Manager/Publicist at Vernalane Entertainment President, CEO and Executive Producer of Hollywood Mogul Founding Partner and General Manager at TheFishGuys.com™ Founding Editor of CelebrityShoppe.com and StieiL.com   C H A T T E R B O X (what people are saying)   “I have had the pleasure of working with Verna and found her to be an extremely intelligent, detail-oriented person, who cares about her clients and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to marketing. Her sharp eye and creative skills make her an asset to anyone’s team. I hope to always have her in my corner.” Melissa Biggs Actress, Model Designer, Keynote Speaker 2009 Jun 3   “Verna is everything you’d expect a manager to be, and more. When she strikes a deal, there’s no fine print.” Dave Jarritone Actor, Comedian 2009 Jul 31   ‹Add your own comment about Verna›   Verna’s French Canadian ancestry traces back to 1578 Canadian Settlers from Montpellier, France. She is directly related to Madonna as 7th cousins, Hillary Clinton as 9th cousins and Celine Dion as 10th cousins. Through this same lineage (bloodline) she is also related to Angelina Jolie, Alanis Morrisette and the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla, wife of England’s Prince Charles). This might explain why Verna is such a trailblazer... she comes from a hardy stock of pioneering women who thrive on innovation and breaking the rules!!   C H A T T E R B O X (what people are saying)   "Verna is my rock, my hero since losing my father to cancer. Her professionalism exudes in every aspect of her. I recommend to any model to find someone you can trust and stick with her. For me, God blessed me with Verna, who is not only a High-Profile Entrepreneur, but a very caring soul. I just adore her, and she is really my rock, the key to my success is Verna Lane." Christy Bella Joiner Model, Actress, Spokesmodel 2009 Oct 8   “L.A. is a tight town, and Verna is squeezing her way in.” Director 2009 Jul   “...Verna Lane is a phenomenal business lady who is reliable, professional, and detail-oriented. She also has a high level of integrity and she is my Official Manager, Promoter, Publicist, and she has become my best friend. She is the Female "Jerry Maguire". She has brilliant ideas, unbelievable talent, and she makes time for her clients, which is essential for success in this industry!” Christy Bella Joiner Model, Actress, Spokesmodel 2009 Nov 4   ‹Add your own comment about Verna›     AREAS of SPECIALTY: VERNALANE MANAGEMENT Management for artists, models and entertainment professionals   BROKEN ROCKSTAR Personal crisis intervention for entertainers & athletes Specialize in addictive and reckless behavior   KING’S SECRET Top Secret Insight Exclusively for Moguls        IT   A L L   A D D S   U P Verna is a strong believer in time and money management. She batches her work to save on “prep time” which is why you might hear her say “I only do that on Tuesdays” (or some variation). When it comes to time and money, she is often known to say things like “that’s five dollars too much” or “that’s five minutes too long”. It might seem petty to the casual observer... until they realize what’s happening in Verna’s mind. She is calculating how many minutes it adds up to on a weekly, monthly, or annual scale. Five minutes wasted each day is 35 minutes a week. She thinks about all the things she could do with 35 minutes a week. Then her trained mind automatically calculates 2½ hours a month... or 30 hours a year. That’s almost an entire work-week! Imagine if people waste 5 minutes a day on multiple activities?! It boggles her mind to think of what can be done in those stolen moments. In fact, she beat out her competitors by working while they slept. For nearly a decade, Verna lived on 2-3 hours a night of sleep, so that she could be the best in her industry. That’s not something that she recommends doing, but it paints a picture of her devotion to the concept. Oh, and that $5 a day?! ...it adds up to $1,825 a year! Imagine what you could do with $1,825.. that’s actually the price of a nice little holiday or a big screen tv. It all adds up. If we don’t control our time and our money, then they will control us. That’s why minutes and dollars matter.   M U T A T E  F O R  S U R V I V A L Self-employed people, whether they are entrepreneurs or independant entertainers, must mutate to survive. Verna learned this powerful lesson very early in her career... Her first business plan called for a specific piece of equipment. It was the core asset that she required in order to make money. She worked tirelessly to find someone willing to sign for the $1,700 lease, in order to secure this equipment. For the first two months things went smoothly with her new equipment - until the sky fell in! Verna’s most essential ingredient was stolen - and it was NOT insured. Suddenly she was left without a tool to earn her revenue, but still making payments for the next 2 years on that stolen asset. At that moment, she faced the loss of her dream and there was no job to return to (by this time the economy was in full recession). What did she do? What would YOU do? She changed the game plan. Within days she restructured the entire business plan and broke into an even MORE unconventional strategy. She literally created the business plan around her LACK of assets. And it worked! Actually, she found it improved her ability to serve clients, increased revenue potential and cut down on time wastage. That’s when she learned.. if you want to survive, you’ve got to be willing to mutate... without delay.         I N T R O D U C T I O N Verna is a veteran of the business world. She started her first business at 23, has 19 years of business experience and awarded “Woman of the Year” by the age of 30. Her time is divided between screenwriting, producing and managing talent. She has an extensive background in the studies of psychology, addiction, optimizing performance, interpersonal relationships and career management. Her deep understanding of ‘human nature’ (psyche/spirit/tendencies) is an asset in managing artists ~ whether their needs are business related or sensitive in nature. The role as (novice) producer gives her a front-row experience to understand innately what other producers are seeking from her performers. She considers her role in the entertainment industry to be more pleasure than work. Her passion stems from a love of creativity, technology, multimedia and managing people. Verna loves to laugh and can often be heard saying:  “comedy is important for the soul”. Her productions are largely comedic in nature and she is always on the look-out for new talent who need to perform... natural-born entertainers who do it for the love of the art. Her motto: “Life is nothing if you don’t love what you’re doing”     C H A L L E N G I N G    E A R L Y   Y E A R S Verna was a rebel from day one! She left home at 16 and built her first company at 23. She was a single mom with limited resources and a 2-year-old who shadowed every move she made! Back in 1990 it was the pre-internet-era. It would be another 5 years before email would be taken seriously... and 9 years before “Google” officially came into existence! The concept of “dot-com millionaires” was a long way off and anyone under 30 was considered to be too junior to be taken seriously. The business world was largely ruled by middle-aged men... not young men... not women... and certainly not YOUNG women! Verna was playing cards with a losing hand - or so it seemed - as she was up against blatant discrimination for her age, her gender and even her status as a single mother (which was still the kind of thing that caused people to “whisper”). Right from the start of her first business, she faced unexpected challenges that set her back. What seemed like a great business idea to her was perceived as unconventional and very controversial to others... Not just for lenders, but for society in general. Before she could sell to customers, she would first have to change the way they think... it was a tall order! Under those conditions, start-up money was hard to come by. The application for loans, “easy-to-get” government grants, and even simple bank services were all declined. Lenders offered only discreet apologies that they couldn’t back her idea because of the potential for controversy. Nonetheless, a pioneering spirit drove her forward. She believed there was a real need for her service. Besides, there was a recession looming that had shrunk her earning potential in the workforce. As the sole provider for her daughter, Verna was feeling the pinch. She had to be bold in order to survive and decided it was “business or bust”. Had she known what was in store, she might have run the other way! The first ten days of business presented shocking obstacles: the start of the Gulf War (Nov ‘90), which filled people with fear and a hoarding mentality. This in turn caused the immediate onset of a recession ... plus there was the government’s new 7% tax on all goods and services.. it began at the same time as the war and this put consumers in a foul mood.. buyers refused to buy unless merchants found creative ways to hide the maligned new tax (oops, that twist wasn’t in the business plan!) It could not have been a tougher market to enter into. But there she was with a furnished office (financed by 3 months worth of tips from her job at Don Cherry’s Grapevine). At this point however, Verna had already left her job and had only $70 left to her name. She took a gamble and used the last of her money to place a tiny classified ad in a major newspaper.   H U S T L E  F O R  S U R V I V A L The immediate agenda was to ‘hustle for survival” and 90-hour-work-weeks would be constant for the next decade. All the while she maintained a “daycare for one” at her office (turning storage rooms into playrooms and the curious daughter gleefully chatting up clients in the lounge!)... Verna kept a duplicate office at home in order to continue working through the night, while the little one slept. The process eventually took its toll on the young mother, but within 7 years she had turned the tables around and was honorably recognized with a “Woman of the Year” award. Sometimes ‘unconvential’ pays off in unexpected ways!   H O W  I T  T U R N E D  O U T That first business lasted eight years and grew to 3 locations before it sold to a competitor in 1998. Verna’s next business venture was an aquarium company she inspired in 1994 (co-founded by Dave Jarritone). When it ran out of steam in 1998, she gave it an overhaul and took the helm as General Manager. It is still thriving and growing under her active management as it enters its 16th year. The company, known as TheFishGuys.com, has unwittingly become the source of material for a live comedy show The Fish Follies and a future sitcom (Verna being the co-creator and producer of these). Her “little girl” Chanèle  ...that 2-year-old business apprentice is now 21 and completing her 4th year of a commerce degree at DeGroote School of Business (McMaster University). In spite of Verna’s many requests to join the company when school is done, this little apprentice has plans of her own... she wants to be an interior decorator with her OWN business! That kind of independance is not really a surprise... afterall, she’s a chip off the old block ;-)   1993-Chanèle (aka “Coco”) Age5 at mom’s computer doing her “art”. She would sit on mom’s lap playing “Dos” games and designing digital art while mom did business on the phone.   This little apprentice turned out to be a pretty smark cookie... in grade 10, Chanèle was the sole recipient of her school’s “entrepreneurship award” (over 1,750 other students). The award money of $250 was used to make first payment on her own car... even though she wasn’t even old enough to get a learner’s permit yet! “Coco” Chanèle with mom Verna ‹back to top of page›