Hi, everyone!
The powers-that-be decided that I should take part in the Wyze Employee Spotlight! I think that they just wanted to give me something sweet for my birthday this month. Thanks for checking it out! 
Name: Gwendolyn Evans
Pronouns: They/Them/Their
Team: Cross-Product Experience (Community)
Role: Senior Digital Community Manager
1. Why did you choose Wyze (Why Wyze)?
I actually joined Wyze before the launch of our first product. I had recently graduated from Indiana University and moved to Seattle. My original job prospect failed, so I was job hunting when I saw an interesting job posting in a Facebook group. I applied for it even though I was definitely not qualified and spent the whole night researching what I would need to know to be a Social Media Manager (different from community management because it has more of a marketing emphasis and often includes asset creation). They Wyzely didn’t give me that job after I completely bombed the interview. But they liked me and my writing skills so they decided to make a new position for me even though we hadn’t launched and didn’t know if our doors would be open by December.
Wyze chose me and I choose Wyze every day! I love my Wyze family.
2. What team are you on and what do they do?
I’m on the Cross-Product Experience team! We’re a little bit of the misfit crew because we work with pretty much everyone at Wyze so we don’t fit neatly onto any of the existing teams. We’re currently under the Product Team umbrella.
Our primary areas are internal and external communication, hardware testing, and community management. However, my team is full of people with specialties. We have people that help with creating social content, drafting emails (such as Jimmy from Wyze’s shipping updates), updating our online shops, and more! We have an incredibly diverse set of skills and it helps keep us integrated at Wyze and make things roll smoothly. Our manager, Mark, is absolutely fantastic at being a manager and makes sure we all have what we need to succeed and are doing well. It makes such a difference to be on a team that cares so much about each other.
3. How long have you been with Wyze and what do you do here?
I’ve been at Wyze since October 2nd, 2017! While I’m the Senior Digital Community Manager and work in Wyze Core Community on Facebook and in our forum, I also help lead our amazing team of volunteers and assist with copy editing, hardware testing, creating processes, and facilitating internal and external communication. I take the information you all tell me and send it where it needs to go! If an emergency happens, I camp out with the engineers on a video call and make sure that you all get information as reliably as possible.
4. What’s your favorite thing about working at Wyze?
There’s so much I could mention here. I find my career incredibly fulfilling and I love everything from my work to my wonderful coworkers. But I think I’d have to go with my communities. I don’t have as much time to hang out in them as I used to, but you all make me smile so often. I’ve made amazing friends in the communities over the years and some of you are people I would count as my best friends. So shout-out to my Mods and Mavens! I have the most amazing team ever! 
5. How have Wyze product(s) impacted your life?
You mean besides the paycheck? Just kidding. While my Wyze Bulb Color bulbs light up my life (literally), I think I’ll go a more conceptual route.
Part of what made my eyes bug out of my face when I first met the Wyze team and was introduced to a $20 smart camera was the fact that they made smart tech accessible for me. I didn’t have much money and honestly never expected to have that change. It opened up a wide world of technology that I always assumed would be such an incredible, unaffordable luxury that it would never be accessible to me.
I meet people every day that have had that experience because of our products and we make people’s lives better. I know many folks who are older, below the poverty line, and/or living with disabilities that now have an easier, happier life because of the impact we’ve had on them directly. The work I do makes a difference and I see it every day. Wyze has changed the face of smart tech and I can’t wait to see where we go from here! 
6. What is something that was discussed in one of your team Slack channels this week?
My team has a lot that’s cooking! One thing I’m really excited about is how we’ve been revamping hardware testing communication. It’s been a challenge for us for a while and I think we’re finally getting the hang of it. We even have email templates that make me feel so fancy!
7. What is something Wyze related that only you or your team know about?
We’re not really the team for keeping secrets. One of our main goals and roles is to make sure that information is shared effectively. So this would probably be a sign of failure, honestly. We’re really transparent. But I think that I probably have a bunch of random trivia just because I’ve been at Wyze for so long.
EDIT: carverofchoice called me out for playing semantics. So here’s an actual answer!
8. What did you do this week at work?
I helped launch a bunch of software, put in shipping requests for hardware testers, helped draft Father’s Day messaging, helped design some features with community interests in mind (sorry, not giving details yet!), edited a bunch of external content like the monthly Wyze AI Newsletter, worked on designing a survey template, and helped in the community! Whew, I feel tired just writing all that.
9. What was your biggest win at Wyze so far?
Easy question! I’ve had a lot of wins at Wyze, but I think my biggest would be assembling the team of folks volunteers that I’ve been working with for years now. I feel so proud knowing that there’s an entire team of people that love our communities and want to help as much as I do (and that they haven’t gotten sick of me yet!).
Wyze is growing! If you’re interested in joining a team of innovators, tech enthusiasts, and all-around cool people, check out our opportunities here: Wyze Careers.
Congratulations, Gwendolyn! 
Thanks for being you and being there when so many of us needed help.
N G R 
U L 
N S !
