We recently connected with Lau Lapides and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lau, thanks for joining us today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?

Having pioneered a 14-year studio that primarily focused on high-touch personalized one-to-one in-person coaching services for Actors, Voiceover Talent, and Speakers in Business Communication – it was a real game-changer to be faced with the entire entertainment industry being pushed 100% online whether we all wanted to go or not.

Okay, so this was me in March 2020 walking down the street with one of my closest friends and lead coaches, actually asking the question “Do you think we should go online with our services or not? Do you think people would come?” No pause, no comma, no silence, I was hit with a resounding quote, “Yes, do it. You have to!”

That’s when I could feel the pit of my stomach and the unfocused vertigo in my head start to come in as I thought “How in the world am I going to make that happen?’

Now that I look back in retrospect, if I hadn’t made that move swiftly, I’m absolutely certain any hesitation would have brought me to my ultimate demise and I may not have a business right now to talk about. That’s how important saying ‘Yes’ is and was.

Moving online has opened up a massive global audience and brand-new client base that we may never have encountered staying in-person and we are one of the few studios in the nation that is now scaling and leveling up not only in income potential but also client-based. For our studio, the new online potential has enabled us to build partnerships and global alliances and build hybrid services that are moving the business needle in exponential ways from generating leads to social media presence to putting systems and processes in place to partnering with the top NYC, LA, and international talent agents, casting directors, producers, and an alliance of coaches.

Against our will but much to our amazement, this new business model has not only helped reenvision and reignite our studio passion and potential for the team and the talent but also offers endless possibilities for diversity in cultures and relationships. The new eclectic online culture also offers the ability to expedite services in a quicker and cleaner fashion without a ton of downtime or fluff. We can shift from one event to the next with almost no transition time and stay focused on our offering without too much distraction allowing us to offer client-based even more high-level coaching sessions, classes, showcases, and membership opportunities. Having less than 10% of our clients now come into the studio in-person also means less financial investments in inventory from printing costs to bathroom and kitchen stocking to utility costs. It’s pretty awesome stuff! We also can call in a pro anywhere in the world at the drop of the hat to join the sessions and offer expertise without the setup. Quite a fringe benefit! And, of course, being able to record and offer replays for clients who cannot make sessions is beyond immeasurable.

There are definite challenges that we face especially with such a white-rug high-touch service menu. We are still coming up with ways to seamlessly integrate our warm personalized family atmosphere branding with the online separation and obvious distance. Also at times, the technical learning curve of new virgin zoomers along with travelers who land in the Matrix (technical drop-out zone) can pose issues at times. But, overall, a hybrid approach for us is a powerhouse of infinite access to products and services as well as a real-time and recorded-time industry approach. That makes total sense since our clients want to live and work in the media industry.

Lau, 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?

Lau Lapides Company is a  hybrid online and in-person studio in Boston, NYC, and LA. Lau Lapides, owner and president, is 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. MCVO clients from the Regional to National and to International genres in Commercial to Industrial to Animation!

Our 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.

We have launched a brand new, exclusive Talent Inner Circle. We are so excited for our 2023 lineup providing amazing discounts on ALL of our studio products and services including coaching, workshops and seminars, voice over demos and actor reels and virtual showcases. We provide the powerhouse tips, tools and techniques from preparation of production to your presentation and performance and will get you connected and networked to make your brand work for you and launch or level up your career!

About Lau: Lau has been a professional Actor, Voice talent, director, and producer for over 40 years. She holds an M.F.A. in Acting and is an ArtsBridge Scholar from the University of California at Irvine. As a resident and active member of the thriving New England entertainment industry, she is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, Board member of BWME (Boston Women in Media Entertainment), NAB (National Association of Broadcasters), AWART (American Women in Radio & Television), AWM (Alliance for Women in Media), NAPW (National Association of Professional Women) and MBA (Massachusetts Broadcasters Association). She was selected as The Ad Club’s Women’s Leadership Forum Boston *100 Women We Admire* Award, twice a recipient of the prestigious “Women Who Make a Difference Award” honoring entrepreneurial women leaders of the Babson College community. She served as a judge for the National Gracie Broadcasting Awards in Washington D.C. for 3 years running and her studio’s radio/voiceover client biographies were recognized and nominated for a Gracie Award. She along with her staff has contributed numerous print and online articles and stories for Imagine Magazine (NE), Talent Magazine (NY), Wellesley/Weston Magazine (NE), Exhale Magazine (Online) and is currently a contributing expert for Backstage Magazine (NY/LA) and CanvasRebel and has partnered with Staples Connect on her podcast and radio play series “Be Happy, Be Heard” which can be heard on most podcast platforms. She is also featured in the ‘The Art of Voice Acting’ by James Alburger.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

We have found our success lies in a combination of marketing practices from a diverse referral base of our super happy current clients, to professional alliances and partnerships of colleagues working in the same space, newsletter updates, social media plugs, and live speaking at national events. We rarely say no to an interesting opportunity, request, or proposal, and we have no problem with cold reach outs to prospects’ business. Everyone is a potential client, talent, or colleague and we have no competition, we only have colleagues! Holding a philosophy of supporting and building each other’s business who live in the same space is a necessity and a joy.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

To foster anything means to care for and influence growth. Our mission and mantra is to authentically care about what our team, colleagues, and clients care about. Loyalty comes out of love and true affinity and passion for the person, the process, and the product. Our brand loyalty is rooted in real care having a “You Matter” approach. Our studio and online spaces are all inclusive, safe, family-friendly, warm, and a professional environment that fosters measurable growth and celebrates the true potential of each person in our global community. Whether in-studio or online, we are able to capture this visceral feeling consistently through our team actors and voiceover talent, so staying connected, following up, and keeping our community engaged, excited, and energized is a huge part of our brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laulapidescompany.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laulapidescompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauLapidesCompany/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laulapides/
• Twitter: N/A
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzrG3MxmuBxG69yqtB39k2A
• Yelp: N/A
• Other: email: l[email protected]