2022-July-28
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From Cisco to TikTok: Luke Reynolds Wants to Make the Whole World Sing
BY LUKE REYNOLDS · VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY SELLER · UNITED STATES
3 MINUTE READ · 4 MINUTE LISTEN
I started my journey as a collaboration virtual sales specialist at Cisco in January 2020. I then transitioned to a virtual technology seller three months later.
This was around the time when the world came to a halt. Most people were staying indoors and avoiding large crowds, which gave way to a new way to entertain.
During a team meeting, I had casually mentioned I played guitar and sang for fun. The next thing I knew, I was asked to play for a small team meeting of five-to-10 people. This was totally out of character for me as I’m a shy person.
I received a lot of positive encouragement and feedback after playing for that team meeting.
Surprisingly, later, I won a global virtual seller (GVS) talent competition and even played at a special GVS ELT meeting in December 2020. To date, I have played at over 10 Cisco work meetings.
This thrill of entertaining my coworkers sparked something inside of me.
I enjoyed playing for people live and getting real-time feedback in Webex. I started looking for a venue where I could continue my live shows, and I landed on TikTok.
TikTok provided a simple interface for me to go live, play music, and sing, so I decided to devote all my time and effort to this one platform.
My TikTok adventure began simply: Once everybody in my household went to bed and my workday was completed, I would hop on the app to make people happy through music.
I played my initial shows to an audience of zero people, but eventually, they trickled in. More and more people came and really enjoyed my nightly livestreams. These newfound fans gave me real-time feedback and encouraged me to continue. Several Cisco coworkers came to those first late-night livestreams. Over time, the live audience grew, and my follower count grew with it.
In early January 2022, I joined an agency to help my music journey. This agency gave me direct access to TikTok Live leadership and was an amazing opportunity.
When I started with the agency, I had approximately 4,000 followers. I was very coachable and had a strong, loyal following. And I worked hard to improve my live shows.
In the middle of May, I finished No. 5 in the entire United States for TikTok Live earners.
This win, coupled with several other achievements, prompted TikTok Live leadership to invite me to their Los Angeles headquarters.
At their HQ in June 2022, I had the tremendous honor of going live on TikTok for my audience at their special studio.
Today, I have almost 30,000 followers. And my following keeps growing exponentially each day.
It’s been a very exciting journey. This would not have been possible without my Cisco coworkers. Playing for them and hearing their positive feedback lit the spark of joy that inspired me to continue my music journey.
My life has changed so much from this experience. The best part is I can attempt to fulfill a dream without it affecting my family or work-life balance.
Up next in my journey: Recording my first original single and perhaps returning to Los Angeles to shoot a music video. To follow along, check me out @LukeReynoldsMusic.
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