The new digital age of music and oversaturation of the art form has made marketing the product itself (the songs) of top importance. Having a good voice and making solid music is no longer the only key to success, as it once seemed to be. Fans are buying into the artists’ brand as much as they are buying into their music. Record labels and artists alike depend on new, fresh ideas and unique marketing campaigns to get their records heard by the masses, usually carried out by independent agencies. Even music industry giants are teaming up with trusted boutique agencies to carry out their marketing agendas.
For example, recently music industry giant Sony Music Group has partnered with Lost Boy Entertainment LLC, a dorm room startup now turned into an industry-leading multimillion-dollar public relations and digital marketing firm. Sony’s Awal distribution arm has called on Lost Boy Entertainment co-founders Christian Anderson and Bryce Vander Sanden to help guide their marketing efforts, especially in their new urban music department. Lost Boy Entertainment’s young minds have extensive experience working in the music industry and beyond, boasting a loaded clientele list of Fortune 500 companies and major entertainment industry stars alike. The company’s proven track record of success has taken place over the last five years since its initial inception in 2019. Its founders Anderson and Vander Sanden have led the charge, carrying out some of the most influential marketing tactics and campaigns in the last few years. The duo can be credited as trendsetters.
Anderson and Vander Sanden began cementing the initial bricks of their now multimillion dollar empire while studying about 280 miles northwest of Chicago at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. Both natives of Madison, Wisconsin, the duo formed their LLC with the help of the University’s small-business center. “I still remember the day we began our company officially,” Anderson recalled. “I told Bryce, ‘Hey, I’m going to go and get the LLC done,’ and he showed up to that first meeting and believed in it. It’s special to think back to that time from where we are now.”
The entrepreneurial duo’s experience in the entertainment industry began in the music industry from an artist’s perspective. Anderson began his journey as a musician, performing using the stage name “Trust’N.” His music won the hearts of listeners both locally and internationally with multiple Top 10 charting releases and millions of listeners around the world. Anderson quickly gained a large social media following, especially on Instagram, attracting the attention of others with his mysterious persona and luxurious lifestyle.
“I think people wondered how someone could be having success from where I came from and wondered how I was getting so much money so quickly. I think that intrigued a lot of people,” explained Anderson.
Under the username @trustn, Anderson took his personal branding a step further by labeling himself as “The Lost Boy” across the internet, utilizing different variations of a self-created Peter Pan-esque cartoon character as a profile picture on his clothing brand and even jewelry. “I always loved watching ‘Peter Pan’ growing up,” explained Anderson. The entrepreneur’s personal brand has been synonymous with the Disney character from the beginning. “In high school, I threw a Lost Boy design from one of my songs on a hat and sold hundreds of hats right out of my backpack,” recalled Anderson.
Beyond just a character, Anderson’s Lost Boy brand has resonated with many, standing as a movement fueled by a desire to do things differently. “Being a Lost Boy means being unafraid to be different. A lot of people made fun of me and didn’t believe in me when I started on this journey. It’s hard when it sometimes feels like you are the only person who believes in you,” explained Anderson.
The company’s biggest opportunity lies with the announcement of its partnership with Sony Music Group’s Awal distribution arm. The agency took to social media to make the announcement official. “This is a great achievement for us. Just more testament to the work we’ve been doing. We are grateful for this opportunity,” stated Anderson via the Instagram post announcement on the company’s page.
The Lost Boys’ task is to help build Sony Awal’s urban music department from the ground up by utilizing their unique and unconventional but effective marketing tactics. The company’s brain power will be tested as the music industry becomes all the more saturated with time. But for now, the Lost Boys seem up for the challenge.
The news and editorial staffs of the Chicago Tribune had no role in this post’s preparation.
