Laura Dotson
Laura Dotson | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 13, 1968 Thousand Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Auctioneer, television personality |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | Storage Wars |
Laura Dotson (born May 13, 1968) is a seasoned American auctioneer who has been professionally active since 1988. Alongside her husband, Dan Dotson, she co-manages American Auctioneers, a comprehensive auction service provider located in Riverside, California. She gained widespread recognition as the auctioneer featured on A&E's Storage Wars.
Early life
Raised in Thousand Oaks, California, Dotson embarked on her auctioneering career in 1988.
American Auctioneers
In 1996, Laura Dotson connected with Dan Dotson and became his partner in business as well as co-owner of American Auctioneers, a firm originally established by Dan in 1983. The company conducts auctions involving storage units, estates, business stock, equipment, legal and foreclosure sales, fundraising events, and appraisals. Laura typically conducts an average of two auctions per day, six days each week.
Additionally, she operates StorageAuctions.net, a digital platform that lists self-storage auctions throughout the United States and Canada.
Storage Wars
Since December 2010, Laura and Dan have been featured on A&E's reality television show Storage Wars, which documents professional bidders competing for defaulted storage units. Laura generally acts as the ringman while Dan performs the auctioneer role; however, they occasionally swap these duties. Her auction chant is characterized by clearer filler words and a slower pace compared to Dan’s faster, more complex multi-syllabic delivery.
Her participation on Storage Wars has attracted attention from various media outlets such as The Washington Post, USA Today, and TMZ. In 2015, producer Thom Beers acknowledged that Dan and Laura Dotson served as the inspiration behind the show's concept.
Television appearances
- Storage Wars (2010–present)
- Happening Now – Dan and Laura discuss discovering gold treasure at auction
- Hot in Cleveland – Cameo appearance by Dan and Laura in season 3 episode titled "Storage Wars"
- Fox & Friends – Featured guests Dan and Laura
- Anderson Live – Appeared alongside Jimmy Fallon
- The Home and Family Show – Guest appearances by Dan and Laura