 After joining the Motion Picture Editors Guild, McCusker teamed up as an assistant film editor to one of Oliver Stone's bevy of hot shot film editors, Academy Award-winning film editor David Brenner.Mike McCusker quickly became David Brenner's first assistant film editor, running the cutting room for five years on films such as "The Patriot" and "Kate and Leopold".Eventually David Brenner promoted McCusker to the position of associate editor.