Raina Searles

“I love the way some storytellers are good at taking what other people see and connecting the dots, delivering a message. In my particular industry, I share stories as a marketing tool, getting people to understand why a theatrical work they've never heard of is relevant to their lives.”

Raina Searles has enjoyed a lifelong love of reading and the arts. She has always devoured fiction; she is always there for the story. Since graduating from Wharton with concentrations in marketing and communications and a minor in theater, Raina has worked at FringeArts, where she wears many hats. She’s the marketing manager. She’s one of the hosts of the podcast “Happy Hour on the Fringe,” inviting guest artists and representatives of organizations to speak about their work and communities. She spearheaded the relaunch of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of staff and board members. Last but not least, she is heavily invested in marketing her fourth Fringe Festival in September 2020, the first one that because of the coronavirus pandemic will be almost entirely digital. Outside of work, Raina is a Lifetime Girl Scout, and leads a troop of Daisy Girl Scouts--6-7 year-olds.  In this volunteer role, she gets to encourage the next generation of young women to have courage, confidence, and character. And tell them stories to foster the connections to help see the larger picture.

where do art and your discipline meet? What did you consider to be genius as a child? 

“I have always loved puzzles, and puzzle-solving always seemed for me the pinnacle of genius. For me, it was always about making connections, finding where things fit and work together, and then creating something that works, that flows, and that is cohesive when laid out in just the right way. That is also part of why I love storytelling so much, when a good story teller is able to bring all the pieces together after having held your attention along the journey. In my own career, I started off performing, but before that, I was reading. I devoured books and loved fiction especially because I was there for the story. I still remember reading "Gone Girl" and getting to the moment where I realized the main character's wife was still alive. I felt like I had been invested in one story that got flipped on its head and I was now invested in an even larger story. I think this is why, coming into college, I took to Marketing and Communications. It was the closest I could get in business to telling a story, to taking what things other people see and connecting the dots, sharing a message, and, in my particular industry, getting them to understand why this work they've never heard of is relevant to their lives. Even though I work directly in the arts, I think my real passion wherever I end up is to share stories and make those connections to help people see the larger picture.”

Biography:

Raina Searles is the Marketing Manager at FringeArts and a Daisy Girl Scout Troop Leader. With a love of the arts and performing from a young age, she was involved in everything from school plays and musicals to pageants and public speaking competitions. Raina graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in Marketing and Communications and a minor in Theater. Since then, she's worked at FringeArts where she is one of the hosts of the podcast Happy Hour on the Fringe, inviting guest artists and organizations to speak about their work and communities, spearheaded the relaunch of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of staff and board members, and is about to embark on marketing her fourth Fringe Festival in September, though the first one that will be almost entirely digital. As a Lifetime Girl Scout, she also leads a troop of Daisy Girl Scouts (6-7 year olds) to encourage the next generation of young women to have courage, confidence, and character.