Meet Lana Antonova of WebVixxen Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lana Antonova.

Lana, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and bred in Saratov, Russia. At 15, my family and I moved to Melbourne, Australia. Driven and ambitious with a hint of stubbornness, I was infected with an “acting bug” in Australia. I came to LA to find fame and fortune. I was blessed for the career I have had in acting and the amazing people I have had the pleasure of working with, such Sir Anthony Hopkins, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Berenger, Cybill Shepard, Hank Asaria, Jesse Bradford, Zooey Deschanel, Famke Janssen, Ray Romano, Rip Torn, Debra Winger, and the list goes on and on. However, living from job to a job started to take a toll on me, so I started thinking of alternatives to supplement my acting career.

I hold a BDes, BS: Programming & Bachelor’s in Accounting. I founded Webvixxen Design in 2003 and quickly found myself drawn to the tech world.

I wasn’t always into technology…I was into acting, sports, design, music and numbers. Not sure if that particular combination had anything to do with my found love for coding/programming. I started off as a computer engineer but quickly realized that hardware wasn’t what I wanted to concentrate on.

I then transition to Flash coding, which was lucrative for a short while.

I certainly stood out, however, clients had a tough time hiring a woman at that time. To supplement my income or the lack thereof, a job in government sector presented itself and I found myself in web application security testing, while still trying to get my company off the ground.

I didn’t feel fulfilled on the job, so every week I chased tiny restaurant accounts to sign up with me for their web needs.

No one at that time wanted to have a website or thought they needed one. So it was a tough sell. The only reason one restaurant finally decided to give me a chance was because I offered them a full package. I wasn’t just a coder, I was also a designer. The combination of understanding what it takes to build a website and have an eye for the front-end design, was a winning one. All of a sudden, the doors started opening more and more.

My team quickly grew from one-woman show to 5, all women. Something I recognized very quickly. The sensibility with which women code and their attention to detail, really helped surpass our then competitors.

Today my team is almost at 50+ with 90% women. And we have been lucky to have worked with some heavy hitters like Nike, Sony, Samsung, EA; fashion brands such as Lanvin, Gucci, Cartier and the list goes on and on.

I’m excited to see more and more women entering the technology world. In my opinion, women make gifted coders because they are creative and brilliant communicators.

Watching new female coding stars arrive on the scene is heartening for me. It’s a total fabrication that men are more suited to coding. Ada Lovelace was the first ever programmer. She was the daughter of Lord Byron and had a mathematician mother. It was those roots in numbers and poetry that helped her create the first programming language.

‘A single line of code can affect millions of people.’

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely has not been a smooth ride and took years of hard work to get to where I’m now. Coming here from another country, and entering the tech world as a woman in 2003 was not an easy task.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the WebVixxen Design story. Tell us more about the business.
Since Webvixxen Design was created in 2003, it has grown to a team of over 50 people, almost 90% of whom are women, and the team has been fortunate enough to work with heavy-hitting brands as well as some very promising start-ups.

With offices in Venice, CA & Chile; and presence in NY & London, we specialize in high-end design & branding, but our capabilities are limitless. I have created a model that has been quite successful for us, by being a “one-stop” shop for our clients. Our network of vendors is vast, and it includes top photographers, pr & marketing, social media specialists, SEO specialists, printers, videographers, talent scouts, studios, copywriters, etc, etc. We build solutions, not just websites. Once a client signs up with us, they may look no further. They become a part of our family.

Our top clients that we have worked with are based on fashion and beauty, brands such as Lanvin, Cartier, Jaeger Lecoultre, Gucci, Revlon, Sephora to name several…we also have a number of up-and-coming brands such as Stretchlab (the hot new business taking stretching to another level), Aloxxi (founder George Schaeffer, who was OPI founder), La Vie Parisienne (vintage jewelry), LabNo25 (new e-commerce fashion platform, giving emerging designers a voice), and many more. Our client list also expands to different industries, such as medical, 500 fortune companies, construction companies, TV personalities, entertainment, and the list goes on.

Oftentimes, people wonder why I got into coding. And every time I think about it, I find myself elated; however much — it’s abundant and gratifying. I love creating and that is our tagline. WE CREATE.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in luck.

Luck assumes that the universe is working for or against you, and I don’t think the universe gives a s*&% one way or the other. You’re either prepared or you aren’t, and the rest is by chance.

Luck is the idea that circumstances happen to you; chance is just what happens. It’s not egotistical, and it doesn’t allow the roles of victor or victim. Sometimes you benefit and sometimes you don’t, but it’s rarely ever about you. It just is what it is.

“Luck” is made. Not by the universe. By you.

It takes discipline & tremendous work ethic.

Contact Info:

• Address: 419 Brooks Ave
  Venice, CA 90291
• Website: http://webvixxen.com
• Phone: 3103102737
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/webvixxen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebVixxen/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/webvixxencom

Image Credit:
WebVixxen Design
@wireimage

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