Staff Spotlight On: Lauren Cartelli, Associate Director of Sales and Analytics
LEAH REDDY: Tell us about yourself. Where were you born? How did you become the Associate Director of Sales and Analytics for Roundabout?
LAUREN CARTELLI: I’m originally from the Bronx but I grew up in Orlando, Florida. I came back to New York for college and I’ve been here ever since. I started at Roundabout as a Ticket Services Intern in 2005. I was a college junior getting my bachelor’s degree in stage management. I would go to my grad-level English classes, run rehearsals of Tony Kushner’s Slavs! for the late Larry Sacharow, and then come to work at 8:00am the next morning. (I was tired most of the time!) I never imagined I’d wind up doing anything with numbers or data analysis. I worked in the Ticket Services (now Audience Services) call center for several years while pursuing stage management gigs. Eventually an opportunity opened up at Roundabout that let me combine my skills and grow, and that’s the path I took. The theatre industry’s increasing need for and reliance on data and tech eventually led me to where I am now.
LR: Describe your job at RTC. What are your responsibilities?
LC: The Sales and Analytics department serves as a centralized team, supporting the organization’s attendance and revenue goals with new ticketing technology, reporting solutions, and data analysis. Day-to-day, I’m doing a lot of project management, quality assurance of new products and reports, and data projections and analysis. I know that doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with theatre, but because we’re supporting every department, we’ve got our hands in every step of the audience journey. (We can also be a dramatic bunch, so we fit right in.)
LR: How has your work evolved as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?
LC: The lack of physical performances actually helped us hone the work we were doing. Despite the theatres being dark, there was an incredible amount of work that had to happen on the back end, both to keep things running, and to ensure that we’d be ready when things reopened. The introduction of Roundabout On Demand made us use tools we’d never used before – tools we’re going to keep using in order to expedite projects and support paperless technology. The constantly-shifting timelines, and introduction of new technology, made our team collaborate in ways that didn’t necessarily make sense before, but that we’d feel naked without now.
LR: What is the best part of your job?
LC: Turns out I’m a giant nerd when it comes to Excel and giant data sets. I love digging in and seeing what pops out.
LR: The hardest part?
LC: Meetings.
LR: Why do you choose to work at RTC?
LC: Honestly that was so long ago, I’m not sure the answer to that is as relevant as the reasons I’ve stuck around. The most important reason is the people I work closely with, who are some of the smartest people I know.