Sunny Los Angeles, California, has naturally always been a hub and center of focus in the global entertainment industry. Many move into the city taking a chance on their dream to make it big in Hollywood. Few dreamers actually find success among the cut throat people who run the game in Hollywood, however, some do.
Insert Madison, Wisconsin natives Christian Anderson, better known by his online alias and stage name Trust’N, and his business partner Bryce Vander Sanden. The duo is a perfect example of young entrepreneurs who have put it all on the line and found success over a short amount of time. As co-owners of Lost Boy Holdings LLC, the two businessmen have helped thousands of clients find their own success, building concrete structures for multiple thriving businesses in many different industries.
The roots of the Lost Boy empire began in Madison, Wisconsin where Anderson (Trust’N) started his journey as a songwriter, releasing music that dates all the way back to 2016. At the time, the creative was a high school student with a dream, recording his own tracks in the basement of his parent’s house. “I would just go downstairs for hours and make music. I spent a lot of time recording in the basement,” recalls Anderson. The artist’s set up included a used mic, his laptop computer, and a couple socks to cover up the mic as filters. The creative’s first business venture was selling hats out of his backpack during high school. “I just slapped one of my cover arts on to a hat with writing on the front that said “lost boy.” I was ordering so many new hats, I was just selling them right out of the back of my backpack. Then other people in the area started buying them too. That’s how the brand started,” explained Anderson. Anderson sold over 500 hats his senior year of high school which set in the floor plans and initial funding for everything going on today.
After years of putting in the ground work, Anderson’s music career took off with his 2019 EP release “Lapse.” The project charted at #12 on iTunes’s hip hop charts and started going viral locally. The 6 song extended play was a collaboration with fellow Madison native musician Marc Sharp, better known as BKWDS. At the time Sharp was only 15, having production credits on multiple tracks from the project. The project was praised across mainstream media outlets, making appearances on Lyrical Lemonade, ABC, NBC, FOX, and more. “It seemed like for the first time ever people actually cared. Everyone was reposting it, everyone was buying it. It was a special moment,” said Anderson. Trust’N (Anderson) released more viral music in 2020 when his song titled “Lucy” took off on TikTok. With millions of views behind the record, the song charted in the top 10 on the iTunes charts marking the creative’s second charting release.
While Anderson hasn’t released anything since, he has made it clear that he is currently working on new music. In fact, he has some songs in the vault that might drop sooner rather than later. “BKWDS and I, we have something that we’ve been working on for years. Ever since “Lapse”, we’ve been working on new music together. It’s almost all done, just need to finish up a couple more things. I want to drop it this summer but I don’t feel rushed,” said Anderson. While music is his true passion, Anderson has been busy tending to his developing ventures.
Balancing studies with work during college, both of the co-founders have always had an entrepreneurial mindset. After learning about the entertainment industry through mentors, Anderson founded Lost Boy Entertainment LLC next to his college roommate Bryce Vander Sanden. The duo built the early foundations of their now multi-million dollar holdings company between the dirty cement walls of their dorm room in La Crosse, Wisconsin. “At first it was just me handling all the work. I couldn’t believe I was making money doing what I was doing back then,” explained Anderson. “After a while everyone started wanting my services so I asked Bryce to help. He seemed like the only one who was interested in anything I was doing at all. Plus he just supported me. He came with me to our first meeting with our school’s small business center and the rest is history honestly,” recalled Anderson. What was then a startup formed by two college students has evolved into something much greater today.
Anderson began to get noticed for his achievements on his college campus. In 2020, during his junior year of college, the entrepreneur became one of the youngest members ever to be inducted in the Forbes Communications Council, a prestigious, invitation only gig. The position allowed Anderson to contribute as a writer to Forbes magazine, making his mark in history and setting up success for his future. The news made its way into local TV stations which started following the young business owner’s career, and covered him multiple times. The story only began to unfold faster from there.
After a busy summer running and expanding their business, both owners thought it was best to attend their last year of college. During the first semester of his senior year in college, Anderson was taking 6 credits while balancing his role as a business owner. Vander Sanden was taking a full load of 15 credits. “That summer before I dropped out, Bryce and I worked all the time. We were putting in full days in my parents basement which we used as our office at the time. I knew it was going to be hard to go back to school when I was already so busy,” recalled Anderson.
Not more than 2 months into the fall semester business started to pick up even more. Finding it hard to focus on his studies while running a fast growing business, Anderson decided it was best to put a pause on his education and pursue his career as an entrepreneur. “I called my mom and told her I was dropping out. My parents supported me,” said Anderson. The young entrepreneur then decided to move to Los Angeles, California later that spring, taking his chances to play in the big leagues. His partner Vander Sanden decided to finish his studies while prioritizing the business, recently graduating with degrees in both finance and accounting this past December. As Vice Chairman of the company, Vander Sanden recently joined Anderson out in LA.
The young entrepreneurs’ decision to make their business ventures a priority was not made in vain. In the beginning, both Anderson and Vander Sanden agree that the most challenging thing was overcoming their peers’ negative thoughts about them. “To be honest it was hard in the beginning,” recalled Anderson. “I had a vision only God and I could see. I didn’t realize that at the time you can’t expect everyone to understand what you are doing or support you.” Anderson went on to say: “coming from where I am from, no one has any idea about anything that’s actually going on in entertainment. There is no type of industry like there is here in LA. Getting out of that place and getting away from the negative energy and the people there was life changing. It changed everything.” While everyone told them why they would never make it, Anderson and Vander Sanden knew in their hearts they were meant for something much greater. The now 23-year-olds are at the head of a very powerful company that has been making headway in every industry it has touched so far, pushing its boundaries along the way.
What started out as a college dorm room startup has now evolved into a multi-million dollar venture. Lost Boy Entertainment LLC has been touted as an “industry leading” public relations and digital marketing firm, retaining some of the biggest names in the entertainment space today. The company works with corporations like Target Inc, Google, and DoorDash while also putting in behind the scenes effort for today’s biggest influencers and artists like Bryce Hall, Trippie Redd, The Migos, Tory Lanez, Snoop Dogg, and more. “The biggest talents in the world trust us,” Anderson emphasized. “We can’t talk about most of the stuff we do but just know if it’s a big record we are probably working on it.”
The entertainment company heads a string of different businesses under the lost boy brand. All of Anderson and Vander Sanden’s business ventures are managed by Lost Boy Holdings LLC, the Lost Boy’s management company that acts as an overarching umbrella to all their pursuits. While public relations and digital marketing is the bread and butter of the Lost Boy brand, the company has active ventures in the fields of Entertainment & Media, Fashion, E-commerce, and Real Estate. Some of the companies that fall under the umbrella beside Lost Boy Entertainment include a record label called Lost Boy Records, a clothing company called Lost Boy Clothing, and an e-commerce and real estate investing based company called Lost Boy Logistics among other startups. “We’re doing a lot of different things business wise,” explained Vice Chairman Vander Sanden. “But we aren’t even close to running at full strength or capacity.”
Now based on ground zero in Los Angeles, California, Lost Boy Holdings LLC is coming off of its biggest year to date, reporting over 1 million dollars in revenue last year alone. The firm has already shown promise in quarter 1 of the new year, pushing over 500K of revenue in the first 3 months so far.
The numbers are part in thanks to the duo’s massive social media presence, being seen as a true “social media plugs” and establishing authority through their work with a solid reputation online. Anderson himself has built a massive, and uniquely connected network over the years, leveraging social media as a tool for expanding his reach and connections.
Lost Boy Holdings LLC could be on pace to pass over $2 million in revenue for 2022, but the number depends on multiple factors. “If our ecom stores really go crazy this year we can definitely do it ($2M revenue),” said Anderson. “But that’s something we are taking our time with,” he explained.
Anderson’s success has gone far beyond his role as a business owner and musician. As a writer, Anderson has evolved from his beginning days at Forbes, to becoming an active voice for Entrepreneur Media and Rolling Stone Magazine. “I remember I got the email that Rolling Stone accepted me and it was a huge moment for me. Not everyone digs the hustle so it meant a lot,” explained Anderson. Anderson has conducted interviews with multiple celebrities during his writing career, becoming a key voice for the platforms he contributes to.
It seems as though the Lost Boys are on the right track, dominating the online media space. The firm and both of its owners are ready and poised for another big year of business which could set the tone for a special music release sometime this summer. July would mark 2 years since (Anderson) Trust’N has dropped any new music.
Anderson and Vander Sanden will continue to push boundaries in the respective fields Lost Boy Holdings LLC touches with a mission to provide only the highest quality services to their more than 10,000 happy clients.
You can find out more info about Lost Boy Holdings LLC below: