Meet Anthony and Felicia Carter | Multi-Hyphenate | Business Owners, Artists, Photographers, and Designers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony and Felicia Carter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony and Felicia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
To create a space that was welcoming and to speak to a demographic that was largely ignored. At the same time, be both relatable and aspirational. My wife and I both grew up in Reno at a time when there were very little creative outlets, and the few that did exist, didn’t really speak to our interests. Most often, young, talented artists, thinkers, and creatives leave the city as soon as they graduate high school. This is usually in search of a need to be in places where you felt you more belonged. Or, places that could satisfy your creative and/or social interests. Of course there is the internet, but sometimes you want to experience these things in real life. For some, Reno did not satisfy those interests. We were no exception; as soon as the opportunity presented itself, we also left. Life eventually brought us back to Reno and thought persisted, ‘how do we make things more palatable?’ What can we do to help improve the scene so those like us aren’t so compelled to leave? Those kinds of questions we asked ourselves and the result was Masterpeace Studio. It was designed to be a place, as previously mentioned, where ignored demographic could congregate. A place to dialogue and exchange ideas, to meet other creatives in the city you only see on Instagram. With this space we wanted to be very intentional in terms of how it was presented, we wanted people to understand us as soon as they walked in, before a word was spoken. We wanted it to speak for us and simultaneously allow possible skeptics to put their guard down. The studio is an extension of us, our personality is fully on display and thankfully that has resonated with its intended audience. We didn’t want exclusively, a store, a library, a photography studio, a meeting space, or a gallery. It was built to be all of the above. With that, we allow people to book our space for any creative projects we can accommodate. We also try to price to account for all budgets; it’s our belief that money shouldn’t be a barrier to entry. At any given time you’ll see a photo shoot, a podcast, a music video, a speaking engagement, a party, or just peer to peer conversation. It’s hard to categorize, but that’s what we love about it. It can’t be put in a box, but the core remains. Masterpeace Studio exists to provide an outlet and elevate the community one project at a time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As husband and wife and co-owners of Masterpeace Studio, we are blessed to share creative minds and passion for the community and the artists within our community. We are most proud of the path we are carving out for our own children and younger generations. We have a beautiful, 4 year old son (Keelan), and he also experiences what we experience. As a family we experience art, the culture, and the conversations to elevate your craft. He witnesses all of the greatness, challenges, relationships, talented community members and their ideas that are produced within the studio. Because of this, he has an advantage to see that having an artistic mind is a beautiful one and the path for a successful life does not have to follow what we’ve been previously conditioned to follow. Our little family has been creating this path for the last few years and this is not all we do. Our studio started as COVID-19 began and we experienced both outcomes of a pandemic world; but because of this, Masterpeace Studio was born. Without this space, we personally wouldn’t have dove head first into photography, met podcasters, joined podcasts, filmed talented musicians, speak to artists about their art, network with other small businesses, learn from people who are masters at their craft and the best part, create strong bonds and lifelong friendships. This is truly the fruit of our vision and we are beyond thankful. We worked our corporate lives, up until recently, where Anthony had the opportunity to take his passion for design and our studio as his life career. It has not been easy juggling parenting, family time, the demands of the studio, personal artistic endeavors, personal time, but I know neither of us would change this life. We are exactly where we should be and we will continue to pave a path for our future, our son’s future, our future children, and our community. We have so much more to our story and have only tapped into the potential of our space. We will persist until our true vision of the studio is our reality.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For food, we’re going to Royce! Hands down the best burger in the city and the wings are fire too! For drinks, Ferino Distillery. For entertainment, there’s really not much, but anywhere DJ Frenzy is playing.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We want to thank the community at large in the Reno area. We’ve received a tremendous response and we couldn’t be more grateful. The feedback we’ve received let’s us know we’re on the right path and pushes us to work harder. We are happy to be of service. In terms of specific shouts, we want to thank those that are an integral part of the operation of the studio: PJ Sagun, Jerick Image, Karen Villanueva, Herbert Lewis, Cassidy Munoz, and Marisol Collins. We’d be much further behind without them!

Website: www.masterpeacestudio.space

Instagram: masterpeace.studio

Facebook: Masterpeace Studio

Image Credits
Felicia Carter Tharon Green Marisol Collins PJ Sagun, Jon Gomez