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On this podcast episode, we are joined by Tarrence Lackran, the founder of EYECONS Agency. Embark on a quick journey as Tarrence unveils his transition from pharma to eye care, his love for asking questions, and his passion for diversity. Discover his exquisite eyewear collection and get a glimpse into the world of creating exceptional brand experiences in the eye care industry.
Table of Contents
From Pharma to Eye Care – A Bold Leap by Tarrence Lackran
Dr. Darryl Glover:
Just give us a background, you know. Where are you from, how did you get into eye care, and what you’re doing now?
Tarrence Lackran:
I am Tarrence Lackran, CEO of the EYECONS Agency. Right now, I’m living in Connecticut. My agency is in New York, Brooklyn, New York. You know, I’m right on the border for both states. I launched it earlier this year. I’ve been in eye care since 2015. So, I think I’m still new-ish, right?
Dr. Darryl Glover:
You almost got ten years in the game, man. So you got to be a vet. You gotta take that away now.
Tarrence Lackarn:
Listen, you know, I love a party. Don’t let me start a 10-year anniversary party. But interestingly, you know, I came into this industry, and I did not know much about it coming in. So this might be shocking to everybody, but I came from pharma.
So, I was in pharma for ten years before entering this industry. And usually when I tell people that, they’re like, wait, what? You were in pharma? Because I’m, I’m, I love pharma, but this is a better fit for me. So, I was in pharma, working for Purdue Pharma at the time and then after a while, I just realized it wasn’t the path I wanted to take anymore.
Okay. So, a good friend of mine was a statistician for Reed Exhibitions. Now, for those of you who don’t know, Reed Exhibitions is a 50-50 partner with the Vision Council on Vision Expo East and West, and he comes to me and says, I know you want to get out of pharma. There’s an opportunity at my job, and I think you should apply for it.
The Alluring World of Eye Care and Vision Expos
Tarrence Lackran:
I don’t know. I don’t really know the industry. You know, I don’t want to, I don’t know. He said, look, just give me a resume and let’s go from there. So I gave him the resume, and five minutes later, he’s like, HR is calling you. And that’s how it started. They were like, listen, we need this.
We think you can do it. And the great thing about it was they were like, you can make the job your own. Now don’t tell me that. Don’t tell me you can make a job your own because that means I’m going to mold it and stretch it each way to make it fit, make it work. So, that was my intro.
But I was never scared to ask those questions. I would go into a room with… You know, you know, elephants like Dr. Darryl Glover, and like you just explained to me, Dr. Glover, what makes you different from an ophthalmologist? Can you explain that to me as well? And then to this day, that’s my vibe.
I love asking questions, and I listen really closely to the answer. My memory’s sick. My memory is insane, like scary insane. So I, I’ll just bake it in there.
Dr. Darryl Glover:
Well, you share something that I love, and we have in common — you’re a master connector. You know how to build relationships. That was one thing that really attracted me to you when I first met you. Number one, you were looking fresh, even today at the native lawn, right up my alley, my man. That’s it. I recall us having a conversation before the show, but I also remember meeting you on the showroom floor and you still asking me questions about the experience. That was the first time I went to a conference, and someone asked me about my experience while I was there in person, and I thought that was very unique.
Exploring the Impact of Inclusive and Supportive Teams
Dr. Darryl Glover:
This is one of the pillars of your organization, right? To your point earlier, diversity and inclusion is a big deal. Everything I lay my hands on that I’m a part of, there needs to be a piece of that, right? Whether it’s Defocus Media or our podcast network, there’s a diverse group of podcasters from women to Indian, to Black, to White, to purple, to green, whatever. It’s there. But that’s creating diverse perspectives to really create the best knowledge and to create different ideas and concepts. So everyone feels a part of the conversation. I look at my care perspective. We’re there to create more Black representation in eye care because those communities haven’t been addressed and given the opportunity to learn more about eye care.
So it’s there. And then, when you look at the team I’m a part of MyEyeDr., you look at our executive team. Sue Downes, our leader, our fierce leader, founder, CEO, our chief medical officer, Black, Dr. Artis Beatty, our chief marketing officer, Hispanic, our chief people officer, a woman, our CIO, an Indian or Asian background. That diversity starts from the top. And guess what, my man, it’s going to trickle down. So, to your point earlier, being intentional, you always want to align yourself with organizations and teams that will help push your mission and vision forward because it’ll change your life, but most importantly, make an impact on all the patients out there as well. Anytime.
Tarrence Lackran:
And even back to MyEyeDr., shout out to the MyEyeDr. I mean, look at you. You’re a massive face of MyEyeDr., even the brand man.
Dr. Darryl Glover:
I believe in the mission. Our purpose is to help patients live their best lives, man. And I have a strong support team behind me to put me out there. It’s not just me. It’s teamwork. They’re giving me that opportunity to get out there and make a change and impact, just like you allowed me to do an expo to make a change and make an impact as well. So I support and salute all my folks out there who have helped uplift me to be able to have a face and also be able to have a voice and sit at the table as well. Definitely.
Tarrence Lackran:
You know, recently, I worked on a project with the industry magazine where we did a shoot for their summer issue going through September. We used dancers from the Alvin Ailey School of Dance. I’m talking about like, it, I didn’t cry there, but you know, you get that feeling, it’s like right here, you know, like it starts to drop a little bit right there.
Discover Tarrence’s Favorite Eyewear Pieces
Tarrence Lackran:
Awesome. This is one of my favorite pieces from Morgenthal Fredericks. It’s custom-made for me by Jeff Press.
So it is the Buffalo horn. Everything, again, is very ethical. All the horn is sourced after the life of the buffalo. You can see the burgundy buffalo horn on the inside. But the nice thing is the temples. Oh yeah. They’re not wide.
There’s a two-tone with burgundy, the natural horn outline, and then the inside again gives you a whole different flavor on the same side and a keyhole bridge as well. So, it just gives a perfect look and fits my features.
I have a broad face and a bridge as well. So, for me, it fits well. That’s one of my favorite optical pieces I’m rocking these days.
Dr. Darryl Glover:
And what’s the weight like for those frames? You would think that horn would be heavier.
Tarrence Lackran:
But it’s actually pretty lightweight. I will tell you, I don’t mind a heavy frame. Some frames I wear, it’s like I put them on and my head goes right down. I don’t mind, but these are very lightweight. You would think that being Buffalo horn, they’d be heavy, but they’re lightweight.
That’s one of them from Morgenthal.
The other, I like it because the name is me, manifesting icons and Defocus Media and Dr. Darryl Glover for the next few years. But it’s from ANNA-KARIN KARLSSON. It’s called Billion Dollar Boo. Billion Dollar Boo, it’s a stainless steel frame, 24-karat gold plated.
And the best thing about it is these thick Swarovski emeralds on there, too. So this is one that Swanky does not have, and he wants it so badly. But he has a blue one. And he’s like, oh wait, there are emeralds?
So this is the one he’s been coveting that he will never get from me. But yeah, this is a heavy frame. I mean, when I’m wearing it, it’s just a conversation starter right away. It’s royalty.
Dr. Darryl Glover:
A billion-dollar look. I love that, man. And I wonder how long it takes to design those frames, man.
Tarrence Lackran:
Well, you know, Anna the Perfectionist, like, designing is one thing for her. And during COVID, she just designed some of the dopest stuff. But if it’s not right, or the quality’s not there, she will not send it out.
My favorite color is green, so my frames are organized. The top is green. And these were recent that the homie Corey Shapiro sent me of vintage frames. This is really chunky, green acetate, the white temples with the VF logo on the side there. Again, it just fits my face right, exactly.
