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By CJ Hines

Editing a documentary such as “Tallgrass Prairie: America’s Lost Landscape” involves more than taking shots from here and there, splicing them together and calling it done. An excellent editing job is when you don’t notice the editing; you just enjoy the splendor.

That’s when Clayton Condit knows he’s done his job and done it well.

Clayton (B.A. ’92) worked with David O’Shields of New Light Media in Cedar Falls on editing of the documentary, which was developed and produced by UNI professor Darryl Smith and O’Shields.

“That was the first long-form documentary I’d done. I didn’t know anything about the tall grass prairie until I started working on the film; that’s what makes it fun to put something together and get it out there for people to see,” said Clayton, a Marshalltown native.

Shown nationwide on PBS in April, the film has received numerous honors, including winner of the CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2006, official selection at the United Nations Documentary Film Festival in New York in 2006; and most recently, honorable mention at the Wild & Scenic Environment Film Festival for 2007. It’s also received international acclaim, being named Best Natural Science Film in October 2006 at the Ekotopfilm International Film Festival in Bratislava, Slovak Republic.

“Clayton is one the most talented editors around, he’s incredibly gifted and he lives by the Golden Rule, which is a testament to Iowa and to the kind of education he got at UNI,” said O’Shields, who met Clayton when Clayton attended UNI.

O’Shields also filmed Clayton’s wedding when he married Barbara Schmitt (B.A. ’92), a St. Lucas native. “Barb is wonderful. I know she works extremely hard to make that business successful. They have a really strong partnership,” O’Shields said.

Together, the Condits, who met at UNI, own Splice Here, a post-production company based in Minneapolis, which they established in 2001. Now employing 25 people, they’ve developed a diverse body of work, including commercial, corporate, documentary, independent feature films, music videos, such as Prince’s “U Make My Sun Shine;” and TV series, such as “Quintuplets!” for Discovery Channel. Splice Here has also created in-store digital signage for Target, Best Buy and Sprint.

“What they’ve done since graduating and moving to Minneapolis is phenomenal. You don’t move to a city that large and start the No.1 production facility in Minneapolis. It’s one of the best in the country,” O’Shields said.

While many couples couldn’t imagine working together, the Condits enjoy their business relationship. “Some couples have sports or hobbies or vacations together, but this is what we have. It works; there’s a good deal of respect there and we have a lot of phenomenal success,” Clayton said.

The Condits moved their business into a former Sherman Williams warehouse in downtown historic Minneapolis, just three years after founding Splice Here, a post-production company. The three-storied building houses six suites, a DVD department, audio wing, VO booth, recording and mixing studios, edit tanks and a theater with a 100-inch HD projector with surround sound and reclining seating.

Clayton, a self-professed ‘gear-head’ runs the creative side of Splice Here while Barb handles the business side.

“I enjoyed UNI. I took a lot of business classes. That’s where my interests were,” said Barb. “I was into pursuing real estate so business classes were important. I was an RA for two years, a student ambassador for four years and on the summer orientation staff. That taught me time management and a good work ethic.”

Barb worked for Cedar Falls Trust & Savings (which later became Firstar), and Berk’s on Main while in school. After graduation, she transferred to Firstar in the Twin Cities. She transitioned from banking to real estate, finally partnering with Clayton to build Splice Here.

While at UNI Clayton worked at KFMW Radio, which led to an editing job in the Office of Marketing and Public Relations. After graduating, he went to HDMG, a post-production company in Eden Prairie, Minn., where he worked for seven years. After freelancing for two years, he and Barb decided to open Splice Here.

“That all ties to where I am today, from a business standpoint as well as technically. All of that led to video and my first job out of college. There’s an overlap of skills from my love for music as well as being in theatre, both performing and working backstage. All those experiences allowed me to do what I do now on a higher level. I believe experience hones instinct.”

The Condits are currently developing another business, Mrs. K, a broadcast design production company, which has offices in Minneapolis and Denver, Colo.

“This has all evolved so quickly. I always had this entrepreneurial thing, there was no plan to get to this size, but I’m one to throw it up and see what works. It’s gone way beyond my expectations,” Clayton said. “I’m just the technical guy. Barb has made all this happen, because of her discipline and support on the business side. We have a really good balance.”