After graduating from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland, Anna held a variety of project management roles before embarking on a quest to grow her career in the music industry. Since this decision, she has acquired experience with key players in the industry, including in her current role here at TikTok.
We spoke with Anna to learn more about how her passion for music led her to working at TikTok and why her current role suits her passion for developing up-and-coming artists. Anna also discussed with us her thoughts of the company culture and why she believes people should consider a career at TikTok.
So, what is your background and how did you end up at TikTok?
"I am a Sociologist by education, but I'm a music nerd by passion! I started off as a music promoter and worked with many artists, bands, and labels, particularly those of Polish origin. I would often organise live events, festivals, and all sorts of collaborations across both the British and Polish music industries. However, there was a point in my career when I became really interested in how the music industry changes, and how much of this reshaping is influenced by new technologies. So, when I had the opportunity to work for TikTok - I took it! I believed that this was a new player in the field and would be an exciting company to be part of. Thankfully, I wasn't wrong and we are making a huge impact on the industry!"
Can you tell us more about your role and what you have achieved so far?
"My job is to oversee the music content on the app and work with other teams, such as Community Management and Operations to promote artists and their new releases. I am constantly working with data, which is not a surprise since we are a tech company after all! But more specifically I have to analyse what music is performing really well on our platform already, as well as what is trending outside of the TikTok ecosystem that could potentially aid growth and bring more diversity to our content. As you can probably imagine, my role at TikTok is incredibly fast paced, so myself and the team achieve an awful lot during the week! However, if I had to pick one it would definitely be the recent work I did with a French rapper called 'Naps' from the south of France (@napsvraicompte). As he was new to the TikTok platform, the challenge was to create space for a music genre that didn't have that much presence on the app. So, we decided to collaborate with him, the label and some of the top French TikTokers, which resulted in reaching thousands of fans within just one week of the campaign. This was really exciting not only because we achieved a lot in such a short span of time, but also because of the incredible impact it shows we can make on future artist's careers."
How would you describe the company culture and what characteristic do you think is essential for people to succeed in this environment?
"A company's culture for me is often demonstrated by the types of people that they hire and how they behave. Here, I feel like everybody is really professional and has a fantastic background in terms of their careers. However, what's comforting is that despite all their successes, my colleagues are still very humble and open to learning or listening to other people's perspectives - which is great to see! Also, as we are a start-up, many of us are focused on building things from scratch - whether that is processes, workflows, or projects - and to do that we really have to practie our 'always day 1' company value. This ability to think like an entrepreneur is very important, as it is a constructive way to add real value to not only TikTok as an organisation, but also develop our own aspirations.
In terms of essential characteristics for success, I would honestly suggest all of those I have just mentioned that my colleagues have. If I had to choose one though, it would probably be an admiration for diversity. I think this quality is particularly important when working in our London office, as it is both a thriving hub of different cultures and also a place where your role is full of variety and can change at anytime. For example, you can't be discouraged when a project focus suddenly changes a hundred and eighty degrees - because it can be inevitable and if so, usually it's for the better. Obviously, we all know that it's challenging to accept, but that's the beauty of it!"
Final question, why do you think a job seeker should consider working at TikTok?
"Firstly, I think it is the fact that when working here, anyone can make an impact in a very tangible way! It is very easy to feel like you own a project and are the parent of its success, which is a really rewarding experience. Secondly, I would definitely have to say the opportunity to work in teams with immense diversity! Everybody here is incredibly talented and have emerged from a wide array of fantastic backgrounds. When you work in such an environment it makes you feel very humble about your own career but also ambitious about what you want to achieve, as you can learn from your colleagues and feel like you have the right support around you to accomplish those goals. And finally, I think that because TikTok is still in its early days when compared to other companies in the digital landscape, it is super exciting to be part of what seems to be a very promising journey ahead."
At TikTok, we believe in doing great things with the right people, and this includes sharing responsibilities on meaningful projects, and fostering the growth of all our employees. We believe that enabling our global talents to work in a flexible environment, and with respect to their own interests, provides the best opportunity to develop innovative and entrepreneurial mindsets. Anna's self-starter attitude, along with her passion for music, has greatly complemented her role contributions, and made her a perfect advocate of our "Always Day 1" philosophy.
Do you want to a success story of your own? Find out more about our career opportunities by following TikTok on LinkedIn.
At TikTok, it's your turn to make a change!
