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by mia hadjigeorgiou
From working at Leeds Metropolitan University as an unpaid show runner to touring the world with Coldplay as a sound engineer and fibre optics specialist, Alexander Hadjigeorgiou, 52, discusses his path to success, and career highlights…
Born a second-generation immigrant to an Anglo-Greek family living in London, Alex grew up dreaming of being a recording engineer who mixed music, but was continuously discouraged from pursing a creative career.
He said: “It was so hard back then- when you told your careers advisor you wanted to be a sound engineer, they’d be like ‘oh yeah so you want to be in a band or something?’ Technical roles that involved anything to do with creativity were generally not seen as a sensible career path”.
In spite of this, Alex continued to follow a creative route, and while studying at Leeds Metropolitan University (now known as Leeds Beckett) and working as an unpaid show runner, he obtained his first sound engineering job- another unpaid role working as a sound assistant at all-night raves, setting up PA systems and then taking them down again.
When asked why he took on several unpaid roles, Alex said, “I think for any career in the arts, especially one where experience is necessary, getting a foot in the door is the hardest thing”.
He also added, “Any career that doesn’t have a linear career progression path, you have to have people that believe in you around you to help you when you get kicked down”, before thanking previous employer Chris Hill from WigWam for “taking a massive punt” on hiring him in 2006 as a digital audio specialist.
Alex has now worked in the audio industry for over 30 years, accumulating experience working for some of the biggest names in music, including Coldplay, Jay-Z, Björk, and George Michael, to name a few.
He also currently runs his own audio consultancy business called Hadji Audio, which specialises in “fibre optics for audio networks and audio control networks”, but when asked what the biggest highlight of his career has been thus far, Alex commented, “I don’t think any career has just one highlight”.
He discussed feeling “humbled” at being trusted with the first digital console at the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo for the queen’s visit in 2002, and humbled at being trusted by “very well-renowned engineers with new technology” throughout his career in the industry.
However, overall, he concluded, “You know, seeing stuff we kind of engineered and built become an industry standard, it’s lovely, you feel like you’ve left your mark on the industry I guess”.
When asked for a final piece of advice he would provide to anyone trying to break into the audio industry, Alex said “Learn your stuff and don’t give up”, and when asked for a final piece of advice for his younger self, Alex opened up about wishing he had played a musical instrument.
He said he wished he had learned “guitar or piano ideally, because understanding music gives you an extra dimension that isn’t technical, but can be applied to tech”.
