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Meet Crystal Lee

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Lee.

Crystal, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in San Francisco. My father was a small business owner, running an optical lab where he made eyeglasses. As a child, I helped him deliver jobs to the many optometrists he serviced. I saw firsthand the rewards and challenges of being an entrepreneur. I knew I one day would want to start a company of my own.

I attended a performing arts high school, where I studied dance for 3 hours a day, all four years. When I graduated, I had to pick between a path as a performing artist or matriculating at Stanford University for an undergraduate degree. My mother being the traditional and conservative “Tiger Mom” type, would not let me not choose Stanford. It was a tough decision because my heart had always been in entertainment and the arts. But I justified pursuing an academic education by vowing that I would learn about business, technology, and startups – all things that re-center even me on my lifelong vision of becoming a founder. I graduated with an undergraduate degree in biology and a master’s degree in communication.

To pay for college, I used my dance background to enter talent competitions. It brought me to the world of pageantry, like the Miss America competition. I won Miss California 2013 with a ballet routine of me dancing like a swan, and I become 1st Runner Up to Miss America. This was my first foray into on-camera work, and I fell in love with the job of being a spokesperson. Developing strong public speaking skills and a deep understanding of marketing partnerships were some of the best takeaways of my time as Miss California.

After “aging out” of pageants, I went back to work in tech. I worked for Dropbox and Google with the main purpose of learning everything I could for when I started my own company.

In 2015, my time had come, and I partnered up with two co-founders to start LifeSite, an online safe deposit box. We raised 5 million dollars in series of funding and went to work helping financial advisors safely manage their clients’ information in the cloud. It was a transformative experience and one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had.

In 2017, after two years of working at my startup, I took a step back to host a TV show called This is SF, airing on CBS and the CW. I had missed performing, being on camera, and working in a setting where every person involved had to be a team player. I relished being able to connect with small business owners and help them tell their story. In each of these conversations, I see my father. I see how hard they work to get their purpose and their mission out there for the world to see. The work I do now is in the service of helping people like my father realize their dreams.

As the host and producer for shows like the This IS series and The Recruit, I feel blessed to help tell the stories worth telling. I particularly love content creation in lifestyle, technology, and travel verticals.

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 has not always been a smooth road.

Stepping away from my business, LifeSite (www.lifesite.co) was a difficult decision because it felt like I was abandoning a child. I had poured so much into seeing the company grow that any time away from it felt like guilt.

But I had to keep focused on the bigger picture of what I wanted in life. Having the opportunity to host a TV show was a dream come true, and when I got the call, the butterflies in my stomach confirmed that I was excited and motivated to see it through.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with your work – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I’m a TV host. I commentate, create content, conduct interviews, and collaborate with entrepreneurs to tell the human side of a business’s story.

The shows I host and produce, This is SF, and This is LA, specialize in reality-based programming for any consumer vertical (think restaurants, wineries, beauty/wellness services, interior designers, gyms, consumer packaged goods, apparel companies, travel destinations, etc.) They’re the Bay Area, and LA installments of the larger This Is series which profiles trending businesses and experiences also in cities like Denver, Dallas, Miami, and San Diego. Our show is distributed on CBS and local affiliates.

The “This Is” series is a very unique show because the business is a partner in the content. In traditional network shows, all footage is the property of the production, and the business has zero say in how their story is told. Our model flips it around to empower the business owner to be in the co-pilot seat. Then the business is able to continue using the footage and edit for their own content marketing and social media campaigns. We believe just as much in helping businesses grow as we do in producing a high-quality TV show.

The Recruit is another show I host that helps corporate employers show off what makes their company an amazing place to work. It’s a bit like MTV’s Cribs meets Undercover Bosses. I join the company for one day as the newest recruit and see what it’s like to work there. The show provides an inside look at the company’s corporate culture, how its unique business units function and gives viewers a feel for the people who make it all happen. There is no show anywhere else like it!

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
When I’m not hosting, I am uploading YouTube videos teaching women tips and tricks on how to succeed in beauty pageants. I cover a wide variety of topics ranging from how to walk in heels to whether or not to hide tattoos. My channel also features beauty product reviews and tutorials, all of which I enjoy making and sharing with my primarily female audience.

I’m also writing a book to teach readers everything I learned competing in beauty pageants so that they don’t have to enter the contest themselves. There are many life lessons to be gleaned from the process of going through beauty pageants, most of which are highly applicable to other areas such as interviewing for a job, personal branding, and fitness and image.

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Image Credit:
LWong.net

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, please let us know here.

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