Faces of Play MPE: Claire Carreras
The newest face around the offices of Play MPE belongs to Claire Carreras, Office Administrator/List Coordinator. We caught up with Claire about her new role, and her “double life” inside and outside the Play MPE’s walls.
“My career path has been…convoluted I suppose. I’ve been all over the place. Mostly due to the fact that I’m a musician. My early 20s was all about just finding work that would be flexible enough to allow me to still pursue the music and tour when need be and that sort of thing. Music has always been such a huge part of my life.” I ask what her band is called and she giggles “I’m currently in two bands actually. Two full-time touring bands. One’s called HEDḰS and the other one’s called BRASS.”
Claire clearly has both the head for music and for business, so it’s clear how perfectly suited to her role the position is. With a background in administration and inventory accounting, Claire set her sights on a business degree, all while continuing to play in bands after hours, a lifestyle she also feels uniquely suited to.
“Growing up I had an outside of the box childhood. We moved constantly. My stepdad was a flamenco guitarist. I grew up with a lot of classical guitar in the house. Other than traditional music, we really weren’t allowed to listen to a lot of music, like mainstream stuff, radio, certainly Much Music and other programs like that were strictly forbidden in my household when I was growing up.
After moving back to Canada Claire was introduced to a whole new world of music- and an entirely new guitar sound.
“My friends were listening to all this music and I’d go over to their house and I’d discover all of this stuff that I’d just never heard before and it blew my mind. And I decided, man, this is what I want to do. This is where it’s at. Electric guitar!? omg. Because previously, it was classical piano lessons two hours a day, ballet and classical flamenco. And that was all great and it really enriched my ear and my preferences but when you discover Korn for the first time, dude: You mean, I can do that too?”
Claire doesn’t limit herself to music, though. She’s also an avid artist, and an entrepreneur. “I’m actually launching a backpack line in the next couple of months. So I get to be creative in that regard again. I figured it was time to get back into the fashion a little bit, fashion and art. I’m a rabid artist. I draw and paint. I went to art school as a kid and all that kind of thing.”
The work/life/creative balance is one to which Claire pays close attention. “I’ve toured with a lot of really amazing bands that really inspired me in terms of their work ethic and how they manage to get their music out there and make touring work. How they manage their personal relationships when their constantly under stress and their attention is being demanded. That really inspires me.”
With the researching, data analysis and people-skills required in her role as List Coordinator, balanced with a mind for business sense, it’s clear that Play MPE has their gal!
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