The Story
Doctor
Your documentary isn't broken.
It's telling you where it hurts.
Direct, practical story intervention for documentary filmmakers, directors, producers and editors. No vague notes. No formula imposed on your film. We identify the actual problem, determine what the material can support, and build a path forward.
BOOK A CONFIDENTIAL 20-MINUTE CALL↗The opening isn't holding.
The middle keeps expanding.
The ending doesn't land.
Everyone thinks it's a different film.
Choose the level of intervention the film requires.
Story Diagnostic
For a project that needs an expert outside perspective.
You provide the treatment, outline, pitch deck, assembly or work-in-progress. I identify the central storytelling problem and prescribe a clear path forward.
BEST FOR — Development, early assemblies, stalled edits and filmmakers who need clarity before committing more time or money.
BOOK A STORY DIAGNOSTIC↗Rough Cut Intensive
For a feature documentary that exists—but isn't working yet.
I review the cut as an editor, not a passive notes-giver. We examine structure, information release, character function, pacing, evidence and emotional architecture.
BEST FOR — Feature rough cuts, festival submissions, network notes, difficult middles and films approaching picture lock.
DIAGNOSE MY ROUGH CUT↗Edit Room Intervention
For a project that needs more than notes.
I join the film for a concentrated intervention and work directly with the director, producer or editor to rebuild the cut's architecture.
BEST FOR — High-stakes revisions, conflicting stakeholder notes, major structural problems and approaching deadlines.
DISCUSS AN INTERVENTION↗Development Consultation
For a documentary that hasn't been shot—or hasn't found its shape yet.
We pressure-test the idea before production costs make every decision heavier. The goal is to identify the film's engine and the evidence the eventual edit will require.
BEST FOR — New projects, pitch preparation, access decisions and filmmakers planning their next production phase.
DEVELOP THE STORY↗SEND THE CASE
Tell me where the project is, where it is stuck and what materials exist.
DIAGNOSIS
I examine the cut, evidence and underlying architecture—not merely its symptoms.
PRESCRIPTION
You leave with prioritized decisions and a practical path back into the work.
Twenty years inside documentary stories.
Jon Connor is a Philadelphia-based documentary editor whose work has premiered at Cannes and appeared on HBO and Netflix. The Story Doctor distills two decades in the edit room into focused intervention: finding the film the material is already trying to become.
CANNES PREMIERE · HBO · NETFLIX · 20+ YEARS IN THE EDIT
Tell me where
the film hurts.
Twenty confidential minutes. No obligation. No hard sell. Your project and materials remain confidential.
BOOK A CALL ↗