Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Lau Lapides

We recently had the chance to connect with Lau Lapides and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Lau, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Energy! One of the most important pillars of my industry is having, maintaining and sustaining consistent and high energy. Every facet of what we do has to be energized, and not just high energy but positive. We call it PMA. Positive Mental Attitude. We demo the kind of energy we want our clients and students to possess. Performance, training, booking work, and the business end of show business all take immense energy. Especially when we don’t book, or are rejected for jobs. How we sustain a positive energy is uniquely us, and the brand of our business. Being healthy and balanced psychologically, having capital to invest, and possessing real talent is only half the battle. The other half is your energy level. You are hired for your energy, you are fired for your energy. So pay attention to the power of energy.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
​I​ am the Owner and President of Lau Lapides Company https://laulapidescompany.com/, with hybrid training and production studios in Boston, NYC and LA. ​I​ am also the proud pioneer and VO Talent Agent Artist for MCVO, A Division Of Model Club, Inc. in Boston with a voiceover roster showcasing the top talent from coast to coast representing talent from five countries worldwide.

​M​y boutique coaching studios offer top tier training for Voice Over Talent worldwide. Our global coaching team of award-winning broadcasting & media pros are all actively working in the industry and are nationally recognized. We have partnered with the highest level of Talent agencies, managers, casting & producers to provide fresh opportunities to work in major markets for our talent. ​My studio’s Talent Inner Circle (TIC) global acting and voice over members boast some of the top media broadcasting, TV, film and radio artists in the world. As a producer, ​m​y event, New England Voice Over (NEVO) Con, ​is gearing up for its third annual edition this October!

What makes our business unique is all of our personalization efforts. This is a family-first, client-centric business, with a heavy level of personalization in everything we do, from coaching to demos and beyond.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
Believe it or not, one of the first most powerful memories was when I went to grad school in California. Moving 3000 miles away to UC Irvine and changing my life completely, leaving everything I know to pursue an MFA in acting completely changed how I envisioned my life. It was very empowering! Frightening and exciting, but empowering. When any baby bird leaves the nest, there’s a moment of panic before they spread their wings and fly.

The power came in, where I discovered that immediately I was regarded as a career person in the industry just by being accepted into this elite program, and was really looked at through the prism of being a working talent. That was exciting, and surprising! The 3 years to follow in conservatory were incredibly empowering, with thought leaders and workers investing their energy and time into my craft, and in the years to come, my business. I still, almost 30 years later, feel the freedom and engagement of independence, collaboration, motivation and just belief in me, that I could do this and make it happen. It really took a university program, and a great team of professors and colleagues and friends, to prove that this was worth pursuing. And, that I am worth the effort.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There were many times in my life I almost gave up. As the industry I am in is incredibly difficult, challenging, competitive and full of ups and downs. Many unknowns, and many empty moments of nothingness. But those very moments are where I found my strength and resilience. I absolutely couldn’t believe I was that strong, to swim through those times, and still do. I would pacify myself with quotes like “Progress, not perfection” to remind myself I was constantly making progress. Whether I could see it or not, I was always making progress. In the progress of clients, the business I created, and the events we executed. That created stability, and realness in what I do.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies the industry tells us is that conferences and events, etc, are a necessity to attend in order to be successful. I say this honestly as an event producer. They are not! They’re a wonderful bonus for development, and oftentimes a human connection for friends and colleagues we don’t see that often and deeply miss. But if you were to put me in a corner and ask me do I really need to attend this? I’d say no. They’re like extra credit. You absolutely can be successful, in all different ways, growing your biz and educating yourself. I’d also say, as much as I appreciate and produce marketing and branding services for talent, I would say to wait on many of these services until you get your feet wet and have a year or two under your belt of actually working the craft. I feel there’s way too much money spent. Get a few years of experience, make sure you like what you’re doing before you spend a lot of money on it and put a lot of bells and whistles on it. Remember, Apple computers started out of a garage and was there for quite a while.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
Our customers would miss the interaction of relationships with our team members, and the honest friendship and trust that we’ve built together as a community. That’s assuming the company isn’t running any longer. They would miss being treated as an individual, a human being and not a number. They would miss the pure regard we have for them, and the collaborative joy we create together in our sessions, events, and coachings. They would miss feeling like they truly mattered, and they have a superhero team on their side to help propel them, inspire them and manage them through the tough times.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?

Coffee? Workouts? Hitting the snooze button 14 times? Everyone has their morning ritual and we

Highlighter Series
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?

Our deepest wounds often shape us as much as our greatest joys. The pain we

Highlighter Series
Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than