Hannah Finegold ’07 Writes Home from Hollywood

Since graduating Waynflete in 2007, I have definitely been on a journey. I originally was accepted to my first choice college at the University of Vermont where I studied Jazz Performance for two years. In the midst of those years I became intrigued by the recording aspect of the music industry and found myself interning at The Studio in Portland, Maine. Soon intrigue turned into a passion and I transferred to the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music where I was awarded a Merit Scholarship in audio production.  In 2012, I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Music degree in Jazz and Commercial music with a concentration in Audio Production.

The day after graduation, I packed my car up and drove to Los Angeles in hopes of starting my career as an audio engineer and music producer. I’ve been living in Hollywood for about two and a half years now. Life out here has definitely been a roller coaster but has taught me more than I think I actually realize. I first started working for one of the top music producers in LA helping him with projects such as Maroon 5, Aerosmith, Florence and The Machine, and Better Than Ezra. It was a humbling and surreal experience to say the least. From there I had expanded my networks and started work at smaller studios. There, I didn’t feel I was reaching my full potential, so I took out EVERY album that has changed my life, researched and contacted all the engineers and producers in hopes one of them was in need of an assistant engineer.

Luckily for me, I got one response out of the 100 emails I sent! Matt Linesch (Linny), the recording and mixing engineer for Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, was moving back to Hollywood and needed some assistance setting up and wiring his studio. Fun!! To add to my excitement, Linny was moving his studio to United Recording Studios (formerly Ocean Way Recording)- one of the top recording studios in the world built by Frank Sinatra http://www.oceanwayrecording.com/index.php. Many of my favorite artists have recorded there: Tom Petty, Beck, Green Day, Radiohead, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton – the list could go for miles.

After meeting Linny and having a successful day of setting up his studio space, he gave me an open invitation to come by whenever I’d like. So, I did. All the time. Most every day. I’d help keep the studio tidy, make sure the gear was running smoothly, take notes while he mixed an album, catered to his clients, and helped him with small edits such as tuning vocals until one day he introduced me to an industry top dog as his assistant engineer. Small step in the music industry, HUGE leap for Hannah Finegold.

The moral of my story thus far, though may sound cheesy, is stay driven, persistent and work hard- it WILL pay off! I have Waynflete to thank for this mindset and I am so grateful for all the supportive staff that helped me grow through those four years.

If people have any interest in the recording world, they can follow me on Instagram @thefinestofgold .