By Becky Maxedon

When Kelli Fadroski left Lake Havasu City, she had no idea what was in store for her and what her future would bring.

She didn’t know that a career would take her to exciting events and afford her the opportunity to rub elbows with entertainment elites and further. But, she says, her rise didn’t happen overnight.

Fadroski left Lake Havasu City in 2000 – the day after graduation.

She moved with her family to Lake Havasu in 1995 and attended Lake Havasu High School from 1996-2000.

“I moved to Lake Havasu City in 1995, from Oceanside, Calif., and left the day after graduation,” she said.

“I had a lot of fun (in Lake Havasu City). I had many great friends, was part of several school activities and was on the Knight Life newspaper staff,” she said.

Summers were spent on the lake or working for Fadroski. “Mostly at Parks & Recs over at the Aquatic Center and Oro Grande. I also worked at Baskin Robbins, and my junior year, I got hired at the Desert Outlook as a typesetter and assistant to the editor,” she said.

And that was the beginning spark, lighting a journalism fire.

Fadroski poses with the crew from TV45 during her early journalism days in Lake Havasu. Photo courtesy Kelli Fadroski.

Fadroski said there were several people who helped shape her future.

“Larry and Brian, two super talented radio personalities at Mad Dog Wireless, allowed me to mess around and learn in the studio and record voiceovers.

“Wendy Miller and Sue Coakley, who hired me at the age of 15 to work at Desert Outlook. And, of course, my parents. They’re both still Lake Havasu City residents. My dad, who goes by Ski, retired from the USMC in 1995, and continued to work hard up until his second retirement a few years back. My mom, Lori Fadroski, worked at LHHS and later for the school district.

“They all pushed me, challenged me, questioned me, cheered me on and encouraged me.”

Fadroski attended Fullerton College and graduated from Cal State Fullerton in Southern California.

“With just two years of experience under my belt, I moved to Orange County, Calif., at the age of 17, and immediately reached out to as many local magazines as I could to try to get freelance work. Somehow, I convinced these editors to hire me and I was given photo assignments, concerts to review and punk rock and metal bands to interview.”

While she was a student at Fullerton College, she took various day jobs (Nordstrom cashier, daycare worker, record store sales manager).

“I managed to work for a handful of publications in the evenings and make a name for myself in the indie rock, punk rock, ska and metal music and magazine worlds. My senior year at Cal State Fullerton, one of my professors worked at the Orange County Register as the theater critic and encouraged me to turn in my resume to his editor.

“I walked in for an interview in 2006, and I was hired as a part-time member of the entertainment team. On top of my regular event listing duties, I also wrote concert reviews and interviewed comedians for the paper. Five months in, I was offered a full-time position.

“I worked at the company in a variety of capacities, but mostly as an entertainment reporter.”

She said she has interviewed “everyone, from Aretha Franklin, Gwen Stefani and Taylor Swift to Ozzy Osbourne, Stevie Wonder and Dave Grohl.”

Fadroski poses with Taylor Swift in a photo. Photo courtesy Kelli Fadroski

She’s been to more than 3,000 concerts, including covering major festivals like Coachella, Stagecoach and Ohana and award shows like the Grammys and BET Awards.

In 2022, she was promoted to a features editor position at the Orange County Register, which had become part of the Southern California News Group, where she oversaw a team of reporters and also wrote entertainment and music content for 12 print newspapers and websites within five Southern California counties.

“After 18 years, almost to the day, I left the Orange County Register/SCNG in March 2024, to go work for AEG, a global sporting and music entertainment presenter, as communications manager at Crypto.com Arena (home of the Los Angeles Lakers), Peacock Theater and L.A. LIVE.”

She said she was the kid that was always listening to music.

“I always had my headphones on and I was excited to dig in bargain bins at record stores and discover new (or new to me) artists. At 15, I had no idea how I was going to become a music journalist, or what that even meant. I just knew that I loved reading about my favorite bands in magazines and it seemed like the writers had some sort of superpower to be able to churn out content like they did.

“I wanted something and I went after it. It didn’t come without a ton of hard work and sacrifice, but it’s been a fantastic and unbelievable journey.

Fadroski Poses for a photo with Ozzy Osborne. Photo courtesy Kelli Fadroski

“I’ve always said that I’ve gotten to do things and have experiences that billionaires can’t even buy, and for that I’m forever grateful,” she said.

She said that for her, going to a live concert or a comedy show, is an escape.

“It’s the ultimate escape. For those few hours, you get to leave the world behind and be immersed in this magical space with a few dozen or a few thousand of your new best friends and share that experience. You can laugh, sing along, dance, cry, whatever you need to do, it doesn’t matter.

“Those moments are yours to live and have the very best time. In the first act of my career, I was the journalist that brought the experience and artists closer to fans through my words and photos. Now, in the second act of my career, working on the PR and marketing side of things, I get to be part of an incredible team that helps bring these events to life for thousands of fans in a world-class arena in Los Angeles.

“It all feels pretty surreal, but also very full circle.”

While Fadroski still lives in Orange County, she said she doesn’t get back to Lake Havasu City as often as she would like to. But she does come back a couple of times a year to visit parents and friends.