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We had the opportunity to interview Nina Helene Hirten, a cinematic editor, multimedia artist, and the owner of Oh Just Peachy Studios Productions, based in Los Angeles. With a diverse portfolio that includes editing for Amy Poehler’s animated series Duncanville, Universal’s Curious George: Royal Monkey, and serving as Previsualization Editor for blockbuster hits like Ant-Man and the Wasp, Venom, Jungle Cruise, and Godzilla vs. Kong, Nina’s talent and versatility are undeniable.
Currently, Nina is making waves as the lead editor of Fox’s animated TV show Grimsburg, starring Jon Hamm. Her journey began with a BFA in Film from Ryerson University in Toronto, followed by a rich career in Canada where she edited and composed music for the feature documentary *Citizen Marc* and various indie projects. As a former board member of the Canadian Cinema Editors (CCE) and a member of IATSE Local 700, Nina is deeply embedded in the editing and animation communities.
Beyond film and television, Nina is known as the music artist DEROSNEC, channeling her passion for storytelling through original music, video, and illustration. Her eclectic musical influences range from synthpop to industrial metal, reflecting a lifelong immersion in a musical family.
Join us as we explore Nina’s creative processes, her journey with Oh Just Peachy Studios, and her insights into balancing the worlds of editing and multimedia artistry.
Vents: How do you balance your roles as both an editor and a multimedia artist?
Nina: While my day job really is being an editor on other people’s projects, it still falls under the “art” umbrella for me, so creatively-speaking, it’s not difficult to balance both of them together. Editing is a craft and an art in and of itself, with decades of theory and psychology to study supporting what works and why in terms of what the end goal of the project is, and because my overall focus in my art is storytelling it all falls into place pretty naturally.
Practically-speaking, finding time to do both the day job editing and the multimedia art (music, movies, illustration, etc) for myself is a daily struggle which I work very hard to schedule through and practice some solid time-management skills. For example, this past year whilst working on Grimsburg as an editor full time during the day, I spent most of my evenings (once the kids were in bed) animating two different music videos for the band Paria on their new EP release: “Roadblock” and “Werecar”. Those two videos are now out in the wild telling their stories, but those also weren’t the only projects I was working on – I also had Thursday nights blocked off to record a vocal cover project. So, in 3 hour time-chunks across the span of a few months, I recorded a total of 6 songs which are slated to be released in the spring of 2025.
A common question that I get asked is where do I get the energy to do so much – most people that know me well would tell you that it’s typical for me to be working on 3-5 projects actively at a time – and I don’t really have a good answer. All I know is that I am a compulsive creator and my passion for storytelling is so strong that I can’t help it. One of these days I’ll find the support group for my addiction, but for now I’m just gonna run with it!
Vents: What led you to start Oh Just Peachy Studios Productions?
Nina: From a very young age I was really inspired by Walt Disney and what he created, and I wanted to be an animator and start my own studio. I dropped the animation-specific track (for a while anyway) because at my formative career years traditional 2D animation didn’t exist like it did in the 1990s, but having my own movie, comic/graphic novel and music studio was always in the plans.
I came up with OJPS specifically when I was about 11, spending way too much time on AOL and in chatrooms talking about art and music. There was a point where I realized that I needed a website to show off my art, and I taught myself to code and built a website (the first “Oh Just Peachy Studios Productions” website, brought to you by Netscape Navigator). It must’ve been pretty decent, because people started commissioning me and hiring me for graphics, art, and websites – so I ran with that, and freelanced throughout my teenage years. I used the money I made to upgrade my computer and buy tools and instruments that would allow me to make digital art and music more easily – I’ll never forget the days that I could finally buy my own guitar (I had been borrowing various guitars from friends’ parents for years) and a wacom tablet!
Once I graduated from film school, I kept offering those services, but I also invested in a camera, lights, and sound gear to start pivoting towards film and music videos – and thus, OJPS has carried me through to today and beyond!
Vents: Could you describe your role in editing Grimsburg and what drew you to the project?
Nina: I was one of two lead editors on Grimsburg, which means that I got to edit all my episodes from beginning to end. At the beginning, I work with the showrunner, directors, and storyboard artists to put all the storyboards together and create an animatic complete with sound effects and music – it goes through a lot of changes, but once that’s done it gets sent to the animation team and I wait for everything to be animated.
Once it’s animated, I take all the finished shots and put them together with the sound effects and music, and then creatively find ways to solve action and story problems to make it as smooth and fun to watch as possible. In this process, I also have to find ways to address notes and rewrites as they come, as well as cut it down to broadcast time.
I love dark and stupid comedy and I love animated sitcoms, so this one was a really easy sell for me – Grimsburg is all those things plus an amazing cast and a fantastic crew with hard working, talented professionals that love what they do almost as much as I do (if not just as much!). How could I say no?
Vents: What was the most rewarding aspect of working on Grimsburg?
Nina: Getting to work alongside people I respect is extremely rewarding for me, because I know I’ll get the opportunity to learn something and level up. I definitely “leveled up” on Grimsburg with my craft. During production in the second season in particular, I felt like I was able to anticipate what the showrunner and director wanted the majority of the time during edits, so it was great to hear stuff like “Hey Nina, can we do.. Oh you already did it!” and know that I’m riding on the right wavelength for the show. That’s a skill that I’ve really worked hard to get good at, so that is also rewarding!
Vents: Outside of film and tv, you’ve edited three videos for the metal band; Paria. How do you ensure that each music video maintains a unique style while still fitting within Paria’s overall artistic vision?
Nina: Yes, this was a busy year for me and my buddies in Paria! I edited three of their music videos and animated two of them as well, so while I didn’t have a say in how the band’s performance was filmed for the two that I animated, I had quite a bit of creative control in terms of style for everything else. That said, even if I was only editing, I still approach the creative process in the same way – for example the song “Abomination” had story beats that were filmed by the director Justin Brink. He gave me a loose narrative and a detailed breakdown of his vision, then let me go nuts. I personally love how it turned out – I definitely was channeling “Lost Highway” as I was constructing it!
So when I’m doing music videos, I am pretty systematic in my approach. First, I break down the song from a technical standpoint: What is the structure? What are the lyrics? Much like a written story, I have to find the beginning, middle, and end… so what type of story is it, and where is the climax? etc.)
Next, I break it down from a feelings standpoint: What is the song making me feel, and where? How can I use the footage that I have (or in some cases, create) to emphasize those feelings at those parts, whilst still keeping the story clear enough to follow?
Every song is different, and thus the answers to these questions will also be different. Consequently each video has its own voice whilst still feeling like it’s a part of something bigger. Also, Paria is a really good band with strong musicianship and songs that don’t all sound the same, so that certainly helps in coming up with unique angles for everything!
Vents: Does your creative style differ across different types of content? For example, from film and tv to music videos– or from animation to live action?
Nina: I actively and consciously try to do something new with every project that I make, though I’m sure there are a few things that I do in them that could objectively be identified as a “typical Nina thing.” Ultimately I want whatever I’m working on to be entertaining no matter what the medium or genre is, so as I go I’m asking questions constantly to figure out which path will lead to that outcome and then walking it.
But to answer your question, the only time where my approach is a little different is on the bigger projects like major Hollywood movies or broadcast TV because they come with a lot of creative limitations – which is just part of the deal if you want to be part of the “Hollywood machine” – and honestly I’m okay with that, because I always learn something profound from those projects that elevate my other ones.Since I’m not usually in a position to be offering as many creative ideas as on a music video or an indie project, I use that opportunity to instead learn how to speak in the established language of that show or franchise.
Vents: Who are your biggest artistic influences and why?
Nina: I have an epic list of people who influence me… but there are of course a handful who stick out as lynchpins in my development for different reasons!
I feel like I would fit right in at a teatime with David Lynch and Terry Gilliam – they are kindred spirits: both tongue-in-cheek and darkly inclined animators and filmmakers (and at least in Lynch’s case, musician as well). I read every single one of Michael Crichton’s books when I was a tween, and wrote him an embarrassingly long fan letter in 8th grade (he graciously sent me back a signed 8×10 which still hangs above my desk, bless him). Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Trent Reznor, Depeche Mode and Garbage are a few of the important musicians who contributed to the soundtrack to my life. Illustration/Art-wise, my cousin Justine Hirten is an incredible artist and has been one of my biggest influences ever since I can remember, but I attribute my drawing skill mostly to Disney, the Fleischer brothers, and reading too many comic books in the 90s (in particular, the Bone series).
Vents: Do you have any exciting projects you’d like to share that are on the horizon?
Nina: Aside from Grimsburg Season 2 airing soon (airdate TBD, but hopefully this winter!), the aforementioned vocal cover project, “DEROSNEC: Vocalize” is next up on the horizon and will be out by spring 2025. Soon after that I hope that we’ll be able to release a spooky b-movie style featurette which I’m editing, animating and composing the music for, so if you like mannequins, then keep an eye out for that announcement!
