Laura began working as commercial actor and print model as a young teenager, appearing in campaigns for Nintendo, Apple Computers, Constellation Brands, GTE Mobile Net, and the infamous Dove Campaign For Real Beauty.
Laura attended college at the University of Puget Sound in Washington, where she studied Theatre Arts and writing, and was active in LGBT causes and student media.
Upon graduating, Laura was immediately hired as Morning Show Producer for a San Francisco radio station. Within four years, Laura amassed decade’s worth of radio experience, by simultaneously holding jobs as a Sports Talk morning show sidekick (KNBR); Classic Rock midday host (KSAN); Urban Pop weekend host (KWIN/KWNN); Light Rock night host (KJOY); and freelancing for broadcasts of both Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
In 2005 she was recruited to New York City for the launch of Sirius Satellite Radio’s MAXIM channel, based on the popular men’s magazine, as both a producer and co-host. During her decade with the company, Laura was party to the arrival of Howard Stern; the merger with XM Radio; and subscriber growth from 750,000 to nearly 30 million listeners. She was featured on-air as both a host and a station imaging voice; worked as a producer involved with all of Sirius XM’s talk channels; and served several years as Director of Talent & Industry relations, overseeing celebrity talent booking logistics. She was at Sirius XM through the end of 2014.
In 2009, Laura created the Twitter account @BroadwayGirlNYC, to document her love of New York Theatre. Initially started on a whim, the anonymous account soon developed a strong following and became a Broadway phenomenon. 2010 saw the launch of “At the Stage Door with @BroadwayGirlNYC,” Laura’s weekly column on BroadwayWorld.com about life as a Broadway fan.
Always focusing on the positive, and projecting an identity dedicated to promoting love & excitement about theatre, @BroadwayGirlNYC gained a fanbase of over 20,000 within the first five years. Though still anonymous, she was considered a critical tastemaker and important advocate for all things New York Theatre.
Laura’s reveal as the force behind @BroadwayGirlNYC came in February of 2015, when she was invited to speak onstage at TEDxBroadway. The public “merging of her two lives,” as Laura put it, allowed her to launch a new company, Laura Heywood Media, to focus on both social media consulting and live appearances as a Broadway expert.
Within months of the reveal, Laura appeared on CBS News; hosted high-profile live events on AOL; sold out multiple shows at 54 Below; and was profiled by FORBES, who called her "the most vocal and visible supporter in the business.”
Now, having fully integrated @BroadwayGirlNYC into her professional identity, Laura works as a social media consultant for theatre companies and businesses looking to reach the Broadway fan audience; hosts workshops and offers private coaching for performers looking to raise their social media profiles; writes for theatre-themed publications including BroadwayWorld and Playbill; and is in high demand to cover Broadway news, contribute expert commentary, and host interviews both on-camera and on-stage.