Ever since he could remember, Elliot Graham wanted to make movies. After toying with the family camcorder as a teen and studying film at New York University, the Claremont native achieved his dreams by spending his entire adult life in show business.

On Thursday morning, Mr. Graham, now 32, reached an apex in his career after learning that he was nominated for an Academy Award for his editing work on the film Milk.

"I know it sounds cheesy, but I feel like I've already won the award just by being nominated," Mr. Graham said.

Mr. Graham grew up in Claremont and graduated from Claremont High School in 1994. As a kid, he was a self-proclaimed "Star Wars geek" and his passion for movies grew ever since. 

"I don't remember this, but when I was just 2 years old, my parents took me to see Star Wars, assuming I would just sleep through it," he said. "They've told me that my eyes were glued to the screen the whole time." 

His first Hollywood job came shortly after college when he helped edit the film The Last Minute. At the time, he drove from Claremont to James Cameron's editing studio in West Los Angeles and quickly grew tired of the commute.

For about 6 weeks, he secretly lived in the editing studio by sleeping on a couch, showering in the bathroom and avoiding security guards.

"Actually, my boss was really impressed and thought I was a hard worker because I was there all the time," he said.

He went on to work on filming projects such as X-Men 2, Superman Returns and the television show House. He describes editing as being given 1000 pieces to a 100-piece puzzle and using artistic vision to come up with a final product. 

"Every editor will pick different pieces," Mr. Graham said. 

When he heard that Milk was being picked up, Mr. Graham flew to San Francisco to ask for the editing job. He was so excited about the prospect of working with Director Gus Van Sant and Actor Sean Penn, he offered to work for free. 

"Legally, they had to pay me so they gave me the Union minimum," he said. (story continues below)

COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy

Claremont’s own Elliot Graham has worked on such films as X-Men 2, Superman Returns and Milk, for which he has been nominated for an Academy Award in the editing category.

During the filming, Mr. Graham and other Milk crew lived and worked in the Castro district of San Francisco, a well-known gay enclave. He said it was an interesting time to be there as organized opposition to Proposition 8 began to gain steam.  

The film is an account of the life of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist and the first openly gay elected official in the United States. After moving to San Francisco, Mr. Milk became a gay rights activist and city politician.

He was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors in 1977, making him the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the USA. The following year, both he and the city's mayor, George Moscone, were shot to death by former city supervisor, who blamed his former colleagues for denying his attempt to rescind his resignation from the board.

The film was release 30 years after Harvey Milk's assassination in 1978 and shortly after the November election where Proposition 8 narrowly passed.

"[The film] became very timely," Mr. Graham said. "And we felt a big responsibility to tell the story right and do it justice. With Proposition 8 coming along, we felt that pressure even more."

Currently living in Seattle, Mr. Graham plans on taking some time off. When on assignment, his schedule consists of 17 hours a day in the editing lab, 7 days a week. "I'd love to be off throughout the summer, unless some great project comes about," he said.

The Award Show takes place Sunday, February 22 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Mr. Graham will have stiff competition to win against fellow nominees Slumdog Millionaire, The Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Frost/Nixon.

His mother, Susan Seymour, who is looking forward to the big event, will escort Mr. Graham down the red carpet.

"I can't imaging him being nominated for a better film," said Dr. Seymour, an Anthropology Professor at Pitzer College. "I certainly hoped he would be nominated somewhere along the lines in his career, but this film is so important, with such social and cultural significance. I'm thrilled for him and proud of him, and just very excited to be a part of it."

Mr. Graham doesn't think he will actually win the award, believing the nod will go to Slumdog Millionaire or The Dark Knight.

"It's great because I can just go and enjoy the evening without any pressure," Mr. Graham said.