Lead image by Avid Photographer / iStock
By Dan Rubinstein
Driving to work at the Los Angeles office of Spotify, a former warehouse in the city’s vibrant Arts District, Jess Huddleston listens to a wide variety of music from artists around the world, including Canada.
As the company’s editorial production lead for North America, the Carleton University journalism graduate’s job involves developing new approaches to storytelling that give listeners a behind-the-scenes perspective on Spotify’s editorial playlists and new music, whether through short-form video or written commentary.
Jess Huddleston
“I’m really tapping into my journalistic roots,” says Huddleston, who moved to L.A. recently after spending the previous two years at the Spotify’s Toronto office concentrating on Canadian music. “We want to give Spotify listeners a glimpse into the curation behind their sonic experience, into why our editors are excited about various artists and how we help connect them to new fans around the world.
“Spotify is a borderless organization and we’re in constant conversation with our global team of music experts, experimenting with ideas in one place before introducing them elsewhere. My focus is on North America now, but I still have an ear on Canadian talent and will always bring that to the table. Whenever I’m in a meeting and someone asks about Canada, everybody looks at me.”
Landing in the heart of the music industry — palm trees, that hazy golden California light, concerts and club shows galore — is a dream gig for Huddleston. And there’s a clear line between the girl who grew up with a notepad in her hands in Kingston, scribbling down lyrics she heard in record stores so she could look up the songs later, to her successful career in the business. With a helpful springboard from Carleton.
You Can Write About Music for a Living
Even when she was young, Huddleston remembers always being “oddly and deeply curious” about music. She was exposed to foundational artists at home — Motown, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Carly Simon — and soon began to seek out her own discoveries.
She was also always into writing but didn’t know one could do it for a living until she learned about Carleton’s journalism program.
From 2006 until 2010, Huddleston was immersed in the fundamentals of journalism, nurturing her passion for arts and music writing.
“That was definitely the path I wanted to take,” she says.
“Carleton provided an amazing smorgasbord of experiences and I still carry so much of it with me to this day. The program helped me hone in on the technical aspects of writing. I’m a language and grammar stickler and I can write quickly, and I got a lot of that from Carleton.”
Although she was “deliriously optimistic” and “relentless” about music journalism, Huddleston knew there weren’t many full-time jobs in the field. So she started a music blog when she graduated, which provided a daily creative outlet, sharpening her skills and building her resume.
“It showed initiative and allowed me to establish my taste and expertise,” she says. “That ended up being really critical when I applied for positions.”
Huddleston also started freelancing for several music publications, working in communications to pay the bills. And then she was hired as a producer at MuchMusic.
Being inside the channel’s orbit on Toronto’s Queen Street West was “a trip and a dream,” she says. An opportunity she parlayed into a job as a senior producer at CBC, where she managed a team of music journalists, helped produce videos and started hosting a show called “The Intro” that showcased emerging Canadian acts.
“Those were some of my favourite conversations, speaking to new artists who are just so invigorated by their craft,” she recalls. “I love talking to people and got to nerd out about music.”
From Toronto to L.A. with Spotify
Spotify was a natural progression from CBC. The streaming era was well underway when Huddleston joined the company in 2022. She had her finger on the pulse of Canadian music and could help bring it to the world.
Moving to L.A. was another leap. She was tapped to lead Spotify’s new editorial storytelling initiatives and finds the work deeply meaningful.
“I’ve discovered so much of my favourite music on Spotify and it feels special to be able to help other people do that,” Huddleston says.
“It’s empowering to find a gem and share them with your colleagues and then watch an artist’s trajectory change. You can really feel the tangible effects of your work.”
When asked what advice she might share with current journalism students — or with anybody considering the program — Huddleston is just as enthusiastic.
“You need to be a self-starter,” she says. “That was true when I graduated and it’s even more true now. You can’t wait for the perfect job to come to you.
“You also can’t get discouraged by the changing landscape. Actually, I think there’s more opportunity than people know. We’ve never needed journalists more than we do these days. You just need to stick with it and eventually you’ll find a home and make a difference.”
First wide image by Fath / Unsplash
Second wide image by frankpeters / iStock
Third wide image by AS Photography / Pexels
Monday, May 26, 2025 in Alumni, Grad Stories, Journalism and Communication
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