Mia Watson

By Mia Watson

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As the founder of The Glow Recording Studio, Jesse Mangum holds a hefty yet inconspicuous role in the Athens music scene. In a dimly lit room among glowing mixing boards and wooden walls, Mangum helps local musicians realize their dreams. 

 

Why It’s Newsworthy: After founding The Glow, Mangum has done recordings for countless popular Athens musicians. The studio plays an integral role in upkeeping the ever changing nature of the Athens music scene. 

 

At 12 years old, Mangum was only interested in programming video games. Once he started making music for his games, however, he inadvertently set his future in stone.

 

“That’s what got me into recording and engineering directly,” Mangum said. “Now I’m just obsessed with it. Most of the day I’m thinking about this craft.”

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In 2008, Mangum quit all of his jobs to focus on building up his studio to what it is today. Having used his tips as a barista to buy construction materials, he began constructing a fully functional recording studio in his own backyard. 

 

Mangum put his passion for recording on pause for the next four years, painstakingly constructing The Glow with help from his father. To keep him motivated, he looked to the arts.

 

“I remember this movie 'Field of Dreams,' and a quote from the movie was: ‘If you build it, he will come.’ That quote was seriously like a mantra for me,” said Mangum. “I do remember kind of crazily thinking ‘you gotta build it and people will come.’”

 

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People come -- although most artists still come to The Glow through word of mouth, Mangum has worked with some of Athens’ most popular bands, including Elf Power.

 

“Elf Power was one of my favorite bands when I was in college, before I even really thought of doing this as a profession. I moved here and now I’m working on my third record with them, which is kind of just crazy,” said Mangum.

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In establishing his recording studio, Mangum sought to maintain a level of authenticity through a specific sound. In his own words, he likes to "keep it real" and create a sound that isn't "over-baked."

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"I feel like that [overproduction] is kind of the default mode in entertainment now, just like artifice," said Mangum. "Authenticity just speaks to me, magnitudes more."

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Mangum works five days a week, separating his work days into two blocks: One session from 1-5 p.m. and the next from 7-11 p.m. While the blocks are concrete, his day-to-day duties are unpredictable.

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"What I'm doing on those days varies -- it’s either with the artist actually here in the studio recording, or another day I may be out here for one of those blocks, or both of those blocks, by myself working on a mix," said Mangum.

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One aspect of Mangum's work life remains consistent: his commitment to helping his clients perfect their vision.

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"He puts his clients above all. He’s just such a great dude,” said Joel Hatstat, fellow audio engineer and owner of High Jump Media.

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Though Mangum prefers a more raw, mid-fidelity sound, he understands that some clients' music requires another direction.

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"He does a good job of not being overbearing -- whenever he’s working with his clients he’s very easy-going and still keeps it fun," said co-worker Ian Hemerlein. 

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As a testament to his affinity for recording, Mangum insists that financial gain is not even on the radar in terms of motivation.

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"I’m totally obsessed! I have to do this or my world kind of collapses," said Mangum. "That’s the motivator -- I literally don’t have a choice for the sake of my emotional wellbeing.”

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In the 11 years since he started constructing The Glow, Mangum has not only melded his way into the transient Athens music scene, but has established his reputation.

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“His love for this work inspires me as a sound engineer," said Hatstat. "The Athens music scene would be weird without him.”

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