4 Suitcases

"4 Suitcases" refers to the trove of belongings I became heir to in a German family dating back to 1247, have written a long treatment, currently at 9600 words, for a proposed 4-part docu-series about what it means for an American immigrant confronting hard truths about his family's shadowy past during the Second Reich, Third Reich, and Cold War. Lessons from my family's cautionary tale then inform my American experience, a very different land and people, where for years I was an outsider. That changed when 28 years later I became naturalized. The events post 9/11 and 2016 culminating in January 6, 2021, this story lifts history from its dark interior of the worn suitcases, static primary source information of great interest to academics, and serves as a time-machine that remains active into the present and our nation's collective future, immediate and more enduring (or not enduring).

Because of the sensitive nature, I'm not inclined to upload my work on the long treatment, also have a sizzle reel to share once I'm able to identify the right editor candidate(s). What I'm needing is someone with a) experience editing other's writing for this format, b) edits reflect highly structured thought, is able to distill without losing sight of existing structure, able to preserve balance, and c) is a minimalist, can succinctly reword my statements while preserving essence, transitional value, beats, etc.

I'm not married to a particular length, the 9600 words in Helvetica 11 pt single-spaced presently drop into just over 13.5 pages. I'm open to a sweet spot that plays with point size, line spacing, and the writing itself to act as a compelling whole, doesn't test the reader's patience with wordiness or unnecessary length, provides for a "precision landing" when combined with the other components of the proposal.