Linda, a first-generation American of Swiss-Iranian descent, was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jay Jalil Hassani and Leonie Anna Koeppel-Hassani. She is the eldest of three siblings, with two brothers, Alexander and Frederic.
Following her graduation from Towson Senior High School in Towson, Maryland, with the Class of 1977, Linda pursued higher education at the University of Maryland, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Radio, Television, and Film in 1980. A scholarship then took her to England, where she furthered her studies at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, earning her Master's Degree in Directing in 1990.
Linda's early career in filmmaking began with the selection of her first short film for broadcast on Thames Television. Her award-winning thesis film, The Follower (1990),garnered the A.D.L. Humanitarian award, was broadcast on PBS, and optioned by Steven Spielberg for feature development. Additionally, she produced Two Old Friends, an Academy Award-nominated short film.
Linda's television career commenced with episodes of Silk Stalkings (1991) and Pointman (1995) for CBS. She then went on to direct the feature film Dark Angel: The Ascent (1994),which was shot in Romania, released by Paramount, and became a cult favorite.
Linda's commercial career expanded to include sports, comedy, and celebrity commercials. Following a highly visible celebrity hockey campaign, Linda relocated to Canada to work with a Canadian production house, and traveled between the US and Canada shooting commercials.
