You might expect it daunting, leading a double life as a remote Soccer Dad in a small sleepy town in Washington, while tethered digitally to the expanse of the Hollywood production music industry as one of its battle-hardened veterans.
And it can be. But it’s also emblematic of what makes this industry matter.
Jesse Goodwin, formerly of Hollywood music supervision ilk, formerly-formerly of Myspace-Famous punk rock outfit Majority Lost, serves to bridge the gaps in an industry that, despite Big Tech and AI’s best efforts, continues to be made of real-life human beings.
Under the THH Records Indie Label, Jesse lands somewhere between A&R, executive producer and manager. His years placing music in films and trailers come in handy, but so does the time he spends actually listening to artists: not just to their music, but to their ambitions, ideas, and stories.
With The Keymakers recent release SHADES, the full collaboration from email introduction and album planning, all the way up to the IRL release show in Downtown LA, was all but entirely digital. While not uncommon nowadays, what made it real was the genuine connection and enthusiasm Jesse brought to match producers Rome & Red’s talent and inspiration in bringing this album to a wider audience. THH Records’ full roster aims broadly to square the same circle—truth from passion, honesty from empathy, human over humdrum.
In the hugely personal custom music industry, and despite his every insistence on being an introvert, Jesse operates as something closer to a high-functioning chat-a-holic, whether it’s fine-tuning producer notes with composers, scheduling new library releases, or keeping up with stem requests and spot briefs. It would be easy to succumb to rote removal or outright depersonalization when facing the deluge of wants, needs, priorities and necessities competing on a daily basis. In all respects, Jesse makes it look easy.
It takes someone adeptly human to make real what would otherwise be cold, lifeless, dispensable, forgettable. I speak from the sidelines, but as someone who has come to appreciate the power of a mere personal email, genuine consideration, or basic sign of digital humanity. It only makes sense that Jesse would have that power in spades, and we’re all the more lucky to have it—in our inboxes, iMessages, and DMs.
