the founders |
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lucia owens inspired. educated. driven. president & co-founder
lucia owens can be best described in a few words: a woman on a mission. she is a self-sufficient, determined mother and professional whose accomplishments are only rivaled by her future goals. at the youthful age of 19, following the poignant death of her mother to breast cancer, lucia moved into her first apartment in Hawthorne, CA and built a life there for the next 20 years. she began her work life at a local McDonald’s and worked her way up to Human Resources Manager at Center for Learning Unlimited, a special education school in Palos Verdes, California serving primarily autistic children. aside from sheer hard work, her rise in the workforce began with the acquisition of a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from University of Phoenix, and culminated with her 2007 graduation from Chapman University where she acquired her Master’s Degree in Human Resources. as if this weren’t the epitome of a challenging life for a single, working, student young-woman, lucia also raised 2 children in her quaint 2-bedroom apartment, one of whom has become a grown young woman and gone on to Arizona State University and one who will graduate high school in 2008 and begin his own adult life with a promising future ahead.
and she did all of this alone.
lucia also spent some of her past time co-producing entertainment events with a close friend, such as music showcases, record release parties and in-store promotions, and also assisted with the planning and servicing of private events. along with her current business partner christopher michael, it is claimed by close friends and associates that the two take private entertaining and event planning “to a whole ‘notha level” on a regular basis. a true lover of music, lucia has a broad instrumental palette and loves to belt out a tune or two at the local Karaoke show.
among her most sought-after goals, lucia aspires to having her involvement in business and human resources change the way company employees are acknowledged and rewarded; better educate employees on worker’s rights and protect them from corporate abuse; and fully remove all politics from the workplace – she believes that nothing is more counter-productive to growth and advancement at every position and progress level than politically-motivated decision making.
lucia was born in Brooklyn, NY on August 28, 1968 and has two children, laqueta (“kiki”), 20, and blair, 18.
christopher michael a street smart visionary with uncommon common sense. CV & co-founder
christopher michael has spent much of his life around entertainment, the seed of a family of entertainment types. his mother was lead singer of the popular 60’s independent band The Upsetters; his uncle is an original member of the classic rock band The Outlaws; and his father managed local bands on and off from the 60’s thru the 80’s, to name a few. throughout his youth and young adult life, christopher himself performed in numerous talent shows, dramatic and musical theater productions, and worked behind the scenes in various capacities. after graduating, subsequently growing bored with college, and feeling himself in limbo, he left his hometown of Tampa, Florida on a Greyhound bus with $350, a laptop computer, a bicycle, 3 bags of clothes and a dream, headed for California. (incidentally, his father hitchhiked to California in his young adult life with .35¢ and a pack of Oreo cookies.) with no family, no friends, no home, no car and no job, christopher got off the bus in downtown Los Angeles at sunrise February 19, 1998 and immediately began to plant his roots, not really knowing what this new life would bring.
for the first 5 years, christopher stayed in cheap motels, hotels and transient housing -- spending at least one night on the street, homeless -- while working as an extra, interning on television shows, and ultimately building the knowledge necessary to produce independent film and television projects. a testament to his persistence and determination, christopher once rode his bicycle, when no public transportation was available, 41 miles into the mountains of Canyon Country for an extra player gig -- if he didn't work, he didn't eat. the journey took 6 ½ hours to complete – he made $46 in pay that day.
during the last 5 years, christopher has worked as a line producer/producer on various independent film and commercial projects, and has nearly mastered a fall-back career in digital media quality assurance as an Advanced QA Technician. in 2006, christopher met lucia owens at a party in Venice and the two immediately clicked intellectually, sharing similar visions of private and professional life. soon after, as a result of pro-bono promotional work that christopher had been performing for the management of US national recording artist Venice Maki, christopher asked lucia to join him in a business venture that would set out to give emerging artists increased chances of moving beyond MySpace profiles and pay-to-play clubs, to the forefront of their craft. the foundation of the venture – others’ needs before your own – keeps christopher’s own aspirations and efforts grounded and his commitment to success true.
christopher was born in Tampa, Florida on October 22, 1971 and has two children, ariana nichole, 13, and michael christopher, 12.