Our Staff

Owner and Founder

Josh Apter

Josh is a writer-director, educator, accidental inventor, and a luthier of stunningly average ability. His films include Kaaterskill Falls (two Independent Spirit Award nominations, Critics Jury Prize, Los Angeles Film Festival) and Delivery Method (Best Feature, Film Fest New Haven). His short films are too numerous to list, though his award-winning NYU thesis film 53rd Calypso was also actor Edward Norton's first film role. 

Josh has worked in all areas of filmmaking, from location sound recordist on numerous feature films, to videographer for Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation, where he recorded the testimonies of over 150 Holocaust survivors. As a film editor, Josh has cut over ten features, including The Holy Land (Slamdance FF/Cavu Pictures), and Barbecue is a Noun (Audience Award for Best Documentary, Rome International Film Festival and River Run Film Festival).

Josh is also one half of Cringe Factory, a YouTube comedy duo whose viral hits include "Panhandler Party" and "12 Hours of Princess Leia Walking in NYC," each surpassing 4 million views.

A sought-after moderator and host, Josh has led live conversations at ACE's EditFest, NAB, ISTE, and countless other venues. He also hosts the podcasts Sight, Sound & Story, FilmmakerU, Talkin' MEWShop, and Film School Flashback, featuring leading voices in film and media.

From his love of post-production, Josh founded Manhattan Edit Workshop in 2002. MEWShop is an Avid, Assimilate, and Blackmagic Authorized Training Center serving clients including AMC Networks, HBO, NBC, CBS, WNET, and CNN — the premier training destination for high-level content creators and media professionals.

President

Jason Banke

As President of Manhattan Edit Workshop (MEWShop), Jason Banke oversees all aspects of the organization, including educational programs, instructor development, marketing, events, strategic partnerships, and day-to-day operations. During his tenure, he has helped solidify MEWShop’s reputation as one of the premier destinations for post-production education on the East Coast. He has also expanded the acclaimed Sight, Sound & Story series beyond editing to include conversations focused on sound design, visual effects, and cinematography.

Jason is also the co-founder of Filmmaker U, an online learning platform dedicated to bringing world-class filmmaking and post-production education to creators around the globe through masterclasses and industry-focused training.

Throughout his career, Jason has worked in various production and post-production roles on commercials, reality television, corporate content, and independent films. He earned a B.A. in Film and Video Production from Hofstra University, where he wrote and directed five short films. A graduate of MEWShop’s renowned Six-Week Intensive Workshop himself, he later returned as a teaching assistant, providing him with a unique perspective on both the student and educator experience.

In addition to overseeing MEWShop’s continued growth and strategic partnerships, Jason remains an active filmmaker, shooting and editing his own projects. He is also a member of the satirical comedy group Cringe Factory, whose viral videos have collectively garnered nearly seven million views on YouTube. His passion for storytelling, education, and community-building continues to help connect emerging filmmakers with some of the industry's leading creative talent.

Director of Education & CERTIFIED APPLe, AVID & ADOBE INSTRUCTOR

Janet Dalton 

Janet is a freelance editor who has been in the film and video world for over 15 years. She first became interested in film while studying audio engineering at The New School. Since then she has edited for PBS, MTV, CNBC, and Link TV.

She has been an Avid certified instructor for over 10 years and teaches both the introductory as well as advanced edit and effects classes. She is also one of just a handful of instructors who teach Avid's high end HD edit systems, the DS Nitris. She has taught editing classes at NYU, Columbia, SVA as well as taught industry professionals on-site at CBS, NBC and Fox. Her work is primarily short format though she is currently working on a feature length documentary.  Janet is also an Adobe Premiere Pro & Apple Final Cut Pro certified instructor.

Janet is a licensed School Director and School Agent by the New York State Department of Education; as well as licensed Teacher by the New York State Department of Education.