Laura DeMarco Petkovic

Currently serving as the Senior Director of Content & Corporate Communications at the Greater Cleveland Partnership, I lead initiatives aimed at fostering business confidence while elevating the organization’s brand and mission through impactful storytelling. My freelance journey has equipped me with versatile writing and editing skills across various industries, complemented by my experience as an award-winning author and lecturer on topics of historical significance. From my tenure as a reporter and editor at The Plain Dealer to Pavilion Books, I’ve honed my craft in producing engaging content that resonates with diverse audiences. I have a passion for driving narratives that inspire and inform – where creativity meets strategic vision.

Work Experience

Senior Director, Content & Corporate Communication – Greater Cleveland Partnership 

Oversee content strategy with the goal of building business confidence, promoting GCP’s unique brand and mission, and using storytelling to help build a great region on a Great Lake.

Author and Lecturer

Author of the critically acclaimed books “Lost Cleveland” (2017), “Cleveland Then and Now” (2018), “Mark Twain’s America Then and Now” (2019) and “Lost Civil War” (2020), published on Pavilion Books (London). Lecturer on Cleveland history and culture at museums, colleges, libraries, clubs and on local TV and radio.

Freelance writer, editor, marketing, social media

Experienced writer, editor and consultant in diverse fields including print and online short and long-form journalism; business and development writing; healthcare and medical writing; technical writing; marketing (campaigns, biographies, one-sheets, speeches, white papers and press releases); and B2B writing. Experienced in designing and executing social media campaigns and email marketing. Edited the 2019 internationally-released book “Ballparks Then and Now” (Pavilion).

Writer/Editor- Jones Day

Produced digital and hard-copy content to support the Firm’s publications, website and public relations/advertising as part of the Business Development & Communications team.

Reporter and Editor The Plain Dealer

Writing:  Wrote and reported feature stories in the fields of arts and culture, breaking news, business and development, investigative journalism, public interest and local history, published on The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com. Covered cultural institutions, historic preservation, business start-ups and entrepreneurs, iconic operators and legacy brands, arts and entertainment, immigrant groups and neighborhoods. Promoted stories and projects through social media. Shot and edited photos and videos used in print and online.

Editing and Management: Planned, assigned and edited cover stories, features, columns, reviews and listings for daily newspaper’s weekly Friday magazine, with circulation of over 300,000. Oversaw layout, photography and graphics for magazine. Managed magazine staff of assistant editors, writers, photographers and designers.

Honors and Awards

State Library of Ohio Choose to Read booklist author 2019 – 2020
“Lost Cleveland” one of twenty titles chosen as a 2019-2020 Choose to Read book by the State Library of Ohio.

Host of Euronews “Notes from the USA” January 2019 episode
Selected as host of Euronews “Notes from the USA” travel show on Cleveland, one of twenty cities featured on European channel, reaching almost 400 million homes across 160 countries.

Commendation from the Council of the City of Cleveland, March 2018
Honored with award for “outstanding commitment, dedication and significant contributions as an Arts and Culture reporter for The Plain Dealer specializing in local history and lost landmarks.”

Education

John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio,
B.A. English and Art History. Graduated magna cum laude

© 2024 Laura DeMarco