Rising Stars: Meet Ringo Ma of Downtown LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ringo Ma.

Hi Ringo, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started editing in college, at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. At the time, there was a huge demand for editors everywhere. In my second year, when I was 19, I joined the feature film Lord of Shanghai as an assistant editor. That film’s cinematographer was the renowned Andrzej Sekula, best known for shooting Pulp Fiction and American Psycho. The film later became the closing selection at the Shanghai International Film Festival. That was my first real step into the industry. Shanghai’s advertising scene was also growing rapidly, so I was thrown into real commercial projects from the beginning. I was lucky in that sense. By the time I graduated, I was already working full-time in the field. Then, one of the commercial directors I had worked with, Y Yang, transitioned into television and invited me to cut her first series. That show—Where the Lost Ones Go—did well, and from there, things moved quickly: more shows, more clients, more opportunities.

When the pandemic hit, everything slowed down. For the first time, I had space to reflect. I realized I wanted to go further, and to do that, I needed to rebuild my foundation. So I moved to the U.S. and went back to school—first at Chapman University, then at the American Film Institute Conservatory. Both programs allowed me to deepen my skills and rethink how I approach editing.

Now I live in Los Angeles. I still edit and I still love it.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no. I was very lucky at the start of my career—I didn’t begin working as an assistant editor for a long time. I was able to jump straight into real projects as the editor, and that gave me early momentum. But looking back, I also missed the chance to learn directly from more experienced editors. I had to figure things out on my own—through mistakes and a lot of second-guessing. And that led me down so many unnecessary paths.

For a while, I bought into the idea that a great editor is someone who “saves the film.” People would say things like, “You saved my movie,” and it’s meant as the highest compliment. But that mindset can be exhausting. It makes you feel like the film is already broken and you’re the last line of defense. That kind of pressure really wears you down.

It took me a long time to move past that way of thinking. Editing isn’t about solving problems—it’s about building something with care. A strong editor prevents most of those problems from happening in the first place, by being thoughtful with all the small decisions early on. And I wish someone had shown me that earlier in my career. It would’ve saved me a lot of stress—and probably helped me enjoy the work more.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I edit films, TV shows, commercials, and music videos. I’ve been in the field for 12 years. Some of the dramas I’ve edited are available on platforms like Mango TV and iQIYI in China. On the commercial side, I’ve worked with brands like Apple, Vogue, and Shiseido, among others.

Lately, I’ve been putting more focus on sound design. It’s become a key part of how I approach editing. Last year, I was honored to be the runner-up in the Sundance x Dolby Sound & Music Challenge.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was born in Yichun, a quiet industrial city near the border between China and Russia. It’s the kind of place where life moves slowly—factories, pine trees, long winters. But even as a kid, I was always restless. I had a lot of questions. I needed to understand things—how they worked, what they meant, why people behaved the way they did. I think my curiosity just ran a little hotter than most of the people around me.

Reading became my way of exploring. I read everything I could get my hands on—novels, history books, newspapers, even instruction manuals when there was nothing else available. At one point, my family actually started locking up the books because they were afraid I’d ruin my eyesight. But I still found ways to keep reading. It wasn’t really about the subject—it was about feeling connected to something bigger than the small world I lived in.

In high school, I joined the student newspaper. We were at a full-time boarding school and could only go home every two weeks, so the paper felt like a small but essential window to the outside world. I was quiet and patient by nature, and I quickly became one of the core members of the team. When the school decided to shut it down, I stayed behind and published the final issue on my own. I selected the articles, laid out the pages, picked up the prints, and handed them out myself.

I didn’t know it then, but that quiet, solitary, necessary act—that need to shape and share something with others—was my first experience as an editor. And in that moment, I remember feeling fully alive.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ringoma.net/en
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qiaoranma/