UNSUGARCOATED Media is intended to support artists, writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs attempting to empower, support, and improve the lives of others through life-changing live-events and media. This includes traditional publishing and UNSUGARCOATED Media has thus far released two books in partnership with founder, Aalia Lanius, including the Multiple Award-Winning, Cultural Fiction novel, Jugend.

Furthermore, UNSUGARCOATED Media extends publishing opportunities to others passionate about releasing literary works that seek to create conscious awareness and provide inspiration, education, and UNSUGARCOATED perspectives that make a difference.

“UNSUGARCOATED with Aalia” is a seasonal award-nominated social good, empowerment themed podcast.  It is intended to be thought-provoking, and at times hard-to-swallow discussions between award-winning author, executive producer, and social entrepreneur, Aalia Lanius and her intriguing guests which includes celebrities that create social impact, award-winning artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and representatives from organizations that are doing incredible things for humanity.

Launched in late 2019 from the UBN Studios in Burbank, California, “UNSUGARCOATED with Aalia” was nominated for the 2020 Shorty Social Good Award for Best Use of Podcast.  

Guests have included:

• Larry Namer, Media Mogul and Co-founder of E! Entertainment
• Michael Uslan, Producer & Originator of the Batman Film Franchise
• Sean Swarner, Mount Everest Climber & Subject of documentary “True North: The Sean Swarner Story”
• Jennifer Gimenez, Model, Actress and Sobriety Advocate
• Karina Miller, Film Producer and sibling to actor Keanu Reeves

Speaking on topics ranging from heavy to light-hearted on building an empire, trafficking and survivorship, health challenges and wellness, love and hate in the 21st century, Aalia seeks to bring it UNSUGARCOATED with the goal of allowing empowering conversations that create empathy, humanize people and a better understanding of one another. 

“It gives a platform for a groundswell of inspiration and motivation for change-makers to go forth, create and serve.”

-M. Prunkard, TV/Film Executive Producer and Showrunner (on Unsugarcoated Media’s event EmpowerCon)

UNSUGARCOATED Media offers both employment and internship opportunities that include mentorship for students, content creators, and creatives.  We aim to springboard future thought leaders in the media and entertainment space while learning how to offer audiences a dose of content that will inspire, empower, and create awareness on several issues.

We serve as a place where creatives come to learn how to make socially conscious media from beginning to end.  We allow our teams to learn skills and a well-rounded understanding of business that provides a launchpad.  In 2020, our internship program allowed us to support media students that had been displaced as a result of the global pandemic.  When these students were not able to attend college campuses or seek typical job opportunities in media, they have been able to be part of the UNSUGARCOATED mission and learn not just to create media, but media that at its core is focused around creating a positive social impact. 

We support a message that speaks candidly to the issues but remains focused on not just bringing people together, but building better communities, growing to the next level. The content we create isn’t about politics; it’s about humanity.

With suicide, divorce, financial struggles, addiction, and other social issues rampant, UNSUGARCOATED Media by design does tend to directly focus on survivors of trauma due to a deep desire to remind people of their own resilience.  In our UNSUGARCOATED signature way, our events empower communities with a curated experience that is intended to inspire connection, healing, growth, and education. We make sure that these events are either affordable to even complimentary to the people in the world that need them most.  Our attendees range from business professionals, students, creatives, and survivors of incredible life experiences seeking a sense of community.

We empower our communities to lead healthy and happier lives when they know HOW to do that.  It is our goal to provide every attendee with not only inspiration and connectivity, but the training to survive, overcome or avoid these hardships.  Survivors of trauma may seem broad, but anyone who has suffered some sort of significant trauma from health or negative experiences in their lives is aware of the challenges they’ve faced and understand the need for an event such as this.  We championed this mission prior to 2020, when a global pandemic made this not only apparent but exasperated it. 

EmpowerCon, our flagship event was launched in August 2019, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  An international collaboration between with Canada based, Reach Out Together(a not-for-profit mental health corporation), this event was created with the idea of providing a one-day elevating experience that will lead attendees to ADMIT their shortcomings in their career and personal life, ASK professionals, each other, and themselves what needs to be done to achieve their goals, and the day’s exercises include certified training to ADJUST their outlook towards work and life, in an attempt to create an impact that will last well beyond the day.

The event features some of the most prestigious speakers, from Oscar and Emmy award winners and celebrities to world-record breakers, that come to address multiple unheralded present-day issues. By incorporating a diverse set of entrepreneurial speakers, EmpowerCon has provided meaningful life insight to those in attendance, regardless of their background.

EmpowerCon also carefully selects a nominated nonprofit charity organization to receive the “EmpowerCon Notable Charity Award”.

EmpowerCon is being adjusted due to the global pandemic and was unfortunately paused in 2020.  However, the event has the commitment of some amazing speakers and we ask that you please subscribe to learn of the details for the next EmpowerCon in October 2023.  

While the pandemic thwarted certain aspects of our ability to get out and directly hold live events, it did not prevent UNSUGARCOATED Media and our founder, Aalia Lanius, from creating virtual programs that provide social impact.  For example, our uniquely designed “Empowered Through Creative Writing” six-week course was taught virtually to underserved communities in collaboration with Create Now, a nonprofit organization that matches volunteers with 100+ youth partner agencies such as shelters, foster group homes, mental health clinics, schools, rehab centers and detention facilities, plus other social service and nonprofit organizations in Southern California.

Another instance is the collaboration with Reach Out Together’s for their groundbreaking Global Virtual Mental Health Summit, which included world-spanning panels and performances which drew over 400 attendees worldwide and gave a platform to professional and lived experience alike.

At times, UNSUGARCOATED Media will work with others to create content that inspires others to be more active in their community. An example of this is when UNSUGARCOATED Media’s Aalia Lanius and Alexandra Checa set out to do random acts of kindness. Lanius set up in a Starbucks in Hollywood, California and pre-paid for customers at Starbucks. These customers were surprised and some agreed to speak to her on camera to share what the random act of kindness meant for them. Throughout the year, the organization seeks to create or co-create media that showcases these types of gestures and the incredible people behind them.

UNSUGARCOATED Media is actively involved in community events and forums on critical issues.  Not only to show support, but to have access to the information necessary to create solutions based empowerment content. In other words, we can’t know what people need, if we’re not out there in society seeking those information.

Reach out if you’d like UNSUGARCOATED Media to support your organization by contacting us at info@unsugarcoatedmedia.com.

“If you’re talking about real-life empowerment, forget Wonder Woman, BatGirl, or Captain Marvel and follow Aalia Lanius on podcasts, on-line, in articles and books, and at her EmpowerCons around the world! Inspiring, motivating, impactful… she is my super-hero!”

–Michael Uslan, Originator of the Batman film franchise

As president, she serves as leader and visionary of the organization’s mission.  A successful business entrepreneur, multiple award-winning Novelist, and social entrepreneur, Aalia is passionate about supporting people in their time of need.  For over 20 years, she has been building businesses and sharing her personal experiences with audiences of all age groups and diverse backgrounds, across the globe, sharing tragedies and triumphs, allowing others to realize that there is always hope in the dark.

Having been homeless and abandoned by her parents at 14 years old, it comes as a surprise to most that she launched her first company by 25 years old, later graduating university with Honors, obtaining a BA in International Business, Managerial Leadership and Entrepreneurship, followed by attending Concord Law School. Aalia’s early career days included working as in music promotional campaigns for artists such as Boyz to Men, Aaliyah, and Genuwine, eventually becoming an A & R Executive.  With her former husband, she built a multi-million-dollar revenue generating retail business from the ground up. During this time, she also experienced personal and health challenges such as battling cancer three times and an unhealthy marriage that eventually ended but not before enduring domestic violence and emotional abuse in 2014.  

But Lanius is a maverick and role model in the beginning stages of an incredible second act and anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Aalia, will quickly begin to understand what she represents; the underdog.  The once marginalized, a person who defied the odds, she is an extraordinary woman with a heartbreaking and inspiring story.  Now she focuses all of her passion, business knowledge, and understanding of surviving trauma in a direction that helps others live TRULY empowered.  In 2017, she released her freshman novel, Tough Love, which is relatable to women in the end stages of an abusive marriage.  

Lanius’ most recent literary work, a historical fiction novel with a story centered around racism and stereotyping, Jugend, which released in March 2019, has been awarded the 2020 Book Excellence Award, the 2019 Bronze Medal in the Readers’ Favorite Fiction-Cultural category and named the Top Multicultural Fiction Novel of 2019 by the Global EBook Awards.

As an inducted member of Sigma Beta Delta, the International Honor Society for Business, Management, and Administration, she is always ready to provide real feedback on what it takes to be a successful business entrepreneur.  In 2018, she founded UNSUGARCOATED Media because she wants to inspire others to want to be the best version of themselves they can be.  

She continues to write books in between her love of travel, speaking, producing life-changing events like EmpowerCon and the empowerment podcast, UNSUGARCOATED with Aalia.  In her personal life, she enjoys being wife to Entertainment Attorney and Executive Producer, Joseph Lanius, mother to four, and grandmother. People most often ask Aalia-”When do you have time to sleep?”

Christina Gong is a graduate of the dual degree Masters program in Global Communication from LSE and USC. Christina is thrilled to support UNSUGARCOATED Media as the Marketing Strategy Manager. As part of her role, she supports and oversees various aspects of the organization’s promotional and marketing strategy for projects, social media, publications, podcast and events. As part of the team she has been integral for our success and managing our social media and content creation teams for events such as EmpowerCon and more. With previous internships in marketing and advertising across diverse locations like London and Beijing, Christina brings a global perspective to the table. Having explored different cultures and backgrounds through traveling and studying abroad, Christina is always excited to contribute her international insights to UNSUGARCOATED Media and it’s efforts to create social impact through storytelling.

In less than 10 years, Joseph S. Lanius, Esq. has been a part of bringing over 100 films to the “big screen” through his domestic and international financing sources, distribution connections and business and legal expertise in the entertainment industry. He is an entertainment attorney and executive producer who specializes in distribution, finance and production legal affairs, as well as a business strategist and financial consultant for independent motion pictures and other media and technology content.

Lanius has quickly soaked up the essence of the film and television entertainment industry from a business perspective and along with his personal skills formed strategic relationships that can bring a script to a screen. He is now expanding his efforts and skills into many other media and technology opportunities that are very cutting edge. In May of 2013, Lanius started his own practice, Lanius Law & Associates. Lanius and his firm mainly represent international sales companies, production companies, financiers, independent producers and various individuals within the entertainment industry.

With Lanius Law’s success, Joseph has extended into executive producing services for film, television and other media ventures. This incorporates an array of services depending on the client’s and project’s needs, which includes investment, financial structuring, direct distribution sources in the United States, China, Middle East and overall business and financial consulting for film, television and other media companies and projects. One of Joseph’s recent Executive Producer contributions was for the Sundance success TO THE BONE directed by Marti Noxon, starring Keanu Reeves and Lily Collins. Lanius has also most recently contributed and produced,  THE CARD COUNTER (Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Willem Dafoe), THE VANISHED (Thomas Jane, Anne Heche), SEMPER FI (Jai Courtney, Nat Wolff) and INHERITANCE (Simon Pegg, Lily Collins), which premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. Lanius also has extensive relationships in VR/AR, Music, Graphic Novels, Video Games, Distribution Platforms, Film Funds, Technology Platforms and many other exciting media and technology opportunities and ventures.

Additional motion pictures Joseph has helped bring to worldwide audiences include: CELL (John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson), 478 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), QUEEN OF THE DESERT (Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattinson), FURY (Brad Pitt, David Ayers), and DIRTY GRANDPA (Zac Efron, Robert DeNiro).  He also has a personal commitment to female and diversity representation in the film world, working closely to ensure projects created, written and directed are supported.