Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe O’Connor.
Hi Joe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am adopted into a family of six boys, born and raised in the West End of Henrico, and after completing my undergraduate degree, I moved back to Richmond to start my professional career. I had started doing social media while still in school and continued as a hobby throughout my post-grad career. Having grown up in Richmond, I have always had a vast knowledge of different local restaurants, shops, bars, clubs, etc. and realized, while many people in this day in age use social media, specifically TikTok, to source recommendations while traveling or for new spots to try, I realized there was a niche I could fill with my knowledge, as Richmond lacked a certain social media presence. I started documenting different spots around Richmond, both spots that have been around for decades as well as new restaurant and retail store openings. I created a few series on my TikTok acoount, one titled ‘Tourist in My Own Town” where I made it a point to almost romanticize different activities around the Richmond area that I may overlook as a local, but still offer great experiences. This was mostly inspired by my long standing goal to move to New York City, so I took this as a personal opportunity to really enjoy the city that raised me while also documenting and sharing all that Richmond has to offer. The other series I created was called “Dinner 2 DJ”, which was inspired by Virginia’s ABC laws that regulate the percentage of revenue a restaurant can make on alcohol versus food. In this series, my friends and I created a list of places we love to frequent on nights out, and would go during the day to try the food they had to offer. Then we would, of course, go to the establishment later that night to dance and have fun, and document both the dining experience as well as the nightlife experience. This series in particular was very popular and after starting it, many people started to recognize me from the videos when I would be out at bars with my friends. I am definitely not the first person to hone in on Richmond on social media, but since I started, it has been awesome to see other social media creators join in on exploring Richmond and highlighting all it has to offer. I have since achieve my dreams of moving to New York City, which left multiple spots on my list for both series undocumented, but Richmond will always be home, so they won’t stay undocumented forever!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Overall, the process was smooth, having been born and raised in the area and already having a vast knowledge of spots around Richmond. A tricky part of social media is appealing to certain audiences. Locals in Richmond are very loyal to their favorite spots, and social media has an extraordinary way of reaching such a wide audience, so for many, this poses an inconvenience to them if their small, hole-in-the wall joint they know and love blows up on social media and becomes more populated. You always have to walk a fine line of wanting to show love and appreciation for spots while also realizing not everyone is going to appreciate the attention with fear of losing the ‘secrecy’ of their favorite local spots.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My career path is definitely a winding one. I received a Bachelor of Science in Biology with the intentions of attending Medical School, so when I returned to Richmond after college, I began working full time in a bioanalytical laboratory performing pharmaceutical research on the Covid-19 vaccine while simultaneously working PRN in Oncology at VCU Medical Center. My time in the medical field led me to realize that medicine wasn’t the best fit for me, so I pivoted to marketing and advertising and have continued in that field ever since.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
The two biggest risks I ever taken coincided with one another: the first being my career shift from medicine to advertising, the second being leaving home and moving to New York City. Entering a completely different career field solely based on work experience and not my degree was a very risky move, but overall I am very happy with the decision and the work I perform now feels much more aligned with my passions and who I am as a person. Leaving the comfort of Richmond and my friends, family, and colleagues who have always been my backbone was a very scary step to take, as this is the first big move I have ever completed, but it has always been a huge dream of mine and I am so happy I took the risk because while Richmond provided a certain level of comfort for me, it is nearly impossible to achieve personal growth within comfortability.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willie.joe/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@joconnor234?lang=en
