This year, I had the once (first) in a lifetime experience of attending the Emmy Awards as a nominee. A miracle happened and I was able to score tickets for my sister, my mom, my husband Jake and a close family friend so they could all be there with me. Getting to share that moment with them was everything.
In the end, I didn’t win the Emmy. But I didn’t lose either.
What I gained that night meant more than a trophy. I got to walk the red carpet with Jake by my side, and for once in my life, I truly felt respected and loved for the work I’ve spent decades pouring myself into. It sometimes feels like you need a little gray hair before the world decides you belong, but that night I genuinely felt like I had a seat at the table. Moments like that make you reflect on the road that brought you there and the people who were beside you along the way.
Jake and I first met almost two decades ago on the campus of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. At the time, we were both kids with big dreams, convinced we were going to be rock stars. Life had other plans, but we followed our careers wherever they took us. Today, Jake is an E6 engineer at Netflix, and I run my own audio production company, audio.expert. Every now and then, our worlds even cross professionally when I work on projects connected to Netflix. It’s one of those funny ways where tech and entertainment collide in our lives.
These days, however, our favorite place in the world isn’t a studio or a red carpet, it’s our home in Johns Creek. Our kitchen is where a lot of our life happens. Most nights you’ll find us there talking about work, goals, ideas and what comes next. Jake has always been my number one fan and biggest supporter, and one of the things that makes our partnership special is that he genuinely understands the complex world of audio and sound design.
Leading up to the Emmy Awards, I was probably the most stressed and nervous I’ve ever been in my life. A chemical spill in Tennessee destroyed my custom-fitted suit and delayed shipments across the region, including the fertility medication our surrogate needed for the next step in our journey. What was already a long and complicated process suddenly got pushed back another month.
When you’re standing on a red carpet, it’s easy for people to assume that everything must feel glamorous and easy. But like most milestones in life, that moment came after years of work, uncertainty and having Jake beside me supporting the journey the entire way.
I grew up in rural Indiana with no connections and no roadmap into sound design. What I did have was a loving mother who believed in the same dream I had and was willing to co-sign a massive student loan so I could chase it. Years later, I also found a partner in Jake who believed in those same dreams just as strongly. When I took the leap and started my own company, he stood beside me and supported the risk, while I built audio.expert from the ground up. Between the faith my mom had at the beginning and the support Jake has given me every step since, I’ve been incredibly lucky to have people who believed in the path even when it wasn’t easy to see where it would lead.
Now our focus is on the next chapter of our lives together. Jake and I have spent the last five years navigating the long and complicated journey of surrogacy. Between waitlists, paperwork and patience, it has truly been a marathon. But we are hopeful that by the end of 2026, our family will be growing right here in Johns Creek.
For us, Johns Creek isn’t just where we live; it’s where Jake and I are building our life together. It’s the place where our kitchen conversations turn into plans, where we’ve supported each other through career risks and long waits and where we hope to raise our future children. The Emmy red carpet was an incredible moment, but the life we’re building together here at home is more meaningful than a trophy.
Zach Hahn was nominated for a Children's & Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Action Program for his work on Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World on Netflix. The 2024 documentary follows a teen with autism who unlocks a joyful world of self -expression as she shares her voice for the first time using a letter board. We loved this film!
Today, Jake is an E6 engineer at Netflix, and I run my own audio production company, audio.expert.