With over 152 million blogs on the internet, the world of blogging can be a pretty difficult one to get into. For US Army veteran Luis Soto he kind of fell into the world of blogging.
“I’m proud to be Puerto Rican. We come from a small island with such talent… we have such smart individuals, we have a rich culture, great food, beautiful people, it’s a beautiful place. I’m very proud to be Puerto Rican.
Soto started blogging and streaming while he was still on active duty, posting everything from trips with his wife and family to video game streaming. His posts started out as a hobby, but personal hardships made him consider honing this skill into a business venture.
Soto left the military and moved from Maryland to Colorado where his wife’s family is from. His army credentials in IT helped him secure employment as a system administrator at Regis Jesuit High School, a private catholic school in Aurora, Colorado. “I got promoted in one week [which was] a huge pay bump says, Soto. The job security and pay offered by this school would be short-lived.
Sotos’s wife Brandi was pregnant at the time and the hour and 36 minutes commute took a toll on his ability to be there for his expecting wife. “It was rough, Brandi gave birth and it was really hard for me to help her… I just decided to talk to the IT director and I told him hey I’m going to have to resign,” Soto recounts. Thankfully his disability pay with the VA was good enough to hold him over and pay his bills during this time.
Being at home Soto decided to try and turn his hobby into something that would bring some kind of income. “I entered this competition and I wanted to see how good my skills were and I ended up winning,” says Soto. His win helped him secure three sponsors for his vlog and streaming channel, “and now I’m here getting paid just to stream, make videos, talk to people, [and] play games… I never thought that would happen but it’s almost like a little dream come true. Soto now goes by the handle Mister Vulture and creates contact for Twitch, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube.
“Now I’m able to spend time with the family now able to help take care of the baby [and have] a healthy relationship,” said Soto while babysitting his son while his wife was at the beauty salon.
Facing back-to-back unemployment first from the Army and later from his IT job in Colorado how was Soto able to land on his feet in such an inspiring way? Soto says it’s a mix of perseverance and risk-taking. “Everything I do I try to make sure I have a way out, it’s something I learned years ago. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith… and if it doesn’t work out at least I can say I did it and I made it somewhere.
Justin Bearce is one of Soto’s subscribers. Bearce knew him while serving in the US Army and didn’t know that much about his blog until one day he was talking with him about video games and trying to start a YouTube channel.
“I saw his stuff and I was entertained by it…I can definitely see the effort he puts into it because it comes out really well… I also notice how the quality has grown over time as he’s done more and got more experienced with it… I can definitely tell he enjoys it,” says Bearce.
A mechanic by trade and a hobby gamer, Bearce enjoys the subjects Soto covers in his videos. “Video games…. and doing things outside of the home… or working on his cars… those are pretty solid topics to cover on his blogs… and just how well he presents it and how [he] communicates with his audience…he does well with that… he looks in the camera… speaks clearly… [and] has little funny moments that happen naturally… he doesn’t force it…” Bearce observes.
Beside making enjoyable content, Soto is inadvertently sharing his culture with his audience. Bearce mentions that “Just knowing that he’s from…. Puerto Rico and he came here started doing this… it definitely brings what his experiences are to… someone that hasn’t been outside of the Continental US… and I think that’s one of those unique things that makes it a unique blog.”
If you want to check out Soto’s blogs and channels you can subscribe to Mister Vulture at the following links: