Meet Lanie Labens of I Don’t Do Subtle Management in Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lanie Labens.

Lanie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I should start by explaining what I do. I call myself a public appearance manager, meaning I manage public appearances—particularly comic cons. When you see actors attending conventions, it’s someone like me put that deal together. I got into this with the idea of creating a magical experience for fans and for actors. I was badly bullied as a child and I often think about how beneficial it would’ve been for me to get to meet some of my TV/movie heroes. I think the old adage “don’t meet your heroes” isn’t how we should look at it, rather it should be “meet your heroes in the right environment.” Even in a carefully curated environment, not everyone is going to be amazing, but I strive to work with people who are.

I got my start in dolls. I worked at a doll shop, toured the country speaking about dolls, had a YouTube channel about them, and by the age of sixteen was published a few times in Haute Doll Magazine—the premier doll magazine at the time.

I met my business partner when I started working with him at conventions for a toy company. I dressed like a princess and took pictures with people who bought product.

My business partner and I started IDDS (I Don’t Do Subtle Management) roughly eight years ago with the idea of bringing fresh talent to comic cons. The industry has changed quite a bit since we came onto the scene, but back when we started, there wasn’t as much variety as there is now. I had a strong belief that has proven to be pretty much accurate, that women were the audience that cons should be targeting. It had been a boys club for so long, women were kind of left out of the conversation even though they attended conventions too.

In January of this year, I bought out my business partner, Daniel, which has been a huge step for me. Luckily Daniel was kind enough to help out with some logistical aspects so I can continue to grow the company. This business isn’t for the faint of heart, I often refer to it as the Wild West because it is highly unregulated and everyone has their own way of doing business.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth. With starting your own business of any kind, there are going to be setbacks you anticipate and setbacks even the Fates couldn’t see coming. The highs are really high but the lows are really low. I feel like I can’t go into detail now because I’m still VERY much in the thick of it, but believe me, I’m compiling stories to tell for when I retire. My memoir is going to be insane.

Please tell us about I Don’t Do Subtle Management.
I’m extremely proud of what I’ve built with IDDS because it came from nothing. I had zero connections in the industry. My business partner and I faked it completely. I would cold call agencies acting like I had this huge enterprise behind me and wanted to give their clients a chance to be part of it! I think we’re unique because we put a huge emphasis on the fan experience. The fans are why we have the jobs we have and I’ve met some incredibly loyal people. I know it can be hard for actors to realize the scope of what their career means to people, but doing conventions gives them better insight into that. I think it can be a really positive experience for all parties involved because it comes from a place of love and passion. I’ve seen actors very humbled by their interactions with their fans and I’ve seen fans who have made memories to last a lifetime. I know I won’t always do this job, it is hard, stressful, and honestly not very lucrative at times, but I cherish the experiences that I’ve had over the last few years.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
This is a tough question because I believe that all my choices both good and bad have led me to this point, and while nothing is perfect, I think everything has gone how it had to. No one likes the lows but failing is an invaluable tool for success. Failing is costly and painful, but you learn so much about yourself and what you’re capable of enduring.

Contact Info:

• Website: iddsmgmt.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: lanielabens
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IddsMgmt/
• Twitter: lanielabens

Image Credit:
Breezy Ritter Photography

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