Editing the 'Hacks' Finale with Jon Philpot

In this episode of the 1st on Film Podcast, we sit down with Emmy-nominated editor Jon Philpot to talk about his work on HBO Max’s acclaimed comedy series Hacks.Jon takes us behind the scenes of the editing room, breaking down what goes into finding the perfect comedic rhythm, balancing jokes with the emotional beats of the series, and shaping the evolving relationship between Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels. We also dive into the enormous responsibility of editing the show’s series finale and how music played a major role in bringing the final episode together.Jon Philpot is an Emmy-nominated editor whose work spans television, film and documentary. He is perhaps best known for his work on HBO Max’s acclaimed comedy series Hacks, where he edited 10 episodes, including the series finale. His work on the finale earned him a 2026 Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Single-Camera Comedy Series.Philpot’s diverse credits include Broad City, Theater Camp, False Positive, Girls5eva, Search Party, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, Dying for Sex, At Home with Amy Sedaris, The Shivering Truth and Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. He previously won a Daytime Emmy for his editing work on The Mind of a Chef.