Anna Shahin

Meet Anna. Anna’s experience of Herts during a study abroad programme encouraged her to come to the University to complete a full bachelor’s degree. She is now a rising star in the audio-visual sector and has won several accolades.

Current jobApplication Support Manager for Audiologic
Year of graduation2018
Course of studyBSc (Hons) Audio Recording and Production
A picture of Anna Shahin

From New York to Herts

Anna first came to the University of Hertfordshire during a study abroad programme. An audiology and speech therapy student at the University of Buffalo, she spent a year at Herts and had a great experience. 'The location of the campuses is great because I had access to fantastic professional opportunities in London.'

Anna decided to leave the University of Buffalo and attend Herts as a full-time international student. She also saw the move as an opportunity to change her course and chose to study BSc (Hons) Audio Recording and Production. 'I had been interested in audio production since I was young and wanted to be a member of a theatre tech crew. I saw more opportunities better suited to me in the industry.’

Working with internationally renowned musicians

Anna took advantage of all the opportunities available to her at Herts. 'As an audio technician, I supported gigs at the Students’ Union, I worked at the Summer Ball and the Slam Dunk music festival.

'I lived in halls and shared a home with other creative arts students, which meant there were plenty of opportunities to collaborate.'

Part of Anna's course involved learning audio networking, which, in her words, is about 'making things that don't work together work together'. For her final year project, Anna built a wearable glove that can control music software, which was inspired by watching British musician Imogen Heap perform, who is a pioneer in wearable audio tech. ‘I created a glove that could control both audio and lighting, and I was able to test it at the Students’ Union whilst working there.

'Imogen's team contacted me and asked me to be a consultant for her stage show, which was a fantastic experience. I helped by integrating movement, lights, and sound for Imogen’s live performances.’

Rising star of the AV industry

Anna is now an Application Support Manager for Audiologic, a professional audio-visual distributor, specializing in project design and commissioning. 'In my role, I have worked on several interesting projects across the UK, including at stadiums and for Formula One teams.'

She has also had several notable achievements in her career, including winning Rising Star of the Year at the AV Awards 2021 and being included in the Inavate EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region's 40 Under 40 Class of 2023. Anna was also the first female certified Dante trainer in the EMEA, a network platform focusing on AV connectivity.

Anna advises others looking to get into the audio-visual industry to 'Take advantage of every opportunity you can. For example, work with others and travel to London to get experience working at different venues. If you don't ask, you don't get!'