Hello, I'm Molly Mary O'Brien. I'm a freelance video editor and writer living in Los Angeles, California.
In the summer of 1999, when I was nine years old, I went to computer camp for a week. I learned how to use a digital camera, and spent a lot of time playing around with program called HyperStudio, a “media fusion” tool that let you make these elaborate slideshows with pictures, text, animation, what have you. That experience was quite formative; it’s been 27 years, and I still pretty much do what I was doing on that blue iMac G3 for work now—and I enjoy doing that stuff very much!
I edit videos for individuals, media companies, and brands; I have had my videos appear everywhere from Instagram Reels to the seat backs of JetBlue planes. I also write reviews and cultural criticism for places like GQ.com, Pitchfork, and Dirt. I’ve also worked in the digital content management zone: keeping libraries of files organized, maintaining YouTube channels, running post-production for various types of content creation. And then I also have a blog called I Enjoy Music, and a podcast “about words about music” called And Introducing. When I am off the computer, I enjoy going for walks, attending concerts or going out dancing, cooking/baking, and simply hanging out.
This website should capture a decent picture of what I do. Maybe you’d want to work together? In which case, please email me at mollymaryobrien [at] gmail [dot] com.
Video projects I'm proud of
- I edited the digital series The Truth Is... for In The Know by Yahoo.
- I edited videos for the Logo TV digital series Logo Live and Logo SPILL.
- I edited this explainer video for Exit To Community.
- I edited an interview series called Get Involved for The Alternative.
- I edited a series called Stories from the Stage for NYIVA.
I Enjoy Music is a music blog I started in 2023. It features writing in four categories: “Music Makers” (interviews and profiles of musicians), “Music Listeners” (taking music recommendations from other people), “Music People” (features about people who do creative work adjacent to music, like photography, album art, video direction, etc.) and “Music Molly” (essays by me about whatever I feel like writing about).
Simply put, it is a blog about enjoying music: listening to the favorite songs and albums of friends and strangers, celebrating the hard work of making music and its corresponding artistic efforts, and finding inspiration everywhere (because music is everywhere). It is a website free of viral pressures, news pegs, and chasing virality for virality’s sake—and though artists at every level of popularity and prestige are covered, there is extra attention and care for those who are operating independently / on a DIY basis.
I’m always interested in listening to new music, and in hearing from people who enjoy music as much as I do. My contact for that project is ienjoymusicblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Some favorite I Enjoy Music blog posts
Press (putting the 'me' in 'media')
Writing around the web
- Chappell Roan Threw a Ren Faire for Roanies at the Rose Bowl (GQ.com)
- Review of Radiohead's Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings) (Pitchfork)
- How Max Martin and Shellback shaped modern pop (GQ.com)
- Review of Casey Dienel's My Heart Is An Outlaw (Pitchfork)
- Review of Imagine Dragons concert special (Dirt)
- Interview with Knock2 and isoXO (The Alternative)
- Sabrina Carpenter and Addison Rae Are Making Pop Music Sexy Again. Why Is This Freaking Everyone Out? (GQ.com)
- Why I Believe in Benson Boone (and Why You Should, Too) (GQ.com)
Interviews and profiles for I Enjoy Music
Print is not dead
- Fantasy of a Broken Heart profile (ANTICS)
- "Chemical Brothers" (Drug Music)