Today we’d like to introduce you to Leon Ondieki.
Hi Leon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started creating content on TikTok in late 2019 while I was a senior in high school. When I first began creating content, I was very introverted. I was afraid of confrontation and would rather keep to myself than attend social events. As my account began to grow and I was forced to decide what direction to take my content, I decided to take a step outside of my comfort zone and do public interviews. That is one of the best risks I have ever taken. High school me would not believe how comfortable I have become while filming my videos, how easy it is for me to interact with people, or the fact that I was able to complete a live T.V interview. Creating content that involves so much social interaction has forced me to outgrow my introverted nature and I could not be more proud of where I am today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is time management. As a full-time college student and content creator, I often ran into situations where I would have to choose between studying for a class or editing a video. Because of this, I’ve had periods of time where I was unable to upload videos. This would lead to a decrease in views, and if the period of inactivity was long enough, I would actually lose followers. Another issue I’ve had to face is finding locations to record. I have to record in public environments because my videos are centered around social interaction. This has unfortunately led to me being kicked out of several locations because of strict no photography without prior permission policies.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I primarily create content that involves social interaction with my community. I originally began creating content in high school in my senior year of high school. My first viral video was a fitness skit recorded after my weight training class. Following the virality of that first video, I soon began searching for a niche. I tried various video concepts before realizing that videos that involve social interaction were my favorite. Following this realization, I started my hair tangled series which is my most viral series to date. The most viewed video in this series has amassed over 66.7 million views. After graduating from high school and beginning my college career I added a few more series to my account including the sign videos and “what song are you listening to” series. The sign videos consist of me holding a sign that has a challenge written on it. The first person to complete the challenge wins a prize. The “what song are you listening to” series is a quick-paced series that consists of me walking up to students on college campuses and asking them what song they’re listening to.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
|I wish I knew the importance of consistency and time management when I first began creating content. Posting consistently has forced me to develop a much more efficient schedule because I now have the expectation to create, edit and post a video every day. This has led to increased performance in my academic career as well because of my more efficient schedule. I have dedicated timeslots for recording videos, doing homework, going to the gym, and relaxing. Because of this, I am able to complete all my tasks without feeling burned out.
Contact Info:
- Email: leon.ondbusiness@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
leon_o__/ - Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@leon.
ond
