The collaborative bond between editors Shelly Westerman, ACE and Payton Koch runs deep–but is only partially reflected in a rundown of their shared industry experience and awards.
On the awards score, their work as a team on episodes of Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) garnered them ACE Eddie Award nominations in 2023, ‘24 and ‘25, as well as an Emmy nod last year. Westerman and Koch have worked on seasons 2, 3 and 4 of the series. And while they also individually edit episodes, Westerman and Koch make it a point to enter for awards consideration only those installments of Only Murders in the Building which they’ve cut jointly–which brings us back to their strong bond.
Westerman and Koch first came together in the Ryan Murphy creative universe. Koch served as an apprentice and assistant to editor Westerman, building a friendship and creative rapport over the course of different series. Koch got a postproduction assistant gig on American Horror Story right after graduating from Chapman University in 2018. Though Westerman wasn’t cutting on American Horror Story at that time, she and Koch were working in the same facility and gravitated toward one another. Koch recalled showing Westerman some short film work he had done at Chapman University and gaining valuable feedback from her.
Westerman could see early on that Koch had talent. He would become an apprentice editor under Westerman on Ratched and eventually serve as her main assistant on varied Murphy assignments. But then the COVID pandemic hit and they parted ways. When work resumed, Westerman went to New York to edit Murphy’s Halston while Koch was in Southern California continuing to assist on other Murphy shows.
Then the opportunity emerged for a reunion. Westerman went outside the Murphy province to take on a special gig–season 2 of Only Murders in the Building. She reached out to Koch for the chance to try his hand at a half-hour sitcom, quite a departure from the heavy hour-long drama discipline. On Only Murders in the Building, Westerman said she saw Koch grow as an artist–so much so that he advanced from assisting and they shared full-fledged editing credit on the season 2 finale, “I Know Who Did It,” for which they earned their first Eddie nomination together.
Fast forward to today and they are again in the Emmy conversation for the season 4 finale, “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” which was also the episode for which they received this year’s Eddie nomination.
Koch regards Westerman as a brilliant, generous mentor. Only Murders in the Building marked his first turn as an editor, buoyed by the nurturing experience of learning first-hand from Westerman–and the willingness of showrunner John Hoffman to give him a shot. Koch observed that Westerman’s mentorship extends well beyond editing. “She’s a force of beautiful nature,” related Koch, citing her affinity for people, her friendly and outgoing nature, and a work ethic built on a foundation of high creative and artistic standards.
The experience on Only Murders in the Building has been uplifting for Westerman as well, providing a mix of new wrinkles and elements of continuity that have fueled the show’s success. On the former score, Westerman cited season 3 extending its reach into the Broadway musical world with, for example, Meryl Streep singing “Look for the Light.” Westerman remembered sobbing when she first heard Streep’s performance of the song. New wrinkles also include major stars coming into the series fold–Streep in season 3 and Eugene Levy, for example, in season 4. Watching Levy and Steve Martin work together in scenes, said Westerman, has been a joy in the editing room.
In terms of ongoing elements that have grounded the show, Westerman cited the core trio of would-be detectives–Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez)–as they take on murder mysteries, navigate new paths and interact with new characters. The series draws a comfort and strength from these protagonists–and seeing them evolve.
Koch too is evolving as he’s not staying on for season 5 of Only Murders in the Building. He’s taking on new challenges with season 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix). In a way, this makes Westerman and Koch’s decision to enter the season 4 finale, “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” for Emmy consideration somehow fitting. Koch observed it’s an episode he loves which also carries an added emotional weight for him personally in that it’s likely his last on Only Murders in the Building. Meanwhile Westerman is a couple of months into season 5 of the series.
As for what’s next further down the road, both Westerman and Koch say with some certainty that they look forward to working together again.
If “My Best Friend’s Wedding” earns them an Emmy nomination, it will be the third for Westerman and the second for Koch. Westerman’s first nomination came in 2018 for the “House by the Lake” episode of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
Editor’s note: This is a preview installment setting the stage for SHOOT’s weekly 16-part Road To Emmy Series of feature stories, which gets underway next week (Friday, May 9).
