Today we’d like to introduce you to Shari Lucas.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Shari. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am the Senior Events and Sales Manager at Two Bit Circus, located in the Arts District of Los Angeles. Two Bit Circus is the first of its kind “micro-amusement park” and I have been responsible for creating, developing and growing the event sales department from the ground up. It’s absolutely been a great journey getting to this point in my career.
My love for events started when I served as the Special Events Chair during my undergraduate years. I had so much fun planning and creating new events at my college campus,California State University Northridge. It seemed like a no brainer for me to follow that up with a gig in the events industry right out of college, but that was not the case for me. I was enticed at the prospect of “adulting” so I opted for a cushy corporate job in an unrelated industry. It was the safest and most conservative decision to make at the time. After a few years at this job, I felt uninspired and frustrated for not following my true passion. I’d go to happy hour with my peers, and they told exciting stories about their workday and I felt like they were fulfilling their life’s purpose. Meanwhile, I was sitting behind a desk all day, wearing a boring old suit, counting the hours until I could comfortably rock my ripped jeans and Chuck Taylors. I knew it was time to take a leap of faith and toss ‘safe” and “conservative” out the window, so I took an entry-level position as an Events Coordinator. I have to admit it was kind of offbeat to hit the reset button. Most of my peers were moving towards executive positions, but for me, it was now or never.
I spent the next few years working relentlessly. I operated with the “first one in the office last one out the office” mentality. I read every sales book I could get my hands on and committed myself to creating epic events for my clients. Personally and professionally, I was feeling more confident and looking like my old self again. I eventually transitioned into the events destination industry. It was here that I was able to hone my skills and excel in the area of event sales. I earned several awards for exceeding annual sales goals and eventually, I was tasked with turning around an underperforming sales department at another location. I worked hard to make my way up to a senior manager position. After a few years in this role and realizing the room for advancement was small, once again I jumped back into the job market to make a career move.
I was scrolling through LinkedIn one day and there was a message from a recruiter at Two Bit Circus. I remember thinking, “a circus in downtown LA?” Sounds like a place that would totally accept my big personality! I was not familiar with the gaming industry, but after meeting with the founders, Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman, as well as the executive team of the company and seeing their vision and blueprint for what was to come, I was convinced this was the right move. I knew this was the place that I could make a real splash in the events industry by being a part of something so groundbreaking. Also, my nine years old self once told my dad that I wanted to work at Chuck E. Cheese when I grew up. Coincidentally, Brent’s father, Nolan Bushnell, is the founder of Chuck E. Cheese. I was happy to report to my dad that my dream came true… in a more futuristic way!
Has it been a smooth road?
During the early part of my career, I was blessed to give birth to my son. As any new mother developing their career in corporate America will tell you, it can make life even more challenging and rewarding. All parents want to give their children a better life than what they had. I dedicated myself to doing so by working long hours. There were many of my son’s childhood moments that I missed due to work. Having to manage events for 10-12 hours on numerous occasions, I sacrificed precious time with my son. Of course, I wanted to be home with him, but there wouldn’t be a home if I didn’t work. I was the breadwinner so I knew where I had to be. However, this became more challenging when my son’s father and I split. I found myself moving back in with my parents with my three year old son. I was completely broken and I fell into a depression. Fortunately, I was blessed to have my family as a support system. My parents were my saving grace. My mom would pick my son up from school and my dad would entertain him while I was at school. At the same time, I enrolled in a rigorous one year Graduate Business Administration program at CSUN to prepare myself for taking the next step in my career. That year, I became laser-focused on my goals. Not just my professional goals but also my goals as a mother. I reworked my schedule to include time for mommy and son outings where we could spend quality time without any distractions from work. I truly learned the meaning of a work-life balance and it’s something that I continue to work on. One year later, I was recruited to manage a multi-million dollar events sales department in Irvine, CA. I cried tears of joy in the office that day. All my sacrifices, hard work and prayers had paid off. This opportunity was a pivotal moment in my career, launching it into an awesome direction and setting me up for more success. I have my son, my parents, and the hardships that life will throw at you to thank for it.
I also had to overcome my own personal struggle of how to balance creating my own voice and style versus assimilating to what I thought was expected of a woman in the corporate workplace. I wanted to make a positive impact on the company’s success while fully representing the amazing talent of women of color. I wanted to be my authentic self by embracing my culture and background. I’m glad I’ve been able to do just that when I come into work everyday.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Two Bit Circus – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Based in Los Angeles, Two Bit Circus is a community of entertainment and engineering enthusiasts who combine a love of technology with [mad] invention in pursuit of the future of fun. Two Bit Circus offers a platform to showcase best-in-class interactive entertainment from all over the world while bringing people together in-person and virtually to experience life at the highest resolution. At Two Bit Circus, we not only host the general public but birthday parties, Bar Mitzvahs, Happy Hours, Team Building, Holiday Parties, etc. We have created experiential events for companies such as NBC, ABC, Netflix, Warner Music Group, Ernst & Young, Oracle, Activision, Google, SpaceX and a host of A-List Hollywood celebrities.
In light of the current climate, I’m so proud of our company for leading the way in the innovation of virtual events. We have an awesome team, and it has been a great platform for me to be creative and produce events locally and globally.
My ability to create a genuine connection with each client sets me apart from others. Some of my past clients are now my good friends. Planning events are complicated, there are so many stakeholders, players, and components. I would like to think that as long as I keep the clients’ best interests as the primary priority and act with integrity during each stage of our collaboration, this in turn leads to a successful event and a long-lasting relationship.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the everything about LA. I was born in South Central Los Angeles and everything about LA from the culture, the people to the amazing street food speaks to my soul.
Pricing:
- Our current program, Two Bit Circus REMOTE starts at $500 for a group and scale up depending on the number of users, customization, etc. It’s a great way to bring people together from anywhere in the world.
Contact Info:
- Address: 634 Mateo Street Los Angeles, CA 90021
- Website: www.twobitcircus.com
- Phone: 213.805.6901
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/twobitcircus
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/twobitcircus
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