Sean Linal Peterkin was a seasoned assistant editor with over a decade of work spanning reality and scripted TV before he landed his first solo responsibility on the latest season of Ava DuVernay’s Queen Sugar.

His story is a testimony to talent, persistence and patience with a little help from the ACE Diversity Program. “The ACE Diversity Program is so major – I can’t imagine my career being the same without it,” he says.

Sean Linal (as he prefers to be known) was an additional  assistant editor and lead assistant editor in reality television for 10 years (on shows including American Ninja Warrior, Baseball Wives, Prehistoric Predators) before crossing over to scripted (Teen Wolf, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, The Chi) where he’s worked since 2017.

It was doing scripted that he first learned about the ACE Diversity Program. After many efforts to join the invitationonly process he finally got the opportunity in 2019. “It’s been amazing. I met a lot of editors I’d worked with before and they were all very supportive and gave great career advice,” Linal says. “There’s also the social aspect where we’d meet up to go see a movie and have dinner.”

Normally the program is for one year but Linal was invited back for a second year running 2020-21 during which he was asked by DuVernay to take charge of cutting episodes 603, 606 and 609 of Queen Sugar season 6.“I might be ‘super-senior’ for a program mainly designed to help up-and-coming people but the fact that I got the bump up to editor whilst in the program is great for me and for the program,” he says. “If it weren’t for the program I wouldn’t have got the push.”

He explains, “I’m always telling Ava what’s going on with me. I would contact her with messages like ‘Hey! I got into ACE Diversity Program’ or mention scenes I’ve worked on. I kept her informed all this time. She was always my cheerleader. She’d reply back with things like ‘Go Sean!’ before she gave me the bump up. So, all these things happening [have] helped me get into ‘the chair.’”

Linal has been working on the OWN drama since season 2 when he was hired by lead editor Avril Beukes, ACE. Assisting Beukes he also worked on the DuVernay-directed music video “Family Feud” for Jay-Z and Beyonce. “We got access to JayZ’s catalogue for me to find temp music. Everything went so well with that and with‘QS2’ that Avril brought me onto ‘QS3’ and things went upward from there.”

He assisted Beukes on cutting three episodes of David Makes Man, the OWN and HBO Max drama created by Moonlight writer Tarell McCraney and returned to Queen Sugar series 4,  completing 16 episodes with her over three seasons. “None of this would have happened without Avril. It was while working on season 4 that I was trying to get into the ACE Diversity Program which I eventually did by the end of season 4.”

Because COVID-19 had shut down production on the series, the network’s producers had given the green light to shoot seasons 5 and 6 back-to-back. That created an opening in the editorial department which Linal grabbed with both hands.

“I can’t think of a better opportunity for an assistant to get bumped up to editor than on a show they already know,” he says. “I know what Ava is looking for. I know the characters and storyline and the pacing of the show and how the music works. Rather than starting solo on a completely new show where I’d have to learn and fly at the same time this is a really good transitional show to work on. I’m very grateful for that to happen.”

He continues, “The way Ava has her production set up, the editing suites are also with the writing suites so, in the past, whenever we had lunch or a break we got to talk about the show with the writers. So now on season 6 I know some of the writers and producers already. I’d previously worked with the director of one of the episodes I was cutting. When I am in the tone meetings I’m not an unfamiliar person. They know that I know the show and I feel I can comment on storylines and character development because I’ve worked on previous seasons.”

The season’s two other lead editors are friends of the family too: Alexander Aquino was an assistant on Queen Sugar (turned editor including on Cherish the Day); and Alex Ivany, whose credits include Skin in the Game, Cherish the Day and additional editor on “Family Feud.”

The biggest challenge for Linal has been getting to know some new producers and a new post team. “There are some new producers and a whole new post team for season 6 that I had to get to know but in terms of scheduling and turning material around there’s not much of a curve,” he says. “As an assistant editor you have to be on top of everything. I still had to deal with studio notes and return things fast. I am aware from working on other shows how I have to communicate with the studio and producers but now I’m in the chair I have more responsibility in terms of scheduling and getting things done on time.

“I’d say it’s more of an accelerated performance. I’ve done it all before but now I have to do it consistently and I have to do more of it.” Queen Sugar tackles delicate issues of race and politics from a grassroots, personal level focusing on the trials nd tribulations of a Black family trying to adjust to life in the deep south.

“This is not just like any normal job,” Linal says. “This show is very emotional for me and very touching. “There is a storyline that Ava threads throughout QS where it doesn’t matter what happens in the relationships between the characters there is always forgiveness. No matter how much pain someone goes through there is a moment [when] they get to have some healing whether they’re confronting a person or it comes out in a group setting or they get to say how they really feel. The characters always get the chance to review their own personal stake and re-evaluate what they’ve done. It’s about how can we put love first before yourself.

“That fuels me in the creativity of this show,” he says. “The pacing, who to focus on, what they are feeling, what the right music is – every decision goes toward this common thread of love and forgiveness.

“Oftentimes in life people go through decades of not dealing with internal issues or issues with their family and friends and Queen Sugar is like, ‘We are going to deal with this.’ Putting that out into the world hopefully helps people to make the best of who they are. I feel blessed to be a part of that.”