Image of Akiko Iwakawa
Jury

Akiko Iwakawa
Editor / Partner
Cut + Run

Akiko has been editing in New York for over a decade and is often tapped for striking anthem spots that define or defy category. 

Her contributions include bold brand-defining campaigns for Gillette, Ford, Pepsi, and Reebok, and John Frieda. 

Over the years, she has collaborated with many groundbreaking artists and directors such as Chris Milk, Marco Brambilla, Hiro Murai, Jean Pierre Philippot, and late Nagi Noda on inventive and thought-provoking projects.  

Her passion for editing extends beyond the advertising realm. She has contributed to Zach Heinzerling's Academy Award-nominated documentary feature "Cutie and the Boxer,” the deeply personal "The Happy Film" directed by Stefan Sagmeister and Ben Nabors, as well as Kanye West's seven-screen installation "Cruel Summer."   

The daughter of theater actors, Akiko has moved to United States from her home country Japan when she was fifteen.  She studied cinema at NYU Tisch School of Art, where she has discovered the art of story-telling through editing.