Rob Coble began his career in the music industry, where he specialized in retail and marketing, working with such stars as U2, Eminem, Reba McEntire, and Andrea Bocelli, among many others. In 2004, he joined Full Sail University as Industry Outreach Manager, where his time and experience incubated his projects today: the This Is Orlando podcast and his consulting firm, Rob Coble – Professional Development and Career Services. Rob is a member of the Boards of Directors for the Non-Profit serves on the council for Seminole Tech. Association, OrlandoiX, and Otronicon. In all his roles, Rob helps others to stay true to who they are and to successfully network, communicate, and find opportunities— and reach their goals—no matter their industry.
ELEVATOR PITCH
The podcast This Is Orlando is building awareness of the various activities and opportunities for people to connect and become more a part of the Central Florida community. And its founder, Rob Coble, a local career counselor with decades of experience, is just the man for the job.
OUR STORY
“The one thing about Orlando that’s kinda tough,” says Rob Coble, “is that Orlando is so filled with passion, and there are so many great people doing so many great things—there are so many choices—that many people are still trying to find that niche of where they can get in there and make the biggest impact.”
Rob Coble is so dedicated to fixing this problem, that he has developed two different solutions: the podcast This Is Orlando and, well, himself— specifically, his career-counseling firm, which he established in 2017.
A music-industry veteran, Rob followed his bliss elsewhere, and in 2004, ended up at Full Sail University, where for over a decade he worked with students in gaming and technology, teaching them about networking and “how to locate that 90% of jobs you won’t find on the Internet,” Rob says.
“As great as technology is, finding a job or making connections with people can be done [only] superficially online. If you really want to make that good connection and be a part of something, you’re going to have to meet these people face to face, in person and interview them. You can’t ‘OMG, LOL’ your way through an interview.”
As interest grew, Rob created Facebook pages, Twitter threads, and other online groups to help his students, and others like them, build systems of support. In terms of offering valuable advice, a podcast was a natural progression.
There are so many great things happening. If we could find a way to bottle the passion, we would be a huge tech center for the world.– Rob Coble – Career Management Consultant
Before it became This Is Orlando, Rob’s podcast was called Networking Nerds. “It was kind of based around the game and tech community, giving kids the skills on how to work a room, how to make connections with other people in their industry,” he says.
But Rob saw the potential to feature other community groups, start-ups, and events when he first encountered the Orlando Economic Partnership’s hashtag, #ThisIsOrlando. With their permission to use the phrase to rename his podcast, Rob expanded his coverage and audience.
“I wanted to cater to bringing together like-minded people who wanted to make a difference,” he says. A recent guest on This Is Orlando, for example, was Castle Church Brewing Community, a local church with a brewery and taproom onsite. While the concept is somewhat playful, it shows a commitment to community—and that’s just the kind of thinking Rob wants to illuminate through This is Orlando.
Today, the podcast has thousands of subscribers, and Rob is enthusiastic about its potential to empower the Central Florida community; in the past, it has existed mostly in the shadow of tourism.
“When it comes to the creativity and the people of Orlando, the community is thriving,” Rob says. “There are so many great things happening. If we could find a way to bottle the passion, we would be a huge tech center for the world. We’ve got a lot more than Disney World, we’ve got a lot more than orange groves. There’s a lot of really cool things happening, and the quality of life here is awesome.”
Rob hopes that This Is Orlando will continue as a great platform for any Central Floridian with a great story or who is involved with the community, whether through a nonprofit or a meetup. To learn more about being featured, visit his website, robcoble.org.
