Meet Lana Montalban | Entrepreneur. Journalist. Writer. Talent agent.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lana Montalban and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lana, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
It’s not the advice what really matters but the way it’s implemented.

I practice many professions and I wear many hats, which is what makes my life varied and fun.

I’m a journalist. I started my career in broadcast journalism in the U.S., leading the National News “Telemundo HBC” in 1987, then the local television station of WNJU, Channel 47, of New York until 1992, when I returned to my native Buenos Aires to lead the renowned and multi-award-winning investigative journalism program “Edición Plus”.
Also, in Argentina I anchored several television programs.

Due to the instability of the situation there, we decided to return to the U.S. and I worked as a producer and in other behind the camera occupations. Thanks to my natural ability to network, I met many people and I was continually asked to provide productions with different types of talent with no benefit to me. One day I decided to open my own talent agency and the rest is history.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

And what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with? That this is just a business. It is not. In a talent agency you deal with people, not with machines. And people have different needs and different days. That must be taken into consideration. You deal with adults, older adults and children. Whole families. It is a business but it can be very personal.

Risk taking: how do you think about risk. What role has taking risks played in your life/career?

I’m a risk taker.
At 18, I left home for the unknown and spent 2 years travelling – hitchhiking to be precise – through Europe, mostly by myself.
At 24, I left home again after an opportunity to do a job in New York for one week, I decided to stay and opened up a world of new opportunities by sheer willpower, and the willingness to devour the world in front of me. I have never been afraid of challenges, and always thought that through your own effort you can accomplish anything, whatever your goal is. It’s really up to you.
In fact, when Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago (my family is from Odessa, Ukraine), I decided to help the innocent children, victims of this horrendous situation, and thought that the best way to do it, according to my limited economical possibilities, was to write a children’s book and donate all net proceeds to different organizations.
I’m proud to say that the bilingual book, “Lullaby: Canción de Cuna”, is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. and I’ve been getting a great response.

What habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Perseverance. I always joke with my family and say that I don’t take “no” for an answer. Ever.
When I started with the book “Lullaby: Canción de Cuna”, for example, I wanted to get the sponsorship of the Ukrainian Embassy. That, I thought, would make it more official. It took a long time, letters and calls, but I never gave up, and now I have it.
With my talent agency, it’s the same thing. There were times, for example during Covid, when the easy way would have been to just close the agency. Things were not happening; productions were stopped, and people were desperate. Yet, I’m like a Pitbull: once I hold on to something, I don’t let go. It’s a sacrifice sometimes. Many times, actually. But, in the end, it’s worth it. Put the time and the effort. That’s it, simple but effective.

What is the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
Contrary to what I just said, only make that effort when you are quite sure that the result will be worth it.
There is a tendency, in the present market, to take people’s time or efforts for granted.
If someone is doing a 30 second commercial, you can bet that they are spending a lot of money. There are so many people involved. From the Ad agency, to the final product, you are talking about hundreds of people. Creatives, production, casting directors, directors, crew, etc. And, if they are going to use talent, that is kind of the last decision. Therefore, it seems that out of the hundreds of thousands of dollars (or millions, sometimes) involved in the project, the money starts dropping in the first stages of the process and they expect the “face of the product” to be paid less than anybody else.
The lesson that I learned is that I will only put the effort if it’s worth it.

Lately, I sent more than one message to casting directors saying things such as: “you know I love you, but I’m not going to work for this rate”.
I don’t like to help with what I consider to be the exploitation of my talent.

Work life balance: how has your balance changed over time? How do you think about the balance?
As we age, our priorities change.
Now I work a lot, but I don’t let it overtake the rest of my life. Since I also became a children’s writer, I take a lot of courses, seminars and webinars, walks on the beach, and time off with my family.

I don’t want to have any regrets. I would not like to reach a point when I’m close to the end of my life, and think back to see that I wasted valuable time doing things that were not important. And important could be to read a book in my balcony until the sunset forces me to go inside. Important is what you decide it is. Thank goodness I’m not in the rat race anymore. I decide how I spend my time and I have no time for nonsense.

How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Even though I’m only talking about 20 years, it was another era. Before social media, before many of the communication tools we have in 2023.
When I started with my agency I would carry an actual folder with photos of my talent, and visit the offices of the production companies or ad agencies. Imagine that! It sounds like I’m talking about ancient times! There was a need to connect people with the agencies that needed talent. Now, there are so many ways to find that connection that I honestly believe my business is becoming a bit obsolete, the way a travel agency is.

I had those connections and one day I decided to make it a business.

Why did you pursue an artistic or creative career?
I have always been a very creative person.
My family calls me MacGyver, like the TV character. I always find a creative solution to any problem, and I also come from an extremely creative lineage, full of artists and writers, so I guess I had no option. It’s in my genes.
For example: I’ve been writing since I was a child. Then, I was able to canalize it via my journalistic career, and now, I’m a full-fledged published author, with not only “Lullaby: Canción de Cuna”, my charity project, but another children’s book that got an international award, soon to be published, and anthology that was presented at the Sevilla Book Fair in Spain in May 2023, and other works that will soon be out.

What are you inspired by?
Honestly, everything.
I speak English, Portuguese, Italian and some French and I love to read, art, music.
I had the honor of receiving numerous awards for my career.
Currently, I live in Miami, Florida where everything inspires me. Learning new things. People I meet. Animals. I love them all and volunteer to help them.
Everything is an inspiration if your eyes and your mind are open to let the inspiration come in.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Miami has so much to offer! But I would say you cannot miss the beaches like South Beach or Bill Baggs Park in Key Biscayne, the Brickell City area, the Design District as well as Midtown, and the many museums. Then Vizcaya for a sunset drink, Coconut Grove for dinner at the Planta restaurant and that’s about it. Nightlife is a thing of the past for me, LOL.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My daughter Nicole who has just launched her own company, Springrose.co, that makes intimates for women with upper body mobility issues and my fiancé Santiago J. Padilla, whom, as a lawyer, has helped many people in their worst moments.

Website: Lanamontalbanauthor.com

Instagram: @LanaMontalban

Twitter: @LanaMontalban

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LanaMontalban/videos

Image Credits
Cover photo By Anita Andrade. Headshot by courtesy of Hola TV