Principal at Xtreme Labs on future of music

It's been said that you can't fake talent. Don't ask me who said it but it must be true.  That is the only explanation I can find to explain the talent that is Boris Chan.

On the one hand, Boris is a very talented member of Toronto-based Xtreme Labs.  He is currently a Principal there leading the development on Xtreme's mobile and web projects.  A little known fact is that prior to this current gig he worked on the visual effects of The Incredible Hulk.  If you pay attention to the credits you will see his name.

Yet Boris leads a totally different life outside the office. No, he's not a vampire.  He's a musician.  A very talented one.  Boris is the lead singer and guitarist for an indie rock outfit that goes by the name of The Eatons.  In 2010, the band self-recorded and self-produced The Handover, an EP inspired by the band’s experience growing up in Scarborough, an east-end Toronto neighbourhood.

So what drives Boris to work on cool mobile projects while striving for fame and success as a rock star?  Well, it didn't start off that way. 

Boris has been playing music for years.  It first started as a hobby but when Boris and his mates figured they were pretty good, one thing led to another.  And one gig led to another.

I asked Boris how he explains his dual roles and responsibilities.  He answered by quoting directly from will.i.am:

The band of the future is not going to be a singer, a guitarist and a bass player. It will be a singer, a guitarist, a bass player and a code writer - the guy who does apps, computer animation. That is a group. It is going to be about self-contained content-providers.

Increasingly, digital and social tools will enable many individuals to create great content.  And not just while working at their business or on their careers.  People will now be able to use their skills to affect change in culture, music and the arts.  And Boris, for one, doesn't mind at all.