About Us Meet the Staff

Nicole Darden Creston

All Things Considered Host & Reporter

Nicole came to Central Florida to attend Rollins College and started working for Orlando’s ABC News Radio affiliate shortly after graduation. She joined Central Florida Public Media in 2010. As a field reporter, news anchor and radio show host in the City Beautiful, she has covered everything from local arts to national elections, from extraordinary hurricanes to historic space flights, from the people and procedures of Florida’s justice system to the changing face of the state’s economy. When local issues have received international attention, Nicole has reported worldwide for TV news outlets such as CNN, HLN, ABC, Fox News Channel, and BBC News 24.

When she’s off duty, Nicole can often be found performing with one of Central Florida’s many theatre companies, or taking in local arts, culture and music.

SPOTLIGHT: Maker Faire Orlando has robots, racers and a community of creators

Nicole Darden Creston

Maker Faire Orlando elevates DIY to an art form, with locals building fighting robots, elaborate costumes, bionic limbs, hand-crafted instruments, and 3D-printed everything.
Featured Stories

SPOTLIGHT: How would Amendment 3 affect arts funding in Central Florida?

Nicole Darden Creston

United Arts of Central Florida is running a just-the-facts information campaign that spells out what could happen to local arts if Amendment 3 passes.
SPOTLIGHT: Bach Festival explores ‘classical surround sound’ with Berlioz Requiem

Nicole Darden Creston

Have you ever heard classical music written for a surround sound performance? The Bach Festival Society offers that rare chance Sunday, when 300 musicians present Berlioz Requiem at Steinmetz Hall.
SPOTLIGHT: Rock Cauldron Cabaret brings some ‘hocus pocus’ to Orlando

Nicole Darden Creston

The Rock Cauldron Cabaret is a jukebox musical that brings the “hocus pocus” of Winifred, Mary and Sarah to the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts this weekend.
SPOTLIGHT: Orlando-based film features filmmaker’s sister in focus on caregiving and disability

Nicole Darden Creston

“Take Me Home” was filmed at the home of writer/director Liz Sargent and stars her sister, Anna, who has cognitive disabilities. It examines disability, aging, and the work of caregiving.
SPOTLIGHT: Celebrity impersonators converge on Orlando for industry convention

Nicole Darden Creston

Marilyn Monroe, Captain Jack Sparrow, Britney Spears, and Austin Powers walk into a bar. No, that's not the setup for a joke, it’s a few of the personalities seen at the Sunburst Convention of Celebrity Impersonators.
Featured Stories

SPOTLIGHT: Orlando Mural Festival makes downtown a colorful canvas

Nicole Darden Creston

Downtown Orlando gets a glow-up this weekend, as the Orlando Mural Festival comes to paint the town red (and other colors, too). You can watch 15 artists create new large-scale murals across downtown.
SPOTLIGHT: Former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins reads his 9/11 poem “The Names” at Rollins commemoration

Nicole Darden Creston

A commemoration of 25 years since 9/11 at Rollins College will feature former U.S. Poet Laureate and author Billy Collins reading his poem, “The Names.”
SPOTLIGHT: “The Guys” marks 25 years after 9/11 with story of firefighters, human connection

Nicole Darden Creston

The play “The Guys” was written by journalist Anne Nelson. It’s based on her true story of helping a bereaved fire captain write eulogies for the firefighters he’d lost on 9/11.
SPOTLIGHT: Orlando Out Fest celebration of LGBTQ artists returns for third year

Nicole Darden Creston

The 3rd annual Orlando Out Fest runs September 10 -13. It’s a weekend-long performing arts and film festival featuring local LGBTQ+ stories, artists and history.