Meet Laura Elkus Gross | Producer/Director and President, L.E.G. Productions, Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Elkus Gross and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Interestingly, I did not really have a thought process behind starting my own business! It seemed to happen organically. I was laid off after 4 1/2 years at LA radio station KRLA, so I started looking for a job, hoping to get into national radio syndication. I applied to Dick Clark Productions, Westwood One, Watermark ABC, and every national radio syndication company out there at the time. While none of them hired me full time, each of them gave me freelance work interviewing music artists and writing radio specials. I did this for six months, and when one of the companies I had applied with called me, while I was calling them back I realized, “Wait a minute, I don’t need a job, I have a job! I’ve created my own business!” Luckily, that company also had called to say while they didn’t have a full time job for me, they did want to start using me as a freelancer. A-ha! A new client. From there, until today, it’s been the work to keep the clients we have happy, and to find new clients when possible. A lot more has changed, but that has remained constant.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Our art here at L.E.G. Productions is to showcase the behind-the-scenes art of professionals in film and music. I’m most proud of the fact that we don’t take a cookie cutter approach to our storytelling, we always discover what is innovative, unique, new to what our clients are creating, and then share that (and their process) with the audience. I love the question, was it easy to get to where you are today? Absolutely not! I can’t imagine that anyone would say that path would be easy. It’s hard work, you constantly have to prove yourself, expectations are high, deadlines are tight, budgets can be challenging. You must honor and encourage your employees while meeting the requirements of your clients. Share the positives and, if you’re the boss, be willing to shoulder the burdens when they arise. Then, there’s the mire of politics, broiling in every field, I’m sure. Sometimes, no matter how great your work is, and how kind and charming you are (or try to be), people just plain don’t like you. Tough pill to swallow, but it’s part of life. Then, there are the clients who not only hire you for years (or, in some cases, decades) and most importantly, become true friends. Overcoming challenges? Allow yourself to shed a few tears (or more) when things go wrong, but dust yourself off and soldier on. Persistence is the greatest way to build a business. And, what I would want the world to know about me or my brand or my story? Kindness and compassion may not be touted as the best business assets, but I believe they are the best life qualities, and business is part of life. I’m hopeful that I am a kind and compassionate person always.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
That is easy, because my best friend and I just took what I believe is the ideal week outing. We went to Laguna Beach, stayed at the Surf and Sand Hotel (right on the water, gorgeous!), and had fabulous meals. Whale watching with Captain Dave’s in Dana Point was thrilling, as it always is. Massages and treatments at the spa at the Surf and Sand are luxurious and indulgent! Shopping for clothes at our favorite store, Fresh Produce on Forest Avenue is always such fun. We had the best baked potato in the history of baked potatoes (do they have a history book?) at Selanne on PCH, everything there was delicious. The Laguna Playhouse is a great place to see a play. Sergio’s has the best gelato imaginable, and isn’t mentioned in any of the Laguna hotspot ratings that I’ve read, so there’s no line, and the service is fantastic. Carmelita’s Mexican restaurant served a burrito that could feed a small army, and was delicious. Rebel Omakase is a very specialized, unique sushi experience. Gu Ramen, Starfish, Sapphire, Splashes, Driftwood Kitchen are all great restaurants. Softswell Ice Cream is a special treat. I would love to spend a week every month at Laguna Beach, doing all of the above. Rinse and repeat!!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think I’d have to shout out two of my favorite people, who were also mentors and ultimately great friends. The first is Art Laboe, famed LA DJ who (along with his then program director, Jack Roth) hired me and gave me unlimited opportunities, encouragement and support. My four and a half years working for him seem, through the mists of time, to have been idyllic. Not to make it too rosy, I worked insane hours, and extremely hard, but it was exhilarating, and Art always, always believed in me, many times when I wasn’t so sure I believed in myself. The other pillar of a human being in my life and career is Neil Aspinall, who ran the Beatles’ Apple Corps for 40 years with brilliance, integrity, passion and fierce loyalty. I have been blessed to have worked with many incredibly talented and intelligent people, but Neil was probably the smartest person I’ve ever known. Every time I left his office, I learned something new, and not just about the Beatles, but about the universe – everything from quarks to psychology to business. Literally, the sky was the limit. Neil was another person who encouraged me, believed in me, but (like Art years before) demanded the absolute best from me. When people demand your best, you tend to live up to that standard.

Website: www.legproductions.com

Image Credits
Art Laboe, Bob Hope, Laura Elkus Gross, Jack Roth Laura Elkus Gross on the air at KRLA Laura Elkus Gross interviewing Stevie Wonder Laura Elkus Gross with Mickey Mouse Laura Elkus Gross with Muhammed Ali Laura Elkus Gross, Wolfman Jack, Smokey Robinson – photo by Nancy Clendaniel Producer Don Hahn and Laura Elkus Gross Laura Elkus Gross and Neil Aspinall