00:00 — Documentary Film Editor

Jesse D. Goldstein

Intimate, vérité-driven editing for feature and episodic documentary. Cut for PBS, Discovery, The New York Times, and ESPN — screened at 50+ festivals worldwide.

Based in NYC National Emmy–Nominated Telly Award Winner
IMDb ↗ Selected work ↓
(HBO) MaxDiscovery+PBSESPNKanopyApple TVAmazon PrimeThe New York TimesThe Washington PostPitchforkFunny or DieThe GuardianDirecTV

01 — Selected Work

Notable projects

  1. 01
    A man in a navy suit stands before Baltimore's City Hall flags and desk — a still from The Body Politic.

    The Body Politic

    Feature-Length Documentary — 2023 — Associate Editor

    Streaming on Apple TV, PBS, and Amazon Prime. Academy Award–qualifying. Nominated for a 2025 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy for Outstanding Politics and Government Feature Documentary, and winner of the Telly Silver Award for General Documentary (long-form).

    Watch now ↗
  2. 02
    Two women embrace in a wood-paneled courtroom — a still from The Last Trace.

    The Last Trace

    Feature-Length Documentary — 2027 — Editor

    Currently in post-production. Funded in part by the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund.

    Journalism series ↗
  3. 03
    A boy with a backpack walks past a row of boarded-up rowhouses — a still from Squeegee.

    Squeegee

    Feature-Length Documentary — 2024 — Editor / Producer

    Streaming on Kanopy. Festival premiere at the Maryland Film Festival.

    Watch now ↗
  4. 04
    A figure holds a tuba beneath a streetlight on an empty road at night — a still from Hi, I'm Richard Antoine White.

    Hi, I’m Richard Antoine White

    Episodic Documentary — 2022 — Editor

    Broadcast premiere on Discovery. Streaming on Max and Amazon Prime. Festival premiere at MountainFilm Festival.

    Watch now ↗
  5. 05
    Two men wave to a crowd at an outdoor community event — a still from Rocket to Venus.

    Rocket to Venus

    Feature-Length Documentary — 2026 — Editor / Producer

    Currently in post-production. Funded in part by the Saul Zaentz Innovation Fund.

    IMDb ↗
  6. 06
    A figure raises both arms beneath streetlights at night, lit in purple and amber — a still from Sage.

    Sage

    Short Documentary — 2018 — Editor / Producer

    Festival premiere at Palm Springs ShortFest.

    Watch now ↗

02 — Artistic Approach

How I cut

I edit documentaries that stay close to the people in them. My style is intimate and immersive, and I lean toward raw, vérité storytelling.

I like to throw things at the wall. I start by digging through the footage for the quotes and images that grab me, and I let those lead. Structure comes out of that pile of strong moments, not the other way around. Pacing comes last. Once I know what the film is made of, I use rhythm to stitch it all together.

Underneath all of it is trust. The best material comes from people who feel safe being honest on camera, and I try to honor that in the cut.

03 — About

The editor

Portrait of Jesse D. Goldstein at an American Documentary / POV event.

Jesse D. Goldstein is an award-winning documentary film editor whose work has been featured by PBS, Discovery, The New York Times, and ESPN, and shown at more than 50 festivals around the world. He is known for an intimate, immersive approach to editing — raw, vérité-style storytelling that stays close to its subjects.

Notable projects include Rocket to Venus (2026), Squeegee (2024), and The Body Politic (2023), an Academy Award–qualifying feature documentary nominated for a 2025 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy and winner of the Telly Silver Award for General Documentary.

He earned a B.A. in Communications & Media Studies from Goucher College and an M.A. in Emerging Media from Loyola University Maryland — and firmly believes degrees are very silly and not representative of very much at all.

He currently serves on the board of Wide Angle Youth Media, as part of the Executive Committee, and lives in New York City with his partner and their weird cat, Goblin.

04 — Recognition

Notable Awards & Festivals

46th News & Documentary Emmy Awards nomination seal

National Emmy Nomination, 2025

Outstanding Politics & Government Feature Documentary —
The Body Politic

★

Telly Award, Silver

General Documentary (long-form) —
The Body Politic

Notable Festival selections

  • Sheffield DocFestIn competition, first feature
  • Salem Film FestivalNominated, Best Editing
  • Heartland Film FestivalAudience Favorite winner
  • DC/DOXSpotlight film
  • IDFA Docs for Sale
  • Atlanta Film Festival
  • Palm Springs ShortFest
  • Maryland Film Festival
  • MountainFilm Festival
  • NYC Independent Film FestivalBest Short Film winner
  • American Advertising Federation BaltimoreGold ADDY winner
  • LA Web Fest
  • Baltimore New Media Fest

05 — Contact

Want to work together?

jesse.d.goldstein@gmail.com
Based in New York City IMDb ↗