Pixafy

Q:  Where are you originally from?  Do you still have family there?  Do you have any siblings?  If so, what do they do?  Any significant/insignificant others?  Pets? 

Raechel:  I originally grew up on a farm in Illinois. Yep, horses, cows, billy goats, you name it! Then my mom got re-married when I was 8 and we ended up living right outside of Chicago, where I lived from ages 8-19.  I was out on my own living downtown Chicago, and yes, all of my immediate family is still near Chicago.

Yes. I have three older brothers. It was a rough childhood.

I have a boyfriend who’s from Long Island; we met about four months after I moved here, and we’re still going strong!

Q:  Where did you go to school, and what did you study there?

Raechel:  I graduated from DePaul University and studied Communications with a concentration on PR/Advertising. I also have a minor in Spanish and a minor in Theater. So really, this means I should be working at an advertising firm on a Spanish telenovela, right?

Q:  How did you find out about Pixafy?  What do you like best about working here?

Raechel:  I saw an ad online and researched the company.  I thought it looked pretty interesting and certainly different from all the other companies I’d worked at.

I enjoy the people who work here. Since we currently have just seventeen in the office, I’ve really gotten to know everyone pretty well.  I get to see people’s creativity and expertise, as well the quirks that they bring to Pixafy.

Q:  Any mentors/other people who’ve been particularly instrumental in your career or in your life?

Raechel:  My mom and my grandma are my biggest fans and inspirations.  They push me to be the best and tell me that nothing is impossible.

Also, I am a huge fan of Mike Dooley.  I follow his mantra “Thoughts become things… choose wisely” every day.

Q:  What did you do before you started working at Pixafy?

Raechel:  My college years I was a waitress and bartender at a place right across from Wrigley Field… yep!  Those were some great summers!  Then, after I graduated from college, I got a gig at a sales firm doing recruiting and HR for two years.  I really enjoyed it, but I’d had a burning desire to move to NYC ever since I was 7.  Last April my aunt offered that I could stay at her condo in NYC for the summer, and I said, “That’s it! I’m doing this!” And the rest is history!

Q:  Hobbies/interests outside of work?

Raechel:  I really enjoy a lot of things outside of work:  comedy, movies, shopping, trying new foods and wines, travel, and reading good books.

Q:  What kind of music do you listen to?

Raechel:  It’s a cliché, but I listen to all types of music.  It truly depends on variety of factors, including my mood, what I’m doing, the weather, etc.  Gym=techno, rainy day=John Mayer/Mumford & Sons, sunny day=80’s, classic rock and/or pop.

Q:  Qualities you most admire in others (non-Pixafy employees)?

Raechel:  I think that empathy is a very admirable quality.  I meet more and more people who don’t have it. Maybe it’s just a NY thing!?

Q:  Any pet peeves?  Any peeved pets?

Raechel:  I really hate people who are late.  Especially when they blame their pets.

Q:  If you won the proverbial lottery, what would you do with your windfall?

Raechel:  First, I would pay off all of my student loans.  I’d also invest a lot of the remainder, and spend some of it to travel the world for six months.  From then on, I’d live day to day without a care in the world.

Q:  What advice do you have for people considering working in a Client Relations Manager role?

Raechel:  No two clients are the same.  No two employees are the same.  Since you’re constantly working with people, you need to understand what’s best for the client first, and then what’s best for the company.  Sometimes drawing that line can be tough.

Q:  Your pet cat and dog have very interesting/unusual names – how did those come about?

Raechel:  Well, my cat’s name, The PURRfessor, comes from my affinity for puns, and, well, he’s really mean and has taught me a lesson or ten.  So it’s an appropriate name.

My dog’s name, Missy Lou Jenkins, just came to me when I was walking her.  When she did something she shouldn’t have, I’d say, “Hey there Missy Lou – what are you doing?!”

 Q:  You took classes at Second City when you lived in Chicago – what was that like?  Ever consider trying to make a living doing comedy?

Raechel:   It was AMAZING, and more so, it is incredible to think that I’ve been on the same stage that some of the most talented improvisers/comedians in the world got their start on.

I considered trying to make a living with comedy when I moved here, then I realized I’m not funny! (Editor’s note:  strongly disagree; people in the Pixafy office laugh at with Raechel all the time)

Q:  You like to do impersonations – who are some of your favorite targets? 

Raechel:  I love the sound of regional dialects.  I’ll impersonate pretty much anyone from Christopher Walken to the regular guy at the nearby coffee shop.  Here at Pixafy I’ve studied everyone’s mannerisms enough that I have most everybody down.

Q:  You and Senior Digital Interface Developer Josh O’Connell often bring the office to a standstill by engaging in public pun-offs; whose puns are worse?  What’s your favorite pun ever?

Raechel:  Well, in the world of puns I’d say that the person whose puns are worse actually is the one who wins. That’s a close call then.  Who’s got the answer?  Dial never know! (Editor’s note: had to read that one several times before I got it; my brain is still hurting from the effort)

Q:  You once changed your last name – what was it originally, and why did you change it?

Raechel:  It was originally Halicke.  Yep.  Try and pronounce it.  Question answered.  Also, Boston is an awesome last name, and no, I didn’t just pick it out because I love that city, or because I had “more than a feeling” about it or because I like clam chowder, but because it’s my family’s last name on my mom’s side.

Q:  Do people have a hard time spelling or pronouncing your first name?  Ever think of changing it too?

Raechel:  Yes, some people.  However, those people just don’t know how to read, or at least that’s what I’ve brought myself to believe.

Q:  What’s one thing that no one at Pixafy knows about you (until now)?

Raechel:  Probably the majority of things that I’ve discussed in this interview.