Laura Coley is the Marketing Manager for United Arts of Central Florida, starting with the team in January 2023. She graduated from Texas Women’s University with a degree in Political Science, focusing on Environmental Law. College internships helped solidify her childhood dream of working in the arts, if only because she was constantly drawn back to them in her hobbies. Shortly after her graduation in December 2018, she moved to Orlando from Dallas.
Laura originally chose to live in Orlando due to her involvement in the Disney College Program and the many friends and connections she made during her internship. Once the pandemic had begun to lift, she was able to explore more outside of the theme parks which brought her back to the area to live. Downtown Orlando proved to be much richer than anticipated, offering art, culture, community, history, and science around every corner.
Her first job in Orlando had her starting as an entry-level photographer at a local school photography studio, quickly working her way up into leadership & management positions with a pinch of luck and a lot of skill. In 2021 Laura became the Resident Photographer at the Russian Ballet of Orlando, serving the studio through the beginnings of their professional company and establishing their presence online through social media marketing, SEO, and digital management. Many fantastic opportunities arose to work hand in hand with organizations like the Orlando Philharmonic, Opera Orlando, and many more theaters and venues in Central Florida. It was the continued collaboration between Orlando arts organizations that brought Laura to United Arts.
At United Arts, Laura’s main role involves the stewardship of the Arts and Culture Calendar, a nationally recognized cultural calendar providing information on events happening in Central Florida. She is excited to expand the use of the calendar along with sharing the stories of so many different community members who Make Orlando Beautiful.
