We were lucky to catch up with Oluwaseyi Tomori recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Oluwaseyi, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In 2019, at 25 years old, I decided to leave my hometown area of NYC and take the biggest risk of my life — stepping into the unknown to find my direction. I moved to Kansas City to stay with a close friend, recenter, and rebuild after feeling stuck financially, emotionally, and professionally. A year later, after my car was repossessed at the start of the pandemic, I was at a crossroads: return to NYC or keep pushing into new territory.

At the time, my dream of a music career in songwriting and recording still fueled me. An entertainment lawyer friend in Los Angeles encouraged me to move to Las Vegas — affordable living with weekend access to LA’s music scene. I took the leap. I worked in professional Hollywood studios, collaborated with industry names, even had the uniqueness of my sound compared by a music executive to the first time he heard the Migos. But behind the glamour, I saw the struggles, loneliness, and pressures that came with fame. I realized my happiness wasn’t tied to acclaim, but to creating genuine connections.

That insight almost led me into early education — inspired by my time as a paraprofessional/substitute teacher in Kansas City, where colleagues noted the impact I could have as a Black male educator. I researched certification programs, even planned a move to Jacksonville to teach. But when my car broke down, that plan collapsed, and I stayed in Las Vegas.

I pivoted again — this time to hospitality. Starting as an Office Coordinator at Tahiti Village Resort, I invested in my growth: earning a Certified Guest Service Professional credential, completing an Executive Diploma in Hospitality Operations, and leveraging my Bachelor of Science in Professional Communications with a Minor in Sociology from Farmingdale State College, which I had earned in 2017 — years before I left NYC, but which in hindsight gave me the foundation for my hospitality leadership career. Through mentorship, shadowing, and sheer drive, I became a Hotel Operations Manager at the Luxor — one of the largest hotels in the world — within just a year of entering the industry.

In hospitality leadership, I found the same fulfillment that once motivated my pursuit of a career in music — the art of creating experiences, evoking emotions, and connecting with people. Only now, my “audience” is both guests and the staff I mentor, leaving a lasting impact on their journeys.

Six years after leaving NYC, I’ve returned as a Front Office Manager at Dream Midtown. The risk I took in 2019 led me here — to a career where passion, purpose, and people meet, and where I can continue building my legacy.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Oluwaseyi (pronounced Oh-Lue-Wah-Shay-Yee) Olakunle Tomori — born and raised in Far Rockaway, Queens, the first American-born child of Nigerian parents, and the first in my family to graduate college. I earned my B.S. in Professional Communications with a Minor in Sociology from Farmingdale State College in 2017, where my passion for storytelling and connecting with people first began to take shape through music, performing, radio broadcasting, poetry, and community projects.

Before hospitality, I spent years pursuing my dream as a songwriter, recording artist, and performer — a journey featured in local outlets like The Rockaway Wave and on campus in Farmingdale’s online “Student Spotlight.” I shot music videos in my hometown, performed across venues in the NYC/Long Island area and the country, recorded in professional studios in Hollywood, and collaborated with industry professionals. Music taught me the power of creating emotional connections and memorable experiences — the same skills I now bring to my hospitality career.

When I pivoted to hospitality, I rose methodically and quickly from an Office Coordinator in Las Vegas to Hotel Operations Manager at the Luxor, one of the largest hotels in the world. Today, I’m a Front Office Manager at Dream Midtown in Manhattan, blending my creative instincts with leadership, operations expertise, and a focus on developing high-performing teams while still writing and recording/performing new material .

What sets me apart is my ability to connect deeply — with guests, staff, and partners — and to create experiences that leave a lasting emotional impact. Whether I’m curating luxury guest/client stays and experiences or mentoring future hospitality leaders, my work is about making people feel seen, valued, and inspired. I’m most proud of my ability to adapt, grow, and channel my creativity into leadership that makes a difference.

For me, hospitality is an art form — much like music — and my mission is to ensure every interaction hits the right note.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist — and now, in many ways, as a hospitality leader — has always been the ability to connect with people and bring them together. In a world that often feels divided, knowing that an idea I turned into a song could unite people who might otherwise have nothing in common except that one shared connection — to me as an artist, or to a particular message — was and still is incredibly fulfilling. I’d look out into a crowd and see faces of different ages, backgrounds, and beliefs all experiencing the same moment together.

That same feeling is what I’ve found in hospitality management. Whether it’s guests from opposite sides of the world sharing a memorable stay or team members collaborating toward a shared goal, I get to create spaces where people connect, feel valued, and share experiences they’ll carry with them long after.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

“The Power of Now ”
“The GAP and the GAIN,”
“The Secret” film documentary
“The Subtle Art of not Giving a F**k”
“The 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seenbyseyi/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oluwaseyi-tomori-b-s-cgsp-9b7a3175/
• Other: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/seyisounds/i-know-you-know

Image Credits

William Escobar