Heather Sturm

I finally got an interview with the hard-to-catch Heather Sturm on July 30, 2008 at 5pm. She came over to my house after work so we could relax away from gear and clients.

Heather works at East Iris Studios in Nashville and has been there for over two years now. She is the Assistant Engineer for East Iris' Studio A, both during the day and night shifts - it is a tough job, no doubt, but she seems to really love music and love being a part of the creation of it.

To say Heather is a "good hang" would be an understatement. I think she is the best hang! She has many fascinating stories about sessions and the stars she has gotten to work with through East Iris. It is truly a waste on me, however, as I am celebrity-retarded for the most part. But I love hearing the stories nonetheless.

Heather is a great addition to this book project, not as a pioneer, but more as an up and coming talent. She is able to depict how it is to be starting out and working your way through a career at a larger commercial studio. Most females I know and have met along the way have started their own studio (coincidence?) for some reason. But Heather is one of the rare ones who are employed in the more traditional studio fashion.

I had the opportunity to tour the facilities at East Iris maybe a year ago, and it is truly a beautiful facility - amazing piano, the rooms are acoustically well-designed, top-of-the line equipment, candy all over the place, a larger kitchen than the one in my house - a spectacular building with a unique location.

Heather started as an intern and quickly was hired as a full time staff member. Above all, I get the sense that she is a true professional in the studio - one who likes to deliver a great service and product to her clients, and one who is perfectionistic in her work. Like most new engineers, she works long hours and isn't getting wealthy off of it, but she is committed to doing a great job every time.

One common theme amongst the chicks thus far - pride in their work. There is a certain pressure to not make mistakes - ever - for females in this business, and the by-product of that is a top-notch work ethic for any potential employer.

Heather was a blast to interview - she is sincere and funny - and gives great advice to the upcoming generation of chicklets that want to enter this business and work in a commercial recording studio facility.

KK Proffitt

I met up with KK Proffitt at her studio on Nashville's Music Row on July 16, 2008 at 3pm. Her company is called JamSync and it specializes in a whole variety of audio services, but a lot of it is post-production audio; something close to my heart. She has been in that location for 10 years.

KK has a unique viewpoint of the industry at large - both hilarious and jaded all at once. She has clearly had some tough times, much of it due to her gender, but she admits that her personality also sometimes has a tendency to rub people the wrong way. Sounds familiar.

KK's ideas on the music industry are certainly rooted in harsh reality - she has lived through a variety of experiences, but what strikes me most about her is her all-encompassing inner strength. A weaker woman would have quit the business altogether, but not KK. She has opinions and is unafraid to share them.

While this honesty may be seen as "unpopular" in the "nice" corners of Nashville, it is exactly what I love about her. While her story may not be the same as many others I have interviewed, I was looking for the good, the bad, the ugly, and she was willing to dish it out like mashed potatoes.

I truly admire her perseverance and tenacity within the business. Her dream was to have a studio on Music Row, and there she is! She had a lot to contribute to my topic of conversation, and I think everyone will enjoy her comments - it is peek inside the music industry at large, particularly as it relates to Nashville.