We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lau Lapides. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lau below.
Lau, I appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I’d like to think that creativity is something that we can not only develop, and create (no pun intended), technique and craft, but also something inherent, like our DNA. In a strange way, we have no choice but to be creative, but it is within us to do so. It’s more a choice to recognize it, observe it, honor it, and then be completely courageous to develop it throughout our lives. I remember years ago as a corporate communication trainer, being in a corporate environment and hearing many times over that I would be coaching one group, as named “the creatives”, and then the next group, the “non-creatives”. I remember how that felt to hear that, I was shocked and puzzled, and in awe. Could there be such a thing as a creative and a non-creative?
It did not take me long to find my answer… No. I deeply believe we are all creatives at heart, but we have to look at our definition of creativity, and open the proverbial box up, that is no longer square but has no walls. So, in this definition, one could consider almost everything to have a creative element to it. Therefore, why short ourselves? Why underestimate who we are? I always say to my clients and students; don’t label yourself. Don’t shortchange and put yourself in a box. Let someone else do that for you. And you will find that there are many many definitions out there of what creative actually means. For me, it’s many things, from taking chances and risks, to thinking in a way that’s unpopular, to satisfying a client’s needs in unorthodox ways. And to remind myself that I am a creative and to not give the spotlight away all the time to my audience. As a creative, I need to continually invigorate and reclaim my creativity in various aspects of life. Whether it’s in branding, performance, product or relationships, we can always open up the horizons of colorful choices that we miss at the beginning when moving fast and hitting deadlines. In essence, it’s what I heard the best casting directors say to actors waiting to audition, who would mistakenly say “okay, I’m done rehearsing, I’m ready”. The director would say “no you’re not, you’re never ready, and because you said that, I know you’re not ready.” To be creative is to be courageous, live on the edge a bit, understand and accept that you don’t know what’s coming next, and welcome moments of true process and fun, and revelation. As a company owner, studio owner, agent, coach, in the entertainment field, karma has now called me back to revisit the early years of building my career as an actor. This is the karma of creativity, that comes down to a simple yes or no. No being “I’ll lock the door and not go through it. Yes being “I’ll open the door and I’ll walk through it, and I’ll be completely rejuvenated as to what I find in my potential, my identity, and my future.” I’m excited for what the future holds for me in my future as a creative. In the words of the great female artists who have come before me, “every day of our lives is a new opportunity to restart and reset the creative button.” I’m ready to push the button.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
It’s funny, when you think about telling your story it’s really hard to decide how to fit everything into one small box. I say it all the time – I’m a 40-year overnight success. I put in the work, then and now, to get where I am and keep going from here. Nowadays, I am the owner of Lau Lapides Company, and the lead VO agent of MCVO, a division of Model Club, Inc. A lot of my work revolves around coaching and acting as agent and helper for other actors and voice actors, as they move from the level of their career they are at to a new one. This could be anyone from someone who heard last week that they have a voice for radio and want to try it out to someone who has been in the industry for a decade but hasn’t seen the success they want and are investing in a new coach, a new agent, or a new membership to try to make a change in their career.
In terms of the most special parts of my job, that would have to be all the new things I get to bring into the world. Creating a group coaching membership (my Talent Inner Circle program) started out as something else, but morphed into a big acting and VO family, that gets to learn from each other and help each other succeed! Also, this past October, I brought into the world for the first time an event called New England Voice Over (NEVO). It’s the premiere voice over event for New England, and it’s going to happen again next year!
The Talent Inner Circle website https://www.talentinnercircle.com/
New England Voice Over (NEVO) website https://www.newenglandvoiceover.com/
I get to teach people at all kinds of levels, things about being a solopreneur, a voice actor, an actor, or whatever they dream about being in the entertainment industry. Classes like our VO Solopreneur course on the Closing Credits platform, or the Radio Play: From Process to Performance class we’re offering again in a few weeks, teaching so many different levels so many different angles of the industry is amazing.
Another way we get to interact with the industry is through demo production. Lau Lapides Company offers professional, industry-standard demo production, as well as coaching in order to get you ready for your demo recording session. We can get you ready and get you out there with a competitive, killer demo. It’s always cool to see a demo come together, from the raw recording session demonstrating the talent of the artist, to the edited package perfectly ready to send to all the right people.
In addition, through the MCVO agency, we get the chance to connect our clients to some amazing voice over jobs that come our way, from commercial to animation and beyond. Our roster, with representation from 5 countries, is full of some major talent and we’re always proud to see them do well.
Keep an eye out for events like NEVO next fall, our upcoming Closing Credits classes, and many more!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I’d say certainly preparation, for one. For me, preparation doesn’t have a start or ending date. You’re in a constant process of being prepared. We’re always able to prepare, or should be, because the cycle never stops. Even after reaching a milestone or endgame. We then restart the developing clock to learn new skills, adjust, and shift our mindset. In order to keep your finger on the pulse of the industry, you must be willing to move fast, but slow down just enough to be in the present. The process is about presence and product, and learning it step by step. Most importantly, you need to able to pivot and shift direction at any time, when something is thrown at you.
Tenacity, for another. As Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “never, never, never give up.” I’ve discovered one has to consistently cultivate the belief system that success is possible, if not probable, based on your level of preparedness. I’ve also discovered that done is much better than perfect. Being able to work hard, and consistently go after jobs also goes hand in hand with not holding oneself back due to professionalism, or not feeling like it’s enough. Being courageous is also an important factor in tenacity. Being able to care, and pay attention, and even poll your inside audience about your endeavors and your strategies is important. But also, it’s equally important to let that go and not listen to too much noise, and go forward and try. Trying is half the battle.
The third word would be relationships. If I knew then what I know now… I may have done things very differently, and as an entrepreneur, I know I would have started my business many years earlier, because at the very core, the talent and skill that I possessed that helped make me successful was that of being able to connect quickly, listen acutely to my clients’ stories, and problem solve immediately. It’s all about building relationships over trust and time. We can have all the skill and talent and beauty, but at the end of the day much of our opportunities come from who we know, and how we work with them. And remembering, it’s not about you, it’s always about your audience.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always looking for people to collaborate with, from any corner of industry or industry-adjacent people. I love to collaborate with directors, producers, casting directors, up and coming talent, and more. I am an agent, and a producer. We help people find and achieve their dreams in the entertainment industry, like actors and voice over talent who went from undiscovered to booking major gigs. We work with people at all levels, from early entry to working pros in the field looking to rebrand.
If they want to collaborate with me, join my membership, or find some other way we can work together, they can feel free to email me at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: laulapidescompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laulapidescompany/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laulapides/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzrG3MxmuBxG69yqtB39k2A
Image Credits
Image 1 Credit – Aria Lapides Image 2 – Our company logo Image 3 Credit – Logo for our Talent Inner Circle program, designed by Jim Fronk
