Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Schwartz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lauren, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I sometimes fantasize about what it would be like to have a “regular job.” Especially during trying times. I think about how nice it would be to just know I was getting a regular paycheck- guaranteed. But then I realize that even when one has a “regular” job, however you define it, nothing is certain. It’s not like back in the day when someone worked their whole life at a corporation. That sort of relationship between employer and employee does not really exist anymore. So the dream that a more stable, less stressful existence would exist as an employee elsewhere is really just that….a fantasy.

Having owned my own business for over 25 years now (yikes!) I think it would be hard for me to work for someone else. As a highly competitive person, I find that owning my own company and controlling my own destiny is really very satisfying. I am never bored. I can always find something new to learn, or an area to get better at.

My favorite part of owning my own company is when we can make clients happy; when we are delivering a production that the client feels is incredibly smooth with great creative results. I also love being able to provide work to the crew. We are not solving world hunger when we create content but I do sleep well knowing that when we land a project I can create jobs and opportunities for other people.

I also really enjoy working on behalf of my directors. My company is like my first child and every director on our roster is like part of the family. I am deeply invested in their work and career and want nothing more than to help them succeed.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After graduating from an Ivy League school and realizing that I was not cut out for investment banking or consulting (and after an unsuccessful run for the CIA), I got a job offer for from BBDO/NY in their training program. Little did I know that my time there would be some of the best training I ever received. BBDO was all about the creative. Even as an Assistant Account Executive, my job was in service to the creative. I took that ethos with me to FCB/SF where I hoped that being able to wear jeans would make it easier for me to stomach doing all that marketing and all those massive decks. It did not.

I found myself “starting over ” at the lowest rank of a new production company. Because they were young and an upstart and because I didn’t screw up, I was given more and more opportunities, eventually producing most of the projects there. Soon after I went freelance. While taking a break to travel the world with my then boyfriend, a young Director I had worked with reached out to me asking if I could cut my trip short, come back, and start a production company with him. As fate would have it, my relationship was failing and starting fresh in all ways led to an enthusiastic yes!

We started kaboom the way no one should ever start any production company – with an unknown director and little industry recognition. But it was during one of the dot com bubbles and anything seemed possible. Before I knew it was a bad idea, we had done it. We were a successful production entity.

That Director and I eventually went our separate ways, I started to grow my young family and when my kids were old enough, I turned my attention back to my “first child”. I have rebranded the company, added directors, and really grown kaboom into what it is today: A nimble, client facing, boutique content company that puts creative first, puts money on the screen, and cares about every project we do with every client we work with…no matter how big or small.

I think what sets us apart is how deeply we care about the work we do. It’s why I have intentionally kept our director roster small. It allows us to really focus on every director we have and every project we take on.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

kaboom’s ethos is resilience. We have been through at least four economic downturns; we have survived the multiple tech booms and busts; the nature of our business is uncertainty. But we have persevered because we had no other choice and production is all about finding solutions.

My nature is that of a fighter..tenacious and always looking for ways to make lemonade out of lemons. When your family is counting on you, and the people you work with are counting on you, you just don’t give up; it’s not an option, When you think all is lost, you just have to pick yourself up and realize there is always a way. This is where a competitive nature, drive and grit come into play.

In San Francisco we are known as the longest thriving production company. And I take great pride that we have been through many storms and weathered them, pivoting along the way and coming out stronger. We always stay true to our values of doing what is right, doing great work, serving our clients and respecting our crews.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

It takes a lot of hard work to earn a good reputation. I think that how one’s company is perceived in the marketplace is a direct reflection of the people you hire, the way you treat your clients, and the care you bring to projects. And we have been consistent in how we have done those things.

I did not “grow up” within a big production company. So all the choices I make about how we operate are based on a gut feeling – about many things including which directors are a good match for our culture, and how to treat our clients and crew with respect and care. I think you earn a reputation one job at a time…one client at a time. We have operated with honesty and integrity, and I think that’s the foundational part of who we are and how we operate in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kaboomproductions.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaboomproductions/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaboomsf
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1122320/admin/

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