Three of YouTube’s top video editors are heading to Dallas for VidSummit, and their combined portfolio covers some of the biggest names on the platform: MrBeast, MKBHD, and Quenlin Blackwell. Rachel Kisela, Mariah Zenk, and Olive Oaking will appear together on the keynote stage next month at the Irving Convention Center in Texas.
The session, titled “Beyond the Timeline: The Editors Behind YouTube’s Biggest Channels,” runs Sept. 29-Oct. 1. It is hosted by YouTube veteran HopeScope and her “hubbager” Tyler Allen.
“Great videos aren’t discovered in the edit. They’re built there.”
The Panel’s Three Voices
Kisela is the founder of EditHers, a community for women YouTube editors and creators. She served as the former Lead Video Editor for MrBeast before starting her own business. Zenk is the Lead Editor at MKBHD. Olive Oaking is the Director of Post-Production at Quenlin Blackwell, where her work is known for its distinct comedic voice. The panel promises a deep look at one of content creation’s most important jobs.
Why They Said Yes
Kisela’s answer is the most direct. She reached out to Zenk and Oaking, and she framed the panel as an opportunity to bridge the gap between creators and editors.
“I’m really passionate about bridging the gap between creators and editors!” she said. “Running my community of women YouTube editors and creators, EditHers, has allowed me to gain a lot of insight into what problems lie along the hiring and post-production workflow. I find that creators and editors BOTH produce their best work when they understand and respect each other creatively, so I’d love to do what I can to help strengthen these relationships in our industry.”
Zenk joined because of Kisela’s invitation and her work with EditHers. She noted that the community now includes more than 400 editors and creators.
“Rachel Kisela invited me to join the panel, and given how much she has contributed to the women’s editing community, it was an easy yes,” Zenk said. “Rachel founded EditHers, a community for leading women YouTube editors, which now includes more than 400 editors and creators. Editors are becoming increasingly visible and recognized within the YouTube space, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see talented women receive the recognition they deserve while also finding a community of peers.”
Olive Oaking’s admission is the panel’s most candid moment. She said she still does not know why she agreed to participate.
“I actually don’t know why, I’m still trying to figure that out,” she said. “I’m not one who usually seeks out opportunities to network or give any sort of educational knowledge out to people who may want to get into video editing.”
She described herself as someone whose comedic style overshadows technical flaws, and she said Rachel Kisela was the one who reached out to her.
How They Got Started
Kisela’s path started in middle and high school, when she was imitating editing tricks from her favorite YouTubers. She freelanced while in college and sent emails to TikTokers during the pandemic, eventually building a portfolio that landed her at MrBeast.
“I learned so much there, gained so much knowledge, and realized how much opportunity there is to build a career in this,” she said. “For the past couple of years, I have been freelance editing full-time, and working a lot with the team at HopeScope–and I absolutely love it!”
Zenk’s career began with a degree in media production from Missouri State University. She worked on university fundraising videos before landing a job at a direct-to-consumer business in St. Louis.
“Almost five years later, there’s no other place I’d rather be,” she said. “I was told they received more than 10,000 applications for my position, so I genuinely have no idea how they found me in that crowd—but I’m incredibly grateful they did.”
Olive Oaking started as a content creator long before she found her editing voice. She posted “goofy comedy TikToks” to over 500,000 followers in 2020, while her day job involved editing bland commercial content for corporate clients.
“I found myself editing for local businesses and creating very bland commercial content for corporate companies, a complete contrast to my digital footprint,” she said. “It wasn’t until I started pursuing freelance work for my creator friends that I found my creative editorial voice, that I had some comedic sauce that could be put to use on a bigger scale.”
Session Details
The panel will cover storytelling, pacing, humor, viewer retention, and the art of the cut. It will also look at creator-editor collaboration and how to find and shape a personal editing voice.
| Rachel Kisela | Mariah Zenk | Olive Oaking | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Role | Founder of EditHers, former Lead Video Editor at MrBeast | Lead Editor at MKBHD | Director of Post-Production at Quenlin Blackwell |
| Career highlight | Built up a portfolio that landed her at MrBeast | Over 10,000 applicants for her position | Found her comedic voice through freelance work |
| Current focus | Bridging the gap between creators and editors | Women in editing community | Distinct comedic voice |
That is the panel. The session is a chance for the industry to see the people behind the videos, and the panelists each bring a different approach to the job, from Kisela’s community-focused bridge-building to Zenk’s experience at MKBHD to Oaking’s candid admission that she is still figuring out why she was invited.
Source material: “Meet the top editors behind MrBeast, MKBHD, and Quenlin Blackwell–here and onstage at VidSummit,” Tubefilter.
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