‘Just dudes who dance and we’re not ashamed of it’: Twin influencers chassé their way to 100K+ TikTok followers

Paul and Luke Harwerth were born in “the-middle-of-nowhere” Nebraska, they said half-jokingly, yet the rise of YouTube in the early 2000s allowed them to fully explore their passions despite perceived geographic challenges. 

“We didn’t start dancing until I saw ‘High School Musical,’ and then I was like, ‘I want to do that!’” Luke shared, laughing alongside his twin brother, Paul, both now young professionals in downtown Kansas City. “Even though we were in Ainsworth, Nebraska, we were able to start learning from any videos and movies that we could get our hands on.”

After watching online videos for several years, the duo decided to take a leap of faith and create a YouTube channel of their own — known as TwinSauce — in 2012. Since expanding their personal brand to Instagram and TikTok, the twins now boast more than 125,000 followers on their combined platforms — with a majority of their fans on TikTok.

Click here to check out TwinSauce on TikTok.

From dance videos to twin-related comedy to travel vlogging, the pair’s goal is to share their authentic selves with their followers and encourage others to do the same.

“In the beginning when we were really young, we had some thoughts that this could be a career that’d make us a lot of money. But our focus has really shifted into building this artistic outlet — and it’s a lot less about us and a lot more about others,” Paul said. “… [Our followers] have done an incredible job of cultivating this close-knit community, and it’s so cool to be a part of it.”

“People who we love the most or who do the best on these platforms are the ones who lean into their uniqueness,” Luke noted. “Whether that be their quirks or sense of humor, they can be celebrated for being themselves.” 

“And I think that’s a beautiful thing,” Paul added. 

Click here to explore TwinSauce videos on Instagram, then keep reading.

 

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Luke and Paul Harwerth, TwinSauce

Rooftop pirouettes 

Although TwinSauce has online followers from across the world, their Kansas City following is one of the strongest, they noted.

Luke and Paul Harwerth, TwinSauce

Luke and Paul Harwerth, TwinSauce

“People really love when we dance outside — in front of the Kauffman [Center for the Performing Arts] or other iconic Kansas City locations,” Luke said. “… We did a TikTok a while back during the carnival downtown, and people were excited to see the T-Mobile Center in the background.”

The idea to explore Kansas City simply came after being tired of filming dances in their apartment, they admitted. Now, some of their most virtual videos take place on crosswalks, rooftops and alleyways. 

With Paul operating his own production company, all videos are shot on 4K and edited by him, they noted.

“It’s what I love and do full-time,” Paul said. “My main focus is on influencers, both coaching and then also helping them create content. My goal is to help them reduce burnout while they’re building a business. We’ve been making content for a long time now, so we definitely know how tiring it can be.

“And for TwinSauce, I got really tired of using the TikTok app for editing — so I decided to start filming with real cameras,” he continued. “The quality is a lot better, and we can do it all using a tripod and [Adobe] Premiere Pro.” 

Click here to check out Paul Herwerth’s photography and videography work. 

When Luke is not creating content for TwinSauce with his brother, he works as a marketing director for a local coffee company. 

“It’s important for me to also have an artistic outlet,” Luke noted. “It’s something that you’re not doing for someone else. It’s for yourself.”

Luke and Paul Harwerth, TwinSauce

Next in queue 

For those who want to share their passions with an online audience but are nervous to do so, the twins advised that they start by simply recording themselves. 

“You don’t have to post it, but take that video for yourself,” Luke said. “If you want, you can send it to a friend. Once you share it with one or two people, you can decide if you’re ready to share it with everyone.”

The Harwerth brothers would love to see TwinSauce grow into something that is sustainable, they shared, in order to inspire more people.

“Of course, it is not all about the finance, but with more finances comes more time that we can invest into our platform,” Paul said. “We would love to build something that really gets people off their seats — maybe that’s more dance workouts that people can follow along with or other types of content.”

The possibilities given by social media are endless, they said. 

Click here to read how another Kansas Citian made her mark on TikTok.