2 Minutes With ... Selina Meere, COO of Trevanna Tracks

Selina Meere is an operations and business development executive with a background developing teams and brands, Selina has more than two decades of experience as a strategic leader who built distinguished marketing and communication teams within New York’s book publishing industry. Now residing in Los Angeles, Selina is COO of Trevanna Tracks, where she oversees all operational activities, driving growth strategy across the company.

We spent two minutes with Selina to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.

Selina, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Madison, New Jersey. Most of my adulthood was spent in New York City, but I’ve been in Los Angeles since 2018.

Your earliest musical memory.

Music was a significant part of my childhood—it’s how I entertained myself. My mother had a collection of (mostly) folk vinyl from her college years—The Mamas and the Papas, Donovan, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, the Hair soundtrack—and I would spend my weekends listening to them. Those records are now in my living room, still on heavy rotation! If my mom was DJ, she either had a Broadway musical or a Billy Joel tape (yes, tape!) playing. And from a very early age, Z100 was on in my room, never to miss a Casey Kasem Top 40 Countdown! I couldn’t tell you which happened first—they feel simultaneous.

Your favorite bands/musicians today.

I have a very eclectic taste in music, which changes with my mood or my audience. I like to cater to who else is around me and have a good sense of what will please a crowd. Every evening when I start making dinner, I pick an artist whose vibe I’m feeling, choose their “similar-artists station” on Apple Music, and turn on the Sonos speakers throughout the house. Last night it was Pearl Jam, the night before Band of Horses, and before that Aretha Franklin. My younger daughter’s dedication to all things Taylor Swift has built a real appreciation for her talents. But if you want to talk about who has the most magical voice, combined with an unmatched gift for storytelling, it’s Brandi Carlile.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

You’re picking all the topics that get me fired up! I listen to podcasts and audio books every time I go for a walk, run or car ride, so quite literally several times a day. It wasn’t intentional, but this week as I was driving to work the Armchair Expert episode with Trevor Noah came on. Since I was behind the wheel, I let it run, although I wouldn’t have picked it. I am so glad it found me because I’ve been talking about it since! Trevor is an exceptionally intelligent human and I found myself hanging on every word as they covered a range of unexpected topics. The Daily Show was on past my bedtime and I didn’t read Trevor’s book, so this was an education on why he’s so influential.

A recent project you’re proud of.

Six years ago when we relocated to Los Angeles, I had no network here and had to start fresh. At the time I was a book publishing executive who needed to be in the NYC office five days a week. It was pre-Covid and there was no keeping my job through a cross country relocation. For the first year I personified Neil Diamond’s “I Am, I Said.” Despite that, I was persistent, remained positive and took every opportunity to grow in the face of rejection. I’m very proud of how, in my 40s, I built a reputation in a city overflowing with talent and ambition. A chance meeting brought me to Jennifer Freed, the founder and CEO of Trevanna Tracks, and I landed this dream job. Every day since, I’ve been grateful to what she saw in me and the partnership we’ve developed.

One thing about how the music world is evolving that you’re excited about.

I’m excited by the ever-increasing ways people can discover new music—much of it through sync placements. This kind of discovery used to only happen through advertisements for a select number of edgy brands. But now, take video games, for example. I don’t play them, but I’m hyper aware of their role in connecting to their audiences through music. Or the exhaustive content featuring music—my daughters have entire playlists of songs they first heard on a series they stream.

Someone else’s work, in music or beyond, that you admired lately.

I’ve recently reengaged with my admiration for the caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.

An artist you admire outside the world of music.

I just saw the movie Poor Things with Emma Stone. WOW! WOW. WOW.

Your favorite fictional character.

Eloise

Someone worth following on social media.

When Instagram first became popular, I was working with a lot of crafty influencers, so my feed was visual candy. Some of my favorite accounts are from then, like Lizzie Darden. I have always found micro-influencers to be the most inspirational and stimulating.

Your main strength as a marketer/creative.

I am the ultimate connector, meaning that I see the connection between unrelated stories, circumstances, trends, technologies, and so on. Being able to draw a throughline means I can speak to these underlying patterns when addressing an audience.

Your biggest weakness.

In 2023 I was faced head-on with my weaknesses. I have middle school aged daughters, so if you have an hour they would be happy to share a list! In addition to that, circumstances led me to take about three personality tests last year—each report a gut punch drilling down the traits of you at your worst. I like to be efficient, I’m direct and when I feel disrespected, that causes me a lot of stress—so combined I can come across as impatient or intolerant when that is not the intention. I’m working on this so that I project the way I hope to. More importantly, what the year really taught me is that the real work goes into owning your vulnerabilities so you can turn them into strengths and appreciating your imperfections so they become assets.

Something people would find surprising about you.

That’s tough because I’m pretty easy to figure out. I suppose it’s how much I envy people who can effortlessly carry a conversation and get others to engage.

One thing that always makes you happy.

When my family laughs together.

One thing that always makes you sad.

When women and children are treated as less than because of their gender or age.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in the music business.

Are we putting all actual skills and realities aside? Because if we are, I would be a style icon like Iris Apfel.