We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lanez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lanez, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I often keep my family and personal life as private as I can, mostly because it’s one of the “only” private things in my life. However, the values and noble traits they’ve instilled in me are what allow me to thrive, especially in the public eye. My parents both have planning and timeliness down pat. From an early age I can recall making lists and making sure my schedules (education, extra circulars) were mapped out ahead of time. I also love waking up before sunrise, and am proud to be an early bird. This bright and early mentality has made it way easier for me to produce, plan or shoot in the early morning, as well as embody the energy I need to be the best version of me. I’ve watched my parents build a foundation for our family of five, and my two older siblings are great role models as well. They all deserve a ton of recognition, and they support me even if they don’t understand exactly “what I do” for a living. I am truly blessed and grateful!

Lanez, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Can you please tell our readers about yourself, My real name is Lani, pronounced like Lay-nee. It’s something I’ve surprisingly been self conscious about because of the way it’s spelt versus the way it’s pronounced. When I started being called Lane, or Lanez, it helped me to feel more of an identity. I own my creative agency, Lanez Media Group.

how you got into your industry / business / discipline / craft etc,
I received my bachelors degree in public relations from Iowa State University, and used my studies to write for the college newspaper. I would take photos for my stories that I’d write, and felt comfortable behind a camera. Randomly, there was a last minute request to shoot a basketball game so I took on the assignment.

When I stepped onto the court, everything changed for me. It was like my destiny [at the time] was right in front of my eyes. I had never shot sports or major movement like that before, so when I got back to my laptop that evening, I couldn’t believe how “picture perfect” my shots were. From that point on, I began to shoot all of the sports games, practices and events for the newspaper, and my sports photography (photojournalism) legacy began.

Shortly after graduating, I became the photographer for the Chicago Bulls. I shot for different aspects of the organization including the team, branding, events, apparel and more. Throughout my time with the Bulls, I continued to build my expertise in other crafts including social media, producing and creative direction.

After five years, I decided to leave the team (and Chicago), but wanted to make sure my legacy remained, as I also knew I wanted to venture out of the professional sports industry. My love for movement and this desire to continue the Lanez legacy helped stem the idea for my first product, the Lanez socks. Currently there are three colors, and two different styles of the socks. The OG style is a super thick sock designed for major movement like sports/basketball, lifting at the gym and even moving or construction. The second style is geared for everyday lifestyle, and is just a tad thinner, for that leisurely fit.

what type of products/services/creative works you provide
Producing
Creative direction
Content strategy; especially when it comes to TikTok trends
Behind the Scenes “BTS” (ULTIMATE FAVE!)
Social media planning, posting
Primary shooter
Shoot interests: PR, branding, product/e-comm, beauty, fitness, sports, event, lifestyle
Decks
Lanez Media Group (creative agency)

what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others.
I consume AND I create, so I feel my perspective is strong for brands, clients, audiences and the in-betweens. I follow what’s trending and help strategize for my clients so they can put out content that will be relevant and “on brand”.

What are you most proud of
I am most proud of my ability to walk away from things no longer serving me. After five years of shooting photography for the Chicago Bulls, I decided to step away for many reasons, but a strong reason was because I was tired of feeling “boxed in” on a job description, and wanted to advance in my career outside of just shooting. In my personal life, I also do a pretty good job of shutting out things that disturb my peace.

and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.
The main thing I want to emphasize about myself is that my work and work ethic helps me into the room, but my energy helps me STAY in the room.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’m currently in my pivot! Let me tell you about it.

I feel like my identity was too consumed in basketball and the sports industry.

It was tough enough to be a woman working in sports, so I also felt like I couldn’t speak up about certain things. And I never wanted to risk losing my job by speaking up or deemed “pushing boundaries”.

I’m forever grateful for my experiences in sports, but I knew I needed to recreate myself and my identity outside of it.

Currently, I am evolving into my feminine energy while still being a boss at what I do. I’m working with more influencers, models and female business owners, such as Iskra Lawrence, co-founder of Saltair. She’s inspired me to evolve and grow, while providing safe environments where I feel I can be authentically me.

Oh, and I’m wearing pink. A major pivot for me.

Any advice for managing a team?

Because it’s my business, I am doing everything in my power to create an environment that I would want to be in! That means treating my staff, contractors and team the way I would have wanted to be treated when I was primarily shooting.

This includes, communicating as persistent and clear as possible with both the client and contractor, so when it comes time for shoot day and post shoot, all questions should be answered. I want a seamless process for both parties, and I try my best to be as present as possible.

I want to build the business while building each of my clients and contractors. With this in mind, I ask for feedback from their experience working together. Their thoughts and opinions matter and push me to be better at managing the team.

Contact Info:

• Website: Lanez.co
• Instagram: @Lanezphoto
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/lanezmediagroup
• Twitter: @Lanezmedia
• Youtube: @Lanezmedia
• TikTok: @Lanezmedia

Image Credits
first photo by @dcvisions
second photo by @sekondtry