Tom McGurk ā91 realized heād been given a superior education in theĀ Sound Recording Technology programĀ shortly after graduating from ŠÓ°É“«Ć½ (then University of Lowell). While interning at a small studio outside Seattle, he would know how to fix things seasoned pros didn't.Ā
Since 1999, McGurk and partners Mike McAuliffe, Dave Howe and Charlie Nordstrom have shared ownership of Bad Animal Studios. McGurk won seven Emmy Awards for work behind the board, especially while he sound designed and mixed for āBill Nye the Science Guy.āĀ
āWhen I talk about the SRT program, and I do every chance I get, I tell people how amazing it is,ā says McGurk who lives in Seattle with wife Danielle McGurk (formerly Hughey) ā92, and their son, Connor. āItās a true engineering program. Itās calculus, itās engineering and itās music performance in a very real sense. They make sure you are equipped to step right into a role and success. Thereās nothing else like it, andĀ Professor [William] MoylanĀ is absolutely the best teacher I have ever had. I donāt know anyone who stayed with it and made it through the course who isn't doing well.ā
Though McGurk found both his education and future wife at the University, he might have missed them both.
In the ā80s, the Chelmsford High School gradās musical ambition wasn't popular at home. Though he sang and played jazz guitar, his parents wanted him to find a more secure path.Ā
He earned an associateās degree in computer programming from Middlesex Community College. When he enrolled at ULowell, he told his parents he was anĀ accountingĀ major. He was not.
āIād always been infatuated with music and effects, and I had a four-track cassette recorder I fooled around with in my room,ā he recalls. āWhen I started taking classes at Lowell, I knew it was a no-brainer. This is what I want to do.ā
He played guitar and sang, including with an opera group. He juggled juried performance with weekly ensemble dates, and recording the performances of others in Durgin Hall. āIt was awesome,ā he says. āComplete immersion.ā
He interned around Seattle and one day, called ŠÓ°É“«Ć½ās Moylan. He was working 18-hour days without benefits, frustrated, thinking about coming home. āHe was the one who got me here,ā says McGurk. āHe called the owner, Steve Lawson, and I was hired. It was 1991, an amazing time.āĀ
Around since 1973 under the name Kaye-Smith Recording, Bad Animals has been the wellspring of many hits, from Bachman Turner Overdriveās āTaking Care of Businessā to Steve Millerās āFly Like an Eagle.ā Decades later, Neil Young, REM and Johnny Cash would record there.Ā
But when McGurk and partners bought it, they focused hard on buying state-of-the-art digital equipment and drawing post-production work for the film, TV and gaming industries.Ā
It paid off. McGurk has long since worked with benefits, and even earned the approval of his father.
āI donāt know what you do,ā McGurkās father has told him. āBut I love it.ā