Meet Ontwanet Moran, Alana Smith and Lauren Venise of OnLaVe Signature Productions

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ontwanet Moran, Alana Smith, and Lauren Venise.

Ontwanet, Alana, and Lauren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Initially, we met while modeling for a runway entertainment group in LA where we performed locally and traveled to cities such as Arizona, Las Vegas and Sacramento. We eventually transitioned to assisting the group with rehearsals, logistics and production needs. Through this experience, we quickly realized that our shared passions and individual strengths would make for a powerful partnership and OnLaVe Signature Productions was formed. Our company name, pronounced /On/ /Lah/ /Vee/, was actually created by Ontwanet’s mom who found a clever way to combine our three names into one. The “On” is from Ontwanet, the “La” from Alana and “Ve” from Lauren’s middle name, Venise.

We were blessed to have gotten our initial clients through direct relationships and word of mouth referrals. Our early work includes producing fashion shows for non-profits, companies, and networks such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc, KJLH Radio, WeTV’s L.A. Hair and David Tutera’s CELEBrations.

Extending our project base, we also coordinated runways for The Kenneth Brown Collection during Orlando International Fashion Week and for Ankara Miami Fashion Week in Florida. Future plans include developing our own signature events to facilitate the convergence of models, stylists, photographers and other industry creatives to learn, collaborate and sustain within the industry.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of our main struggles has been producing fashion shows while working full-time jobs. Despite this challenge, we have managed to find balance and deliver high-quality services because there are three of us to spread the work. During the development of our company, Alana completed a Master’s degree, had a beautiful child and moved out of state twice. Lauren became a proud homeowner while managing  a popular restaurant and Ontwanet created a new financial platform to help women of color in her community. As a result, we continue to have a shared passion through OnLaVe but have had to redefine our roles and responsibilities over time. This shift has actually helped to expand our brand to other markets and grow our business and clientele.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about OnLaVe Signature Productions – what should we know?
OnLaVe Signature Productions is a boutique fashion event production and consulting group based in Los Angeles, CA. We take a strategic and creative approach to each project to ensure our clients’ vision shines through at every step. Our consulting services include industry education, runway choreography, model training and development, event production, hosting and mentoring.

Our clients appreciate the ability to work with three experienced professionals because we are more accessible and responsive to their needs. We also have a systematic approach to production, timelines, and communication to meet project objectives. On the runway, we provide creative direction and choreography to enhance and elevate events in a unique way.

We are most proud of the ability to bring a bit of “Black Girl Magic” and cultural awareness behind the scenes in the ever-changing fashion industry. There is a large narrative to increase diversity and inclusion in fashion and we are excited to create new platforms and enhance creative ideas toward this goal. As producers, we are keenly aware to consider needs such finding artists who can work with a range of skin tones and hair textures and hiring photographers, videographers and other specialists who expand the cultural lens of fashion.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The ability to think outside the box and create displays of artistic expression that combine originality, technology, and teamwork. It’s also important to make genuine connections with people as we are in a relationship-based industry and hope to inspire our network of influence to grow and thrive. This is especially important when training new models to build confidence or helping a designer edit a standout collection. It is also crucial to establish systems to execute projects in strategic and efficient ways that meet specific client objectives.

CREATE. INSPIRE. EXECUTE.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.info@onlave.net
• Phone: (213) 761-8773
• Email: info@onlave.net
• Instagram: @on.la.ve
• Facebook: OnLaVe Signature Productions

Image Credit:
Samgold Photography, Nycole Smith Photography

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