In the Pandora recording studio

Hack the Hood interns had a blast visiting the Pandora HQ in downtown Oakland yesterday. Our hosts Alia Calhoun Pandora's Partner Marketing Manager, and Natalie Chriss, the Account Manager, gave us a tour of the office and a behind the scenes look at the internet radio company. We learned that Pandora serves more music than YouTube serves videos, and that Rihanna has more spins on Pandora than Beyonce. We were also got a chance to rate music on the same scale that Pandora uses to place songs into radio stations. Hack the Hood is a music loving crew, and for us, Pandora was the perfect combination of music and tech.

An unexpected surprise of Pandora's tech/music bootcamp--and the highlight of the trip, for many of our interns--was getting the chance to work with Pandora's audio production team. Who knew that so many of us had such voiceover talent? Program Assistants Max Gibson and Raven Atkins (who also works with Youth Radio, we should have seen it coming) stunned with their voiceover rendition of a Zachary's Pizza ad that Pandora airs. Hack the Hood interns got to do multiple takes, and then watch their voices get blended into a perfect voiceover spot, with background music and all, by Pandora audio producers. Thanks to Tyler Brown, Eric Shapiro, and Marin Moran!

Listen up next time you use Pandora--if you're lucky, the advertisements just might be featuring our interns' dulcet tones. ​