Lea Riley joins NIDA, as Student Recruitment Manager, with over 24 years’ experience in marketing, communications and design. She has worked in numerous arts and education organisations including Bell Shakespeare, the University of Technology Sydney, Actors Centre Australia, Fox Studios Backlot, Rock Eisteddfod Challenge and the Australian Performing Arts College. Since 2014, Lea thrived at the boutique creative agency Atomic Tangerine, working across all facets of the marketing consultancy, including strategic planning, branding, audience identities and targeting, copywriting, events and graphics.
Fun fact: Lea held a seasonal position at NIDA in 2005, helping to manage all the undergraduate applications, so accepting this role feels like she is coming full circle. Lea was born at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria, on the traditional land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations. She has also lived in Mildura, Melbourne, Adelaide (where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree) and Gadigal Land/Sydney – which she has called home for over 25 years. She has worked as an actor, presenter and director, as well as being part of a team that mounted an original musical at the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
This experience allows Lea to bring multiple layers of understanding to all facets of stage and screen production, complimenting her extensive marketing experience, to perfectly come together in this new role.
“Returning to NIDA as Student Recruitment Manager is a career-defining appointment for me. The energy in the building, the buzz, the conversations, the creativity… it’s incomparable. To be part of attracting and embracing the next generation of exceptional artists, makers and creatives, is an absolute honour.”
