Lane Buschel
Full-Stack Communications Leader For Challenger Brands & High-Growth Companies | J.D.
Summary
Lane Buschel is a high-impact communications leader and strategist with over two decades of experience steering narrative and reputation for challenger brands and high-growth companies. Holding a J.D. in intellectual property and tech policy, he brings a rigorous analytical framework to corporate storytelling, helping founders and C-suites translate complex business truths into compelling market positions. His work has directly supported more than $7B in revenue and liquidity events for industry leaders such as Activision Blizzard, Crypto.com, and Downtown Music. Lane specializes in 'full-stack' communications, moving beyond traditional PR to build AI-enabled narrative systems that drive measurable behavior change. He is particularly adept at navigating high-stakes environments, including crisis management, regulatory scrutiny, and complex M&A transitions. With deep domain expertise across fintech, adtech, and creator platforms, he has successfully scaled communications functions for global entities like Glam Media and TUNE. A former sound designer and touring musician, Lane blends creative intuition with technical precision to build brand authority from the ground up. He is the ideal hire for organizations requiring a sophisticated strategist who can bridge the gap between technical infrastructure, legal risk, and public perception to dominate a category.
Expertise
Experience
Founder and Principal
2015 – Present
TRUE STORY PUBLIC RELATIONS · New York, NY
Senior communications partner for high-stakes projects, setting company narratives and managing public positions for major global brands.
- Supported Downtown Music through acquisition by Virgin for $1B.
- Built AI-enabled dashboards for Caribou Financial, generating 1.3B+ earned impressions and $2.7M in local TV exposure in eight months.
- Advised clients including Activision Blizzard Media Networks, Crypto.com, and Bloomberg Businessweek.
Head of Communications
2014 – 2015
TUNE (HasOffers/MobileAppTracking) · Seattle, WA
Led global communications for a mobile analytics SaaS company through a significant rebrand and data privacy volatility.
- Established the first formal communications function across seven global offices.
- Aligned internal, customer, and investor narratives during a period of rapid repositioning.
VP, Global Communications
2012 – 2014
GLAM MEDIA · New York, NY
Owned reputation strategy for a lifestyle media network with 242M monthly users and $150M+ in funding.
- Managed communications for a portfolio backed by Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, and Sequoia.
- Secured recognition as Fast Company’s Most Innovative Company and TIME’s 50 Best Websites.
President
2006 – 2010
THE MORRIS & KING COMPANY · New York, NY
Led the digital and technology practice with full P&L responsibility for a team of 15.
- Directed work for AOL, RealNetworks, and Jajah (acquired by Intel).
- Partnered with top-tier VC firms on M&A and exit efforts.
Education
- New York Law School · J.D., Intellectual Property
- University of Maryland at College Park · B.A., English Language and Literature
What I'm looking for
notes: Interested in high-stakes narrative challenges, category creation, and scaling communications for late-stage startups or public companies. work mode: Remote / Hybrid / NYC industries: Fintech, AI & Machine Learning, Venture Capital, Enterprise SaaS role types: Chief Communications Officer, VP of Communications, Head of Corporate Narrative, Strategic Advisor
Ideal next role
I'm targeting VP+ roles at companies that are genuinely building something. I do well with challenger-brand energy, and the kind of place where the narrative is still being written and communications sits close to the decision makers. I've spent 25 years figuring out what's true about a company, what's missing, and how to make the right people believe both. My background spans leadership across agencies and in-house, running across fintech, adtech, music and media tech, creator platforms, and data infrastructure. Strongly prefer hybrid in NYC, or remote work and will happily travel. I'm also open to fractional or advisory arrangements for the right company.
Not a fit for
Large matrixed organizations are probably not the best fit unless the culture runs on autonomy and speed. I need proximity to leadership and a real mandate. Not because I'm difficult, but because that's where the work actually gets done.