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Hi, I'm Ariel Leigh Cicero! I'm an NYC-native video editor, assistant editor, writer, and producer. I believe that good stories are essential to our humanity. I love telling stories that stare down reality with nuance, emotional depth, and a heaping spoonful of humor. 

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I'm a versatile post-production genre hopper. I was the lead AE and associate editor on the HBO 3-episode docuseries "Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God." In 2023, our show ranked as the most viewed non-sports doc on the platform for three years running, receiving rave reviews in the New York Times, Time, and Vanity Fair. I have also double AE'd (associate + assistant) on multiple projects from Emmy-nominated production companies Elara Pictures and The Othrs. Over the past year, I worked as the associate editor on a Jocelyn Wildenstein documentary film in development for HBO. 

 

My scripted AE work includes "Story Ave," produced by Jamie Foxx, starring Luis Guzmán and Asante Blackk. The feature drama was awarded at SXSW with streaming on Hulu and Starz. My recent scripted edits include five-episode series "Day Bi Day" (Out on Film, SFQFF Best Web Series, Hollywood BLVD FF) and comedy short "The Tower" (Katra Film Series, Imagine This Women's FF, Art of BKLN), both continuing their festival circuit in 2025. I was also lead editor and a founding member of CNT Productions. Our work has been recognized by American Black Film Festival, Outfest, Ms. Magazine, Huffington Post, Parade, Afropunk, Glamour UK, and more. 

 

Previously, I edited in the digital media world for five years. I created video content and designed graphics for the national LGBTQ non-profit GLSEN and a dozen city government agencies. I was a video producer for the NYC Mayor's Office through the pandemic, where I edited 500+ documentary shorts and PSAs for a social media audience of four million. My work aired on NY1 and as ad campaigns on Hulu, YouTube, Tinder, and more.