"I am a big believer in the law of attraction. Face painting is just a transfer of energy. It makes me happy to know that I have the ability to transfer joy and positivity through my art. To see parents and children smiling makes my day. The satisfaction that comes from doing something like this is amazing. I just really love my business."
Name: Breanne Cram
Occupation: Creative Director and Artist for Parallela Inc.
Location: Waterloo Ontario
Why is it that when anyone in our community hears the name Breanne Cram of Bre Creative, it instantly rings a bell? Breanne, creative director and artist for Parallela Inc., is a much-loved, positive burst of energy in our city and anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her at an event, will tell you that she is not easily forgotten. Dressed in a yellow bob wig, with a big red nose, heart cheeks and a giant smile, Bre will have everyone in the room (adults and children), entertained with her energy, artistic creativity and whimsical nature.
Throughout her childhood, Breanne was the kid at school who excelled in all artistic endeavours. "I went to the Homer Watson art camp every summer. I had a real talent for replication. I could and still can look at something and replicate it exactly," she laughs. Art and creativity progressively became a big part of her life and she continued to pursue it throughout high school and beyond.
Following high school, with the need for financial stability, Breanne began to work in a number of retail management positions. In 2007, at the age of 21, she found out that she was pregnant with a baby girl and officially began her journey as a single mother. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was scared but determined and excited to provide the best life for my child. It’s been a hard but rewarding journey”, she says.
The following year, Breanne got a job as a print consultant for Hoppy Copy. Inspired by her colleagues, which included several graphic designers, she enrolled in Conestoga College where she completed a Certificate of Digital Imaging. While in school, she responded to a Kijiji ad and got a job at a party company called Hullabaloo Party Planner for Children. Although she didn't know it at the time, this was the moment when her life path shifted and she met, what would become, her lifelong friend and business partner, Michelle Peer.
When Hoppy Copy went out of business in 2010, Breanne, once again got hired as a birthday party planner, but this time at Bingemans FunworX. She immediately began attending community events to represent Bingemans and noticed that people would feel threatened to come up to the table and ask questions. That's when a light went off in her head:
"I suggested that we face paint as a means to bring people to the table, allow us to interact with them and remove the sales threat often felt in those environments. It was amazing because everyone just loved it! All of a sudden, people were constantly requesting my business cards. They wanted me to paint at their children's birthday parties, corporate events, etc. That's when I knew that I needed to integrate my artistic talent, my love of children and my business savvy into one thing. I needed to start my own company!"
By taking a leap of faith in August of 2010, Breanne, with the aid of her design background, started to create all of her branding and collaterals and finally launched her business; Bre Creative. From there, a fire was ignited and she had more work then she could handle on her own. Breanne called Michelle to help her with events and the two came together once again.
By January 2011, Breanne and Michelle decided to start an umbrella company which would own both Bre Creative and Hullabaloo. Parallela Inc. was born. "It just made sense for us to combine our businesses. We balance each other out and our strengths complement one another", she says. By December of that same year, they closed down Hullabaloo and directed their focus on Bre Creative and Parallela Inc.
"Meeting Michelle changed my life. She saw my strengths and potential and helped me transform everything. I went from struggling on minimum wage, to living a comfortable lifestyle and owning my own business. Who knew that responding to a Kijiji ad would have such an impact on my life?! In the beginning Michelle funded everything and took the time to teach me about social media. Once I gained confidence, started accomplishing goals, seeing some of my successes and the rewards, Michelle started to take on my positive persona. Jointly we had the courage to step forward and go for anything we wanted in life. We went from saying "Can we?" to "Why can't we?" There are no longer any boundaries.
Breanne and Michelle have been nominated for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award through the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards, and were chosen to attend the ShesConnected Conference in Toronto, which is a conference for the top 200 most influential women in social media.
"Michelle and I both have a natural talent for marketing and social media. It is what has driven our company to be successful. We have created seminar series for people in the entertainment industry such as "Clowning around with social media" (presented at the Brant Clown Alley 2011), and "Taking the scary out of social media" (presented at the Canadian Haunters Convention 2011)."
Breanne and Michelle are currently working on launching their own social media and marketing consulting firm to aid entertainers in making social media work for them:
"With our love for social media, web development and graphic design, we're happy to announce that Bre Creative will be diversifying by adding these marketing services to our existing event services. Stay tuned!!"
To hire Breanne and Michelle for your event, please check out their website at http://www.bre-creative.com/.
Photography: Jonathan Bielaski Production & Writing: Gabriela Soares