Madison, Wisconsin has never been a place known for producing relevant individuals in the entertainment & media spaces. Well known for its beer and cheese, the state sits right in the middle of what many know as “the flyover zone”. While in many cases that assumption would be true, recently the state has produced a story that has taken the internet by storm, transforming the original perception it has for so long put forward.
Insert Christian Anderson and Bryce Vander Sanden, a duo of early 20-year-olds transforming the entertainment space in a refreshing way. The duo founded a successful Digital Marketing & Public Relations firm called Lost Boy Entertainment LLC which has now expanded beyond its original foundations into a holdings company. Anderson and Vander Sanden began Lost Boy Entertainment almost two years ago from their college dorm room at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Anderson was studying Marketing meanwhile Vander Sanden was focused on his studies in Finance and Accounting.
The “Lost Boy” concept was inspired by Disney’s Peter Pan, Anderson’s favorite childhood hero. Many of the company’s cartoon clothing designs and visual concepts derive from the overall idea. However, the concept has taken life beyond just a character, meaning more to its founders and others who have joined the movement. “Being a Lost Boy means being okay with being different. Being okay with not being considered normal,” explained Anderson. “That’s the very thing we wanted to drive home when we first began brainstorming concepts for our overall brand. You know I say this every time someone interviews me but when I first began making music many years ago people thought I was a joke. My peers didn’t take it seriously at all. It was weird to a lot of people. To me it wasn’t, it felt right, it felt like what I was supposed to be doing. I wanted my brand to capture that disconnect between the creative and the doubter. That’s what the Lost Boy brand as a whole was built to represent.”
While at college, both founders juggled their studies with a hefty workload, sometimes finding their hustle overwhelming. “You know it got stressful at times,” explained Anderson. “Especially in the beginning before I asked Bryce to help me it was just me. It was hard to study for exams all the time while juggling my clients. I’m thankful Bryce stepped up when I asked.” Anderson called on Vander Sanden for back up and the duo worked together to build the original foundations of their now multi-million dollar empire. “Bryce has been there from the beginning. He was there when we made our LLC together. I told him I had a meeting with our school’s small business center about getting the company’s paperwork right. He told me he wanted to come with and has been by my side ever since. That’s really how it happened.” Anderson decided not to finish his studies at La Crosse, dropping out midway through his first semester as a senior to drive business forward. Vander Sanden, on the other hand, recently finished up his studies graduating with bachelor’s degrees in Finance & Accounting.
The company’s original seeds were planted through Anderson’s career as a hip hop artist. Making music under the stage name “Trust’N”, Anderson has put together an impressive career as an independent artist. The creative has released multiple charting projects including his TikTok viral single “Lucy” but hasn’t dropped anything in over a year. He’s been busy expanding his company and making moves in his new home city of Los Angeles. Anderson did mention that he plans to return to the music space soon, having a vault of unreleased music we should expect to hear soon.
What started as Lost Boy Entertainment LLC has now expanded into Lost Boy Holdings LLC. The holdings company has stepped beyond the Entertainment & Media space into the fields of E-Commerce, Real Estate, Fashion, Music, and most recently announced Film. The company manages Lost Boy Logistics LLC (private E-Com & Real Estate investing) and Lost Boy Clothing LLC (Fashion Design & Merchandise) among others. The Lost Boy umbrella boasts an impressive list of clients including the likes of corporate powerhouses like Google, Target, Procter & Gamble, DoorDash, and The San Francisco Giants among others while catering to the needs of some of today’s biggest influencers also listing names like Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, Mayweather, Trippie Redd, Harry Jowsey, and Tayler Holder. The company’s mission is to be pioneers in any field the company touches, and to inspire those around them to pursue what might seem to be the unlikely or impossible.
Anderson and Vander Sanden have big plans for 2022 after boasting more than 1 million dollars in revenue for 2021. The founders continue to look to expand the company further and step into even more spaces. “You know we want to keep expanding,” explained Anderson. “E-Com is really starting to take off and that’s exciting because we see that as a base for a lot of what we plan to do. We have so much planned for the future and that’s what keeps pushing us forward and inspires us every day.”
The future of the company couldn’t look much brighter with its successful past year and exciting new ventures on the way.
You can find out more about Lost Boy Holdings LLC here: www.lostboyholdings.com
