Marrying her passions.

Laura Murray, Journalism Alumna

Laura Murray studied dance for 18 years before she enrolled in Langara’s Journalism Diploma Program.

“I knew that one day I would want to marry my passion for dance and art with something to do with writing. I also felt the skill set that I would gain in Langara’s Journalism program could easily be moved into a marketing or PR career,” said Murray.

Murray’s path to success has been wild and full of hard work. During her final year at Langara she spent many hours reaching out to arts editors in Vancouver and inquiring about opportunities. Soon after she graduated, she got assigned a piece by the Vancouver Sun. Then she got a call from Janet Smith, arts editor at the Georgia Straight.

“She asked if I would be interested in writing dance reviews,” says Murray. “I honestly couldn't believe my good fortune, it was quite a remarkable experience to be mentored from somebody I had admired from afar.”

The transition into marketing came gradually for Murray. While freelancing as a journalist she worked part time as a publicist for Ballet BC and in 2011 she founded her own public relations agency. Her mandate was and still is to work exclusively with arts and cultural organizations.

“To solely work in the arts community,” says Murray, “and be working with a multifaceted list of artists from every discipline is truly a dream come true.”

Today, Murray runs a “one stop shop” agency offering marketing and communication services to arts organizations. The founder of Murray Paterson Marketing Group, Murray was named one of Business in Vancouver’s top business leaders under age 40 in 2016.