Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Additional Highlights
Timeline
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Sophie Kante

New York

Summary

With a dynamic background spanning media analysis and archival work in global cinema, I've spent the last eight years dissecting visual narratives to reveal their emotional and cultural depths. My expertise as a media analyst and archivist allow me to apply sharp judgment in attributing scene elements—from tense silences to layered symbolism—while documenting them with precision and clarity. Holding a Masters in Library and Information Science with a specialization in Digital Archives, I combine analytical rigor with an intuitive grasp of storytelling. I thrive in fast-paced environments, swiftly integrating new guidelines and communicating insights that bridge creative teams and data-driven decisions. My goal is to elevate media projects by ensuring every archived moment informs and inspires.

Overview

11
11
years of professional experience

Work History

Lead Media Archivist & Analyst

Museum of the Moving Image
07.2019 - Current
  • I spearheaded the analysis and archival tagging of interactive media installations from over 200 global festivals, discerning subtle narrative cues like implied power dynamics in dialogue pauses, which enhanced exhibit interactivity and drew 150,000+ visitors in 2023.
  • Exercised judgment to classify experimental video art by emotional resonance and thematic attributes, producing detailed reports that guided curators in selecting pieces for a touring exhibit, boosting attendance by 35%.
  • Documented restoration processes for obsolete formats like VHS and Betamax, blending technical specs with narrative synopses to create user-friendly databases, adopted by educators for hybrid learning modules.
  • Quickly adapted to AI-enhanced metadata tools during a platform migration, training junior staff and reducing processing errors to under 1%, while maintaining adherence to international preservation standards.

Film Editor & Archival Consultant

Independent Film Collective (IFC)
03.2016 - 06.2019
  • Edited and archived raw footage for ten feature-length documentaries on diaspora stories, applying keen detail to highlight emotional transitions—such as micro-expressions of resilience—which informed final cuts and earned festival selections at Sundance and IDFA.
  • Collaborated with screenwriters to refine scene attributes in post-production logs, ensuring subtle cues like color grading for tension were captured and searchable, streamlining revisions and cutting edit times by 20%.
  • Followed rigorous client briefs to index multicultural film reels, incorporating diverse cultural contexts into tags that supported grant-funded preservation efforts for underrepresented filmmakers.
  • Delivered verbal and written briefings to production teams, translating complex archival data into actionable feedback that strengthened narrative coherence across projects.

Research Archival Assistant

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
08.2014 - 02.2016
  • Assisted in curating a digital archive of Broadway and off-Broadway media, evaluating performance clips for pacing and emotional layering to build a comprehensive search tool used by 500+ researchers yearly.
  • Cataloged historical theater ephemera with meticulous attention to contextual details, such as costume symbolism evoking era-specific moods, contributing to a special exhibit on 20th century American theater.
  • Embraced new digital workflows, from scanning protocols to cloud-based collaboration, while documenting findings in concise, narrative-driven entries that facilitated quick adaptations to user queries.

Education

Master of Science - Library and Information Science

Pratt Institute, School of Information
Brooklyn, NY
05.2014

Bachelor of Arts - Media Studies

City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter College
695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065
05.2012

Skills

  • Archival & Analytical: MARC standards, EAD encoding, scene breakdown in Final Cut Pro; emotional/narrative tagging methodologies
  • Technical Proficiency: Avid Media Composer for editing, ArchivesSpace for repository management, advanced Excel for data visualization
  • Core Strengths: Superior detail orientation; discerning judgment on visual storytelling; rapid onboarding to protocols; eloquent written/verbal communication (multilingual: English, Arabic, Hausa)
  • Interpersonal: Cross-cultural collaboration; empathetic analysis of diverse narratives; proactive problem-solving in creative deadlines
  • Conversion methods mastery
  • System analysis
  • Document management
  • Collection development
  • System development
  • Materials preservation
  • Adaptability
  • Electronic records management

Websites

Additional Highlights

  • Published Contribution: Feature article in "Archival Outlook" (2021): "Bridging Cultures Through Media Tags: Archiving Diaspora in Digital Spaces," cited in two academic papers on inclusive preservation.
  • Professional Memberships: Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA); Society of American Archivists (SAA) Diversity Committee.
  • Personal Initiative: Developed an open-source toolkit for indie filmmakers to self-archive emotional metadata, piloted with five NYC-based creators and shared via GitHub in 2024.

Timeline

Lead Media Archivist & Analyst

Museum of the Moving Image
07.2019 - Current

Film Editor & Archival Consultant

Independent Film Collective (IFC)
03.2016 - 06.2019

Research Archival Assistant

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
08.2014 - 02.2016

Master of Science - Library and Information Science

Pratt Institute, School of Information

Bachelor of Arts - Media Studies

City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter College

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Sophie Kante