Editor John Baldino (MFA ’09) had been working on NBC’s “The Voice” for three years in 2019 when another veteran editor, Nick Don Vito ’87, returned to the show after a 15-season absence. It didn’t take long for them to realize that they were both Chapman University graduates.

“We were just discussing our backgrounds a bit in the break room at Universal Studios as we were getting to know each other,” Don Vito recalls. “It was a surprise for me as I hadn’t worked with many Chapman grads up to that point. But it was super cool to connect with another Panther and we had many conversations about our experiences and instructors.”

Now, five years later, they have another thing in common: They’ve each won their first Emmy Award for their work on the hit reality show. Baldino, who edits mostly the stage performances, with some story and scene work thrown in, and DonVito, who cuts the “Best of Blinds” segments, recently took time for a chat to reflect on their recent win, their start in the entertainment industry and how Chapman prepared them for their Hollywood careers.

What does it mean to you to receive an Emmy?
Nick Don Vito: It was a complete surprise after several nominations personally and even more for “The Voice” team as a whole. (Proving that it takes a village to make reality TV, a total of 28 Voice editors received Emmys this year.) It is an incredible honor and very humbling, especially during a time where the business is going through a redefinition of sorts and many of our editing brethren are not working. I view this as almost a lifetime achievement award for my 30 years in the business. I’m ever so grateful to have received such an honor.

John Baldino: I’m still shocked it happened, frankly, but despite my own predilection for having imposter syndrome, I do think the Academy got it right. All of the editors on our show are remarkable artists who have kept the show fresh and engaging for years and years and so I’m ecstatic that the Academy finally recognized that.

How did you get your start in the entertainment industry?
Don Vito: After graduating from Chapman, I worked as a PA for a local news shooter, mostly as a camera assist and worked in the art department for commercials. Soon thereafter, I started working as a producer, cameraman and editor for a restaurant conglomerate in Irvine. After about five years, a small editorial house opened in Irvine with the very first Avid Media Composer and I started working there as a contract editor. I worked on commercials, infomercials and corporate projects. At that time, I also started directing commercials for local ad agencies in OC and San Diego. Around 1996, I started exploring opportunities in L.A. on TV shows. I worked on network specials and upfronts, several episodes of “A&E Biography,” ABC Family’s “Scariest Places on Earth” and CBS’s “Sightings.” Shortly thereafter, reality TV was born and after a year or so at MTV, I found my way to Mark Burnett Productions where I worked on “The Contender,” “The Apprentice,” “Shark Tank” and “The Voice.” Along the way I also worked on “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Selling Sunset,” “Shahs of Sunset,” “Love Is Blind,” “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.”

Baldino: I graduated from Chapman in ’09, which was a difficult time to start looking for work. I moved back home to Oregon for about a year and a half and did freelance videography, shooting weddings and how-to videos, until I decided to move to Los Angeles in early 2011. It took me another year before I landed my first gig as a PA at Ant Farm, a prominent trailer house, which is now defunct. From there I became an assistant editor and spent a few years in that world until a former colleague got me my first union gig on “The Voice.” Once I got onto the show, it was another couple of years of assisting until I was able to make the jump to editing.

How did Chapman prepare you for what you do now?
Don Vito: Three things stand out for me: First, the mental outlook [about] being diligent, prepared and enthusiastic for working in the industry. Second, having the ability to get my hands dirty in all aspects of production and post gave me a greater understanding of my own strengths. And third, great instruction from [former Dodge College dean] Bob Bassett, Greg Hobson and Jay Boylan set me on the right foot. Working on the Interterm Film Projects also really gave me a taste for professional filmmaking. I was a transfer student and the camaraderie and smaller, more intimate interactions and experience at Chapman were so much more impactful than my time in the Cal State system.

Baldino: Chapman gave me a very solid overview of the filmmaking process, which is valuable to almost anyone working in any facet of the business, but particularly for editors. And even though I didn’t explicitly concentrate on editing in school, the exposure I had to Avid Media Composer was invaluable. But editing is far more than learning software, it’s about developing a sensibility, and I had some great instructors who helped with that too. In fact, one of them was Harry B. Miller, who I’m now lucky enough to be on a committee with through the Editors Guild. I really appreciated my thesis advisor, Gil Bettman, for his practical wisdom and no-nonsense approach. Gil’s big personality and enthusiasm for his craft was inspiring. Overall, though, I’d say it was the volume of projects I was able to work on that probably helped the most. The most valuable lessons I learned probably came from either being on set or in the edit bay, not necessarily from being in the classroom. Learning how to collaborate well with others when you’re under pressure and dealing with personalities and egos is possibly the most underrated skill there is.