No Retakes: Laur DeMartino's Underlying Message of Showcasing Authentic Moments in Sports

By Christina Winnegar

Laur DeMartino’s journey, navigating her way through the industry, has been defined by endurance, adaptability, and creative resilience, leaving a lasting impact wherever she goes. From capturing life’s raw, most authentic moments to telling players’ stories through her “Behind the Mask” campaign, she has carried her New Yorker mentality, always embracing the next opportunity, no matter where she is at. Currently working in Digital and Social Content at Bauer Hockey & Cascade Maverik Lacrosse she has been able to change the game completely. Allowing players to connect with their audience on a deeper level through telling their story beyond their statistics. Her diverse background from capturing moments at Fordham, working in the entertainment industry, and working for the NBA during her senior year at Fordham, has given her a gift of the unique ability to navigate the sports world in a way few others have. With a focus on humanizing athletes, showing who they are beyond their titles, it’s time to shine a light on Laur behind hers.

You’ve been passionate about photography your whole life, and then one day, you expanded into sports, asking to take pictures for the Fordham Baseball team. How did that experience impact your career in sports and shape your path moving forward?

When I transferred to Fordham in my Sophomore year, I wanted to get involved. I saw a posting from the Athletic Department that the Fordham Baseball team needed somebody to make motion graphics for Twitter. I had some experience in that space, so I applied and got the job that day. After a few weeks of working with that department, I asked if I could attend one of the home games to photograph a doubleheader. That weekend changed my career in sports and shaped my path moving forward. Without simply asking that question, I would've never had the opportunity to photograph or even work for all the teams I did at Fordham throughout my following years at the school. From these roles, I gained on-site experiences working for different sports that I could translate to my future internships and gain résumé bullets for future interviews. But I think the best part about it all was that it was never about the résumé or gaining the experience; it was just about capturing some of life’s greatest moments. Even more so for me, it was about asking a question, and the worst that someone could have said was no. And I’m really glad that they said yes!

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

You’re always capturing life’s moments, both for yourself and for others to be able to look back on. This is a big part of your love for photography. What’s the most special part of photography that most people don’t fully understand, but you wish they could experience for themselves?

Photography isn't just about taking pictures; it's about preserving emotions, energy, and moments in time that might otherwise be forgotten. One thing I wish more people could experience is the feeling of truly seeing. When you’re behind the camera, you’re not just “snapping a shot”—you’re noticing the small, beautiful details most people overlook. The way light falls on a face, the raw emotion in an unguarded moment, the contrast of colours in a fleeting sunset. Photography trains you to be present and appreciate the world more profoundly than just passing through it.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

From the start of your journey, beginning in college, you’ve shown maintained an exceptional work ethic by holding an internship every semester on top of other commitments. How did you manage to juggle these commitments while still maintaining the creativity required to thrive in a career like yours?

Managing that level of commitment in college wasn’t JUST about time management; it was about building endurance, adaptability, and creative resilience. When you're constantly balancing internships, coursework, and other commitments, you don’t have the luxury of waiting for inspiration to strike—you learn to create under pressure and find inspiration in the moment. I learned how to keep moving, pivot when needed, and still deliver high-quality work. I am now hyper-aware of how to maximize every opportunity. Because I was only given limited windows to learn from each internship, I had to be intentional—absorbing everything, building connections, and figuring out how to apply those lessons to the next opportunity. That same mindset carries over to how I approach my storytelling today.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

If your younger self could see where you are today, what song do you think she’d choose to represent the woman you’ve become?

Bigger Than - Justin Jesso & Seeb. Just listen to the lyrics.

You mentioned transitioning from a musical theater major in college, calling it your "quarter-life crisis" that ultimately led you to a career in sports. Have you found ways to incorporate your passion for the arts into your work in the sports industry? If so, how have you blended these two interests?

To be honest, not entirely. I will still play my piano regularly and sing in my room occasionally when I am feeling down, but that part of my life is behind me right now. Maybe it will come back at some point, just not right now. But... I shocked the Bauer team during the Four Nations Team Bauer Karaoke in Montreal in February. No one knew I could sing, so that was pretty funny.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

With your love for Broadway and musical theater, were there any performers or mentors early on, who played a significant role in shaping your passion for storytelling?

She will literally never see this, but when I was very young, I saw a girl named Bailey Fillmore perform in my high school‘s production of The Wiz. I remember watching her and thinking she was the coolest person ever. I came home from seeing the show and recited every line she said, and she truly has always stuck in the back of my mind when I think about storytelling, even now when it comes to off the stage. She had such an impact on me at a young age, and I remember even telling her that when I got the opportunity to meet her. She gave me a flower at my 6th-grade production, and I have the note attached to it still on my wall at 24 years old in my childhood bedroom. I will quite literally never forget the impact she made on me, and although I probably will never see her again, she literally changed my life.

As a storyteller with a passion for capturing moments to reflect on, what’s one standout experience in your life that you often look back on as a turning point in shaping where you are today in your career and overall as a person?

I thought about my answer to this question for days, LOL. I really can not think of one specific moment. I do watch my old YouTube videos every so often, though. They were a turning point and shaped who I am today and my career to some extent for a few reasons. Simply put, I gained experience in filming and video editing as part of my career. I think that, as an overall person, though, it just allowed me to express myself in a way that I didn’t know how to do before. Embarking on the journey of documenting my life through the lens of a camera has become a transformative practice for me. Turning ordinary moments into timeless fragments of my personal narrative. Each frame encapsulates a chapter of my story. In the act of documenting, I've found a profound sense of mindfulness as I observe and appreciate the details that make up the fabric of my existence. As I navigate this visual diary, I realize that, in capturing my life, I'm not just creating a collection of pictures and videos; I'm crafting a visual autobiography that reflects the essence of who I am and the journey I am on. My advice? Capture everything. Future, you will be thankful you did.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

You’ve mentioned creating a sort of "movie" of your life through your YouTube videos. If you were to curate a playlist reflecting this current chapter of your life, what would you title it, and what makes that title meaningful to you?

"No Retakes” - Like film photography, I only get one shot to capture the moment, and this title reflects the importance of being in the present. It's a reminder to embrace the rawness and authenticity of each experience—just as it is. This title also connects to the importance of embracing the journey, even when things don’t go exactly as planned. Something I have REALLY tried to work on in my twenties. When you don’t have a “retake” option, you learn to appreciate the imperfections—the mistakes, the spontaneity, the things that give life its depth and character. Every "flaw" in the shot, whether it’s the grain of the film or a moment of unposed emotion, can tell a deeper story than something perfectly staged. It speaks to the mindset of embracing life’s impermanence. We can’t go back and do things over, so each moment we experience should be cherished for what it is, without the need for perfection. We’re all gonna die one day, and I think my biggest fear is getting to the end of my life and realizing that I never truly lived.

You mentioned some of the internships you completed such as working backstage for Hamilton, at MTV, and with Bucketlisters. How did these internships in entertainment help shape your approach to content creation for the brands you work with now, like Bauer and Maverik? How have those experiences influenced the way you create and strategize content today?

Although not all of my earlier past experiences were in sports, everything always fell under the Entertainment umbrella, which was the point! They all gave me a big-picture understanding of storytelling, audience engagement, and the power of creating experiences. Working backstage at Hamilton showed me how every detail—lighting, timing, set design—contributes to an immersive moment, which translates directly into how I capture and present athletes today. At MTV, I was surrounded by fast-moving, trend-driven content, where energy, timing, and cultural relevance were so key. A role like that definitely shaped how I strategize content for Bauer and Maverik—knowing how to balance hype, authenticity, and brand identity in a way that keeps people engaged. A role like the one I had at Bucketlisters, my first college internship, may I add, being so experience-driven, enforced the importance of capturing emotion and making content feel aspirational. Whether it's an unforgettable Hockey moment or an innovative Lacrosse launch, I now approach content with the mindset of, How does this make someone feel? How do I make them want to be part of this? I call it the FOMO factor.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

Entering your senior year, you were determined to secure a full-time job before graduation, staying ahead of the curve to avoid the gap period after college. You applied for a role with the NBA and landed the position in March of your senior year. How did you manage such a tight schedule while still staying connected to your social life and attending senior events? What was it like balancing the achievement of graduating with also being involved in high-profile events like the NBA Playoffs and Finals? Do you have any standout memories from that time?

Looking back on senior year, I genuinely don’t even know how I did all of that. I had an internship every semester of college, so I learned to manage my time and keep myself busy from a young age. I swore by Google Calendar from the moment I learned what it was, and I honestly would not have survived college without it. I genuinely have the best friends in the world, and I tried my absolute hardest to see them whenever I had a moment to breathe. I always felt so bad for my roommate Kara because I was never home. I lived with her and another roommate, Liv, who studied abroad in the spring of our senior year. She was a year younger than us. I packed all my classes into two days and pushed them all to the mornings so I could have three full days to work at my job. That is how I got away with working “full time” while still in college because I also worked on the weekends. I think one of my favourite memories from college and something I will never forget is when my roommate Kara and I left our living room TV on for three weeks straight with ESPN playing both the NBA and NHL playoffs. We both worked in sports at the time, and were such a sporty apartment that even though I was working late nights till 3 AM, we would still bond and watch the games on both our computers and the TV. We had our own NBA and NHL red zone in our little Bronx apartment.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

Your favorite artist, Chance the Rapper, has a song called “Blessings”, describing the good things in life, even in the face of struggles. How do you keep a sense of gratitude and perspective when life gets so hectic, especially in the fast paced lifestyle that is your normal?

Great song. This may sound so weird, but being on the plane keeps my sense of gratitude and perspective. As Felix Baumgartner said, “Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you really are.”

Being a New York girl at heart is reflected in your fast-paced, on-the-go mentality. How has this mindset, shaped by your upbringing, influenced you both personally and professionally?

That fast-paced, on-the-go mentality has probably shaped everything I will ever know—how I work, how I create, and how I move through the world. It has allowed me to thrive in high-energy environments, always look for the next challenge, the next idea, or the next way to push boundaries. I don’t sit still for long, and I have a natural instinct for reading the room, adapting quickly, and making things happen. Professionally, it’s a huge asset, especially as a woman in the sports industry. I have learned to be efficient, decisive and to thrive under pressure, which is essential when organizing fast-moving shoots, working with athletes, or pulling together creative concepts on tight deadlines. That New York edge means you know how to balance creativity with execution—not just dreaming up cool ideas but actually bringing them to life. I grew up fast, and I could not be more grateful. Huge shout out to my Mom, Dad, and the Big Apple for that one!

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

You’ve mentioned how the song "Still New York" by MAX resonates with you, especially the lyric “I always breathe your air in another city,” reflecting your sense of always carrying New York with you, no matter where you go. Given that you travel often for work and want that to continue in the future, if you were to create a music video for this song to represent how it makes you feel, what standout memory from your time in New York would you include? What makes this memory significant to who you are?

I don’t know if it’s one specific memory, but my group of friends would have to be in it with me because they are a huge part of what makes New York so special. Because I am not home very often, when I am, I really try to spend my time with them. They mean the absolute world to me, and my most fun and favourite memories in the city are the 4 AM nights running around Manhattan, going God knows where with them. It would definitely be a montage of moments like that with them.

Working with the PR team, being around the players, attending all the games, and gaining that level of experience is something many aspire to. What advice would you give to a current college student who is actively seeking internships and looking for ways to get their foot in the door?

The biggest piece of advice I’d give to a college student looking to break into this world is to be relentless, proactive, and adaptable. Opportunities won’t always fall into your lap—you have to go after them. 5 takeaways for anyone reading:

1. Be Fearless in Reaching Out

A lot of people hesitate to cold email or DM professionals they admire, but that’s exactly how you build connections. If you see someone in a role you want, reach out! Keep it short, express your interest, and ask for advice or a quick chat. Most people are willing to help if you show initiative. My best college investment was LinkedIn Premium, lol.

2. Take Every Opportunity—Big or Small

Not every internship will be the dream job, but every experience adds to your skill set. Whether it’s working in PR, social media, game day operations, or even assisting with events, say yes to everything—you never know what connections or lessons will come from it. I may have some big names on my resume, but I was also a camp counselor. And I LOVED that job. They are ALL important, and you should never take any role for granted.

3. Build a Portfolio & Personal Brand

If you want to work in sports media, content creation, or PR, start building your own work now. Shoot photos at games, create highlight reels, start a blog, or manage a small brand’s/your college team’s social presence. The more you can show, the better. And get yourself a Gondola account while you’re at it. BEST WEBSITE EVER. Here is mine, for example: https://gondola.cc/laurdemartino

4. Make Yourself Indispensable

Once you land an internship, go beyond your assigned tasks. Be the person who anticipates needs, volunteers for projects, and makes life easier for your team. That’s what makes people remember you and want to help you get your next opportunity.

5. Stay in Touch & Follow Up

A lot of people make connections but don’t maintain them. After an internship or networking conversation, follow up every few months—share what you’re working on or just check in. Relationships are everything in this industry. BE ANNOYING!!!!!

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

After your role with the NBA, you had the opportunity to work on the social/content team at Bauer and Maverik, traveling extensively for both teams. As part of their creative team, curating content and contributing to various projects, is there a particular memory or project that stands out to you? Was there a moment when you were able to incorporate your passion for storytelling into your work?

Definitely, the campaign I created called Behind the Mask stands out the most when I think about my passion for storytelling at work. In early April of 2024, I texted my coworker Cassidy, asking for a 10-minute call (which obviously turned into 3 hours) to talk about a crazy idea I had about sharing and capturing the stories of our Athletes from around the country. I never thought it would turn into the compelling campaign of Behind the Mask. I’m so grateful that she and the rest of our team at Maverik trusted me with such a captivating idea that would later become such a pillar of our team’s business. What sets us apart from our competitors is that we pull stories from beyond the benches. We showcase our athletes differently than what other companies bring to the table. I think it really says something about who we are as a brand, and that’s what I love about my job so much!

Your campaign, "Behind the Mask," was an idea you brought to Maverik with the goal of highlighting the stories of players and showing there's more to them than just the numbers people see on the scoreboard. Contributing to such a meaningful movement in the sports community, while tying in your passion for storytelling, is a significant accomplishment. What would you say is the biggest takeaway from this campaign? Did it inspire any future ideas or projects aimed at showcasing athletes as people, rather than just statistics?

Whether it was their personal hobbies, life mottos, or hidden talents, Behind the Mask celebrates athletes’ multifaceted identities, highlighting the human side of the game. I'm so honoured to have met the seven original guys who I interviewed for this campaign. I learned so much about them, about myself, and about interviewing, and it was the first time in a while that I genuinely felt fulfilled at a job. I was so proud of myself for bringing an idea that I had come to life. This idea originated because I saw a video of TJ Malone and Jack Posey, two players on the Penn State lacrosse team at the time, talking about themselves, not in regards to Lacrosse. I realized how human they were when I had only seen them on a Lacrosse field. I wanted so badly for the rest of the world to know who these guys were, so I took that idea and ran with it. I knew that names like that, along with every other name that’s been mentioned in the Behind the Mask campaign, would be names that the rest of the world should know and will remember someday, and that’s the reason why this campaign is so special to me.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

Having worked on various sides of the entertainment industry and with a deep love for it, how do you think storytelling influences and shapes the industry as a whole? How do you think these stories impact and inspire us as an audience?

Storytelling is the heartbeat of the entertainment industry—it shapes how we connect with ideas, emotions, and characters and has the power to shift culture in ways we don't always realize. Across movies, sports, music, or even marketing, storytelling isn’t just about sharing information—it’s about creating an emotional experience that resonates with the audience. Whether a fictional narrative or a real-life moment is captured, storytelling brings context, meaning, and depth to any situation. At its best, storytelling can change the way we think, act, or see the world. A powerful narrative can shift opinions, challenge norms, and inspire us to make a difference in the world around us. Whether it’s social justice, environmentalism, or just showing the value of kindness, stories are often the tools that ignite change. Art and entertainment, in general, are so important and powerful because they go straight to the heart; they help us say and address things that we may not know how to say and address ourselves.

Building trust with athletes is crucial for making them feel comfortable when creating social content, and it plays a big role in what you're able to produce. How do you think your ability to develop these relationships helps bring out their personalities and connect more authentically with the audience?

I think the biggest thing for me is treating them like regular people. Constantly, they get cameras and microphones shoved in their faces, and I genuinely do feel bad for them. So naturally, the last thing they wanna do is film a TikTok with me. I think being able to allow comfortability in our relationship right off the bat is super crucial. Nine times out of ten, I’m the same age, or at least the same age range, as most of the athletes I’m working with, so I definitely have an advantage. I can relate to these athletes on a level that sometimes my coworkers can’t. Just being able to treat them like a normal person and like a regular human being is the key to breaking that wall. I also think it’s important to mention that doing your research is key. It allows me to dive deeper into their background, motivations, and goals. By spending time with them and listening to their story, I can craft content that’s aligned with their narrative. This helps me understand their story and vision and earns me authentic moments that will create the best content.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

You’ve mentioned that your love for film photography comes from the fact that “you can’t see it, you can’t edit it, or redo it—it’s so raw and in the moment.” This approach has also influenced your creative work with Bauer, where you aim to capture the raw moments of athletes. How do you think capturing these authentic moments differs from shooting them digitally in terms of storytelling? Is there a specific moment you’ve captured for Bauer that stands out to you?

With film, you’re fully in the moment. There’s no instant feedback, no temptation to overanalyze—you have to trust your instincts and the energy of what’s happening. That unpredictability makes the final image feel more genuine, imperfect, and alive. It also creates a different dynamic with the athlete. Since they can’t see the result immediately, they’re not posing for perfection; they’re just being themselves. I think my favourite moment captured on film with Bauer is most definitely the Bauer Combine. I had the idea to give Rutger McGroarty, Cole Eiserman, and Zeev Buium disposable cameras for the day to capture the Bauer Combine in their eyes. I thought it would be a unique way to get a perspective from the eyes of our athletes while our social team was off doing their tasks for the Combine. Although I also shot film of my own at the Combine, I put the three boys to work without them even knowing. I was able to get multiple pieces of video content from this task while also getting hundreds of photos of my own and also from the boys. Still to this day, if you stumble across ‘Hockey Tok’ videos on TikTok, chances are you will find some of my photos as well as some film from the boys on your for you page, or even on your Pinterest feed. The film went viral overnight and continues to be an Internet sensation. Not only did the athletes love the idea of film photos for their personal Instagrams, but the TSA pre-check line definitely had some choice words about the 15 cameras I asked to be hand-checked at the Boston Logan International Airport after the Bauer Combine.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

Capturing life's moments has always been a core part of who you are, with a camera often in your hand since you were young. Is there a particular film photograph that holds deep personal significance to you? Can you share the story behind it?

I’ve taken thousands of film photos over the years, but this one has to be my favourite. I take so many photos of and with my friends, of athletes, landscapes, etc., but I never really get any of my Mom. This one was taken at Malibu Farm in Malibu, California. My Mom and I flew to California a week or so before I had to move into UCLA and did all of the tourist things. I am not super close with my family but she is my superhero and has truly saved my life, whether she knows it or not! I aspire to be half the Mom she is, and I love how beautiful she looks in this picture, even with my finger peeking on the right side. It speaks to how raw and real film photography is. This pre-trip was so much fun, and it was probably the last time I went somewhere really far and different with my Mom. I have it printed and hanging on my wall next to my bed, and it means so much to me. I am eternally grateful for her, and I love her so much.

Why is capturing both the meaningful and the everyday moments in life important to you? How does this approach influence your career and shape who you are as a person?

Capturing both the meaningful and the everyday moments is important to me because, at the end of the day, life is made up of both. The big milestones—graduations, birthdays, the ones we plan for, dream of, and work toward—are unforgettable, but it’s often the small, fleeting moments in between that hold the most emotion and meaning. A laugh shared with my friends, a peaceful sunset after a hectic day, a candid moment of pure joy—these are the pieces that make up a full, rich life.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

You’ve chosen “High on Life” by Martin Garrix as the song that best describes your journey, sharing how you get a rush from being alive, living the dream, and that is how it resonates with you. Although your career path shifted in college, leading you to where you are today, what does it mean to you to be doing something you love so deeply?

I love this song so much. For all of my life, I have never smoked, drank, or got into any of that stuff. And I definitely think that has impacted my journey and why I am the person I am. I genuinely am high on life, LOL. I get such a rush from being alive and have such a zest for life that sometimes it’s hard to describe in words. A friend once asked me why and how I could love everyone and everything. And I responded to them by saying, “That’s because everyone and everything is worth loving!!!” I genuinely love so deeply. Over the years, I used to think that it was a blessing and a curse, but as I grow older, I genuinely do think it’s the biggest blessing because love is a feeling, and to be able to feel so deeply is to know you’re alive! This is what makes life rich. That to feel is to live, and to love deeply is to experience life in its fullest form. I now understand that not everyone gets to experience that rush, that intensity, that deep-rooted connection to the world, but I do. And that’s not just a blessing—it’s a gift. One that makes me a better storyteller, a better creator, a better friend, and a better person. I truthfully believe I am always having another best day ever, every single day. I am very lucky, and I think it is my favourite quality about myself.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

Given all the accomplishments and aspirations you've already achieved at such a young age, what advice would you give to someone who looks up to you and the career you've built through bringing your passions in other aspects of your life and tying them into your career?

I will give the best two pieces of advice I was ever given: 1. One door closes, another door opens. 2. The worst that someone can say is no. Thank you, Mom, for both of those <3

Laur’s passion for authenticity in her work is just as evident in her personal life. Whether it’s capturing the beauty in what most would call mundane moments, telling her own story or someone else’s, shooting film photos highlighting the raw moments, or documenting life like a movie to reflect back on someday with loved ones, one theme remains constant: showing the beauty of life through her eyes. “High on Life” herself Laur believes that being able to feel is to live, and with the opportunity to make her mark on the world, she’s done so with full force.

Photos Provided by Laur DeMartino

Thank you so much for sharing your story Laur! It has been an absolute pleasure to be able shine a light on who you are beyond your title.

Disclaimer: The thoughts, experiences, and opinions shared in this article are solely those of Laur DeMartino and are based on her personal journey. They do not necessarily reflect the views of any organizations, sponsors, or institutions that Laur may be associated with.

To ensure accuracy and maintain context, Laur DeMartino reviewed this article before publication. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is strictly prohibited. For any inquiries or concerns regarding this article, please contact info@hazzemedia.com.