The Peabody Municipal Light Plant (PMLP) currently serves approximately 26,000 customers — this number may seem large until you see how many followers PMLP’s Director of Human Resources and Community Relations, John Maihos, has on TikTok.
Currently, Maihos has almost double the number of followers, with over 51,000 on his page, @jmaihos.
But what would be so exciting about life for a municipal worker living in Massachusetts?
Well, Maihos’ bio on TikTok sums it up: “Having fun is fun. Let’s try together.”
In Maihos’ short videos, which have gained a total of 468,600 likes, he chronicles life on the North Shore. Featuring local restaurants, grocery stores, and events he attends as a member of Massachusetts’ Grand Lodge of Freemasonry.
Maihos said his page has also gained 2.7 million views.
Maihos said he joined TikTok in 2021. At the time, TikTok “was being demonized. And I said, ‘This can’t be that bad.’ So I decided to check it out, and sure enough, it was really interesting and engaging.”
He added, “I think I at some point said, ‘You know, I want social media to be a learning experience for people.’ I wanted it to lose the bad rap.”
Since joining TikTok, Maihos said he has been inspired by the work of fellow creators.
“There were a lot of incredibly talented young people… I don’t know the youngest age you have to be to be on social media. I don’t know that. But late teens, early 20s into the 30s, they’re incredibly talented, photographers, artists, history buffs, and we’re talking kids; it’s brilliant,” he said.
In his first video, recorded around Palm Sunday in 2021, Maihos taught viewers how to make a cross out of palms.
He said this first video did not gain a lot of attention, but he shared it with others and posted it to Facebook and YouTube.
Later, in another early video, Maihos shared how to tie a necktie, which was posted to TikTok.
If you think that’s where the excitement of neckties ends on Maihos’ page, you’d be sorely mistaken.
Maihos’ longest running series of posts is daily updates of the necktie he is wearing that day on the road to wearing 1,500 different ties.
Currently, Maihos is on day 1,199.
Each installment of Maihos’ daily tie reveal features historical events that correspond to the date, a list of national days, and the birthdays of celebrities and followers of his page.
“People get a (hoot) out of it!” he said. “They’ll tell me their birthdays, and I’ll call them out. And then when I remember the next year, they say, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe you remembered.’ I have a list. It’s a lot cheaper than sending out birthday cards.”
Maihos said he still has every tie he has worn since the start of the series in his home, just in case the Guinness Book of World Records needs proof of his accomplishment.
He said he previously reached out to the Guinness Book of World Records, but his feat was not approved.
“They were saying, ‘No, that’s not a record.’ But apparently, there is a record for somebody who wore a different tie every day for 100 days. Well, heck, I’ve got 10 times that. I think I’ve got them beat,” he said.
While this series may sound expensive, purchasing 1,199 different ties, Maihos shops at local thrift stores to find cheap and unique ties. He also has had fans from around the world send him ties to wear.
“People give me ties. I’ve had them mailed to me from all types of places. And they tell me a story,” Maihos said.
He added, “I had one fellow, he did the military funerals, and he wore a black tie to all the military funerals. And he said, ‘You know, John, I’m sending you this tie because it’s the only tie I have, but it means so much to me, and I thought maybe you could share it on one of your videos.’ And I actually still have that tie set aside for one day that I’m motivated to share that story. It’s just cool that people think so much about you.”
Another long-running segment of Maihos’ page, which has been running for over five years, is what he likes to call “Fraternal Fridays.”
Maihos and his friend Tom Pawlyk have been going live on TikTok almost every Friday for a weekly edition of Fraternal Friday to “talk about nothing,” he said.
“It’s the typical ‘Seinfeld’ episode where it’s a show about nothing,” Maihos said.
He has frequent viewers who are fellow masons and viewers from around the world.
Maihos has two rules for the show: No religion and no politics.
“I think that’s one of the attractions. It’s like a safe space. People can come in, and they’re not going to get barraged with that type of stuff. And I think people need a break from it, and we’re that break,” he said.
