hard to find every guest on social and forget to find guests.
Don’t worry, The Cutting Room team made it easy for us.
They‘ve gone the extra mile and created a Twitter list featuring all of their fantastic guests.
All you need to do is hit that “Follow” button on the list, and voila!
Their tweets will start appearing on your feed.
Don’t miss out on this golden opportunity to expand your knowledge and stay connected with the industry’s finest.
Give that Twitter lists a follow and get ready to level up your content marketing game.
Final words
The Cutting Room is doing an incredible job of serving the content marketing community through its YouTube show, podcast, and content vault.
What’s truly remarkable is that, despite maintaining the quality of the show, they’ve already reached their 50th episode.
It’s mind-boggling how much knowledge and wisdom has been shared in such a short span of time.
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced content marketer, this show is an absolute must-watch if you want to uncover the success secrets of other content marketers.
It doesn’t matter where you are in your journey; there’s always something valuable to learn and gain from the insights shared on The Cutting Room.
PS: This blog is part of a series of the best content writing resources.