What a LOVELY month!! February didn't disappoint and kept us busy here on the Lane! With 230 shifts worked by our Laners and 37 busy activations, the month of love had us loving all our partnerships!! We are so grateful for you all and want to let you get to know our internal team a little closer! Let's start off with some fun V-day love questions for our team...ENJOY!!
Jillian - What do you love most about living in NYC?!
"What is there NOT to love about NYC?! I mean, rats and hot garbage in the summer, but that's what makes NYC special, right? From the restaurants, to the theatre, to the parks and everything in between. The west village on a rainy evening? Yup. Sign me up. Not to mention all the wonderful people/family I have met here. I can't imagine my life and family living anywhere else. I love New York so much I got "New York or Nowhere" tattooed on my arm. The relationship I have with NYC is all love (with a little annoyance sprinkled in at times) but I wouldn't have it any other way. I LOVE THIS RAT FILLED CITY!!" - Jillian Schiralli
Deven - Self love! How do you treat yo' self?
"Self Love? As the office curmudgeon I thoroughly enjoy presenting to the world my cold 'Don't even think about sitting next to me on this W Train' demeanor on a day to day basis, but after a hard week of work I thoroughly enjoy dropping the subterfuge and letting a little love into my life.
Here are just a few simple things that I love to treat myself to, refilling my 'Love quota' and allowing me to resubmerge into sarcasm and eye rolls each week:
-The Container Store. Let me tell you, as a resident Type A personality, this store has solutions to most of my problems.
-Performing my David Bowie impression at random Karaoke nights throughout the city, and YES, i sing songs from Labyrinth
-Going to see movies at the theatre, and buying an extra ticket so I have a buffer seat.
-Friday's at the office are 'Disney Radio days' because I know I'll be alone. I know most songs by heart now and I am going to be the BEST Flippin Uncle ever. (When you witness the sheer excitement of a 2 year old comprehending your performance of 'Be Our Guest' complete with Jerry Orbach impression, you know you've done something right in life)
-Socks. I love socks so much probably because I need them so much. If I were to have a super power it would probably be the ability to melt downward through any surface if I stood still for extended periods of time. Every Dresser drawer has a quadrant of socks in them, and I thoroughly enjoy the looks I get when I sometimes drop off my laundry at the local Laundromat - as they most definitely know me as the 'At least 5lbs of this guys laundry are socks' customer. Ever bought socks from a CVS? I have. Brings the same amount of joy and elation as a $23 pair of socks from J.Crew." - Deven Anderson
Matty - What is your favorite first date story? Worst?
"Ya know, I do enjoy dating..! It’s the Carrie Bradshaw in me. Hmm..my favorite first date.. I was on tour at the time. I’d met someone while with some castmates and he was adamant about taking me out even though I was only going to be in town a few more days. We went to dinner where he was surprised to learn that dancers actually love carbs. That was followed by a cute little stroll to get ice cream at a local creamery. Then, we got in the car and headed to the next surprise portion of the evening, because apparently two portions wasn’t gonna suffice! While we drove, we had some really in-depth conversation...
At the time, I wasn’t out to my family. He was a bit older and had a good perspective.. He asked me why I hadn’t fully come out, what was holding me back and how that might affect future partners etc. I initially was NOT receptive to this slightly-unsolicited advice.. Made for kind of an awkward drive.. But, we rolled up to Dave-N-Busters and all was forgotten! Such a fun surprise that allowed us to play and also get to know each other’s competitive side. After random stuffed animals and weird trinkets were won, he dropped me off at my hotel and I couldn’t shake the car conversation. I found myself suddenly able to receive it. About a month later, I ended up coming out to my family - a positive, life-changing moment for sure. I’ll always remember, and be grateful for, that evening.
My worst first date..?! Eesh. I’ve been pretty fortunate. But there was a time in college when I went on a date with someone who was a friend of a friend. We’d texted for a little bit, so it definitely was that weird meeting-someone-in-person-after-knowing-them-through-your-phone thing.. And lemme tell ya - I spent the whole lunch (which was not enjoyable to watch him eat) sitting there, thinking about how I could get out of it and go home. SOS." - Matty Borchers
Susie - What is your love language?? And can you describe your perfect date?
"All of the love languages are important to mean but I'd say my main love languages are a close tie between words of affirmation and acts of service. I love letting the people I love know that I love them and boosting them up, expressing how great I think they are. It means so much to me when I receive this kind of expression of love as well. It wasn't until my current (romantic) relationship that I really got to feel what it's like to have someone express their love via acts of service. It's something I've always prioritized in expressing my love, but to receive it in return is so incredibly affirming and means so much to me.
My partner Sam is my favorite person and any quality time I get to spend with him is my ideal date. It doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing. I appreciate and have the best time whenever we're together. We always make it a point to appreciate the little things, always saying how lucky we are for our apartment, to be able to cook and eat meals together, to have each other. I've never felt such love from a partner before and I've never loved a partner so much. I don't know what I would do without him and feel so lucky to have him in my life that I can't adequately express it with words. He is my favorite and I can't wait to spend as many years together as our lives will possibly allow, enjoying every little moment with him." - Susie Gannon
Married Valentines Day...whats that like? Big plans?
"Ahhhh, to be young and romantic. Although my husband Bo can be romantic at times, he is NOT a big holiday/celebration guy. Pretty sure he didn't even know it was Valentine's Day. :) Luckily I have three little Valentines to keep me busy! At ages 5, 3, and 1...they love to love on Mama and that is the best gift I could receive!! At daycare they exchange Valentines and it's a nice time to show appreciation to teachers and caregivers that mean so much to our family.
I did enjoy a little "date night" with my oldest, Camden. He's five and we love to go grab a slice of pizza at our local spot and chat about all the latest. To include dinosaurs, Baby Yoda, and art he's created. I love spending one on one quality time with him. So, it was perfect!" - Tara Layne Goebel
We just launched our 9th Mentorship Program!! We are so excited to get to know this amazing group of Mentees and welcome them to the OTL Community! Our entire team is very passionate about this program as we all could have really benefited from something like this when we first moved to NYC. A huge Thank You to our incredible Mentors who volunteer their time to give back and to our wonderful co-chairs who keep the program running. If you want to get involved please reach out to mentorship@offthelane.org.
We’re now accepting applications for our 4th session of The BOOST Program. BOOST your career in 2023 with Off The Lane’s free career guidance program! We are so proud of our Co-Chairs Ayana Bey & Jillian Vitko who have poured their heart and soul into developing this program. Since the launch of BOOST they have guided, inspired and BOOSTed 12 artists! Click here to learn more.