[This article is part of a series where I invited media industry leaders to share their thoughts on 2025 and what it means for the future. Mike Cavanagh is the President of Key Code Media with over 30 years in digital video editing, starting with a career with Avid in mid 90s, he has run reseller organizations since 1996, based in Los Angeles. His career focussed on helping clients make decisions on technology to improve their organizations. Website: www.keycodemedia.com. ]
2026: Adapting to new workflows without losing creative judgment
When we talk about editing software in 2025, the real story isn’t features — it’s economics, workflow stability, and where editorial jobs are actually growing.
Key Code Media supports Avid, Adobe, and Blackmagic workflows, with a strong focus on shared editorial storage. At the high end of the market, we don’t see meaningful movement away from Avid. The reason is straightforward: it costs more to retrain an experienced editor than it does to pay for the software. For large teams, switching tools introduces risk and downtime that most organizations simply won’t accept.
Storage remains the center of gravity. More than 90% of the remote editorial storage farms we support are still built on Avid NEXIS. What’s changing isn’t the platform — it’s the geography. Postproduction continues to migrate overseas or to U.S. states with stronger tax incentives, putting pressure on traditional facilities.
That doesn’t mean editorial work is disappearing. It’s moving.
Social media creators prioritize speed and ease of use, which is why tools like CapCut dominate short-form workflows. Many influencers, however, haven’t yet embraced enterprise-style editorial collaboration — an opportunity for experienced editors who can bridge speed with professional workflows.
The strongest growth we see is in corporate editorial. Companies are bringing production in-house and leaning heavily into AI to increase efficiency. Tools like Quickture allow producers to generate rough cuts using natural-language descriptions of footage. Today, AI complements editors by accelerating rough cuts and freeing humans to focus on storytelling and judgment.
Generative AI from Adobe, OpenAI, and Google is being evaluated closely, but adoption remains cautious. Questions around brand control, IP, and authenticity are slowing full deployment.
A recent Wall Street Journal podcast, “AI Has Come for Advertising,” captured the moment well: creative cycles are compressing, and even emotional messaging is being shaped by automation and data.
For editors, the takeaway is clear. High-end scripted work remains stable but geographically fluid. Corporate editorial is growing faster than many realize. Editors who understand shared storage, collaboration, and AI-assisted workflows will be best positioned.
The future of editing isn’t about which NLE wins. It’s about adapting to new workflows without losing creative judgment.
