By Staff Writers Ian Hsu, Jenny Miao, Helen Wang & Maggie Zhao
MSJ has many YouTubers that upload a variety of content, from sports to beauty to technology and more. As this social media platform increases in popularity, more people are joining as both viewers and uploaders. The Smoke Signal interviewed six popular MSJ YouTubers who responded to an online survey to get their perspective on their YouTube careers and future aspirations. The YouTubers were chosen based on the number of subscribers they had, how long they had been running their channel, and the diversity of their content.
Gaming – RoyalTwinkie
Stephen Tselikov, 12 and Yoobin Seo, 12
Created: Sept. 13, 2012
Number of Subscribers: 17,336
RoyalTwinkie frequently streams live feed of Tselikov and Seo playing video games such as Minecraft, MinePlex, Roblox, and Hypixel. They also feature YouTube challenges and tags.
Inspired by other gaming YouTubers like PewDiePie, Seniors Stephen Tselikov and Yoobin Seo created RoyalTwinkie in hopes of making a difference in the gaming community. The channel started out unorganized, with “random videos and stuff.” Eventually, with hard work, dedication, and endless hours streaming and editing every single day, Tselikov and Seo somehow managed to “pull through.” With massive improvement in editing and speaking, the duo hopes to advance their organization and consistency, and in a year reach 100,000 subscribers and another 200,000 subscribers for their second channel, Stoobin. They love the interaction with viewers, and hope RoyalTwinkie can improve people’s lives and bring them happiness. From their experience, Tselikov and Seo advise others, “Don’t let haters get to you. If people don’t like it, then [it] sucks for them.”
Technology – Antonalog
Anton Lin, 9
Created: Nov. 27, 2011
Number of Subscribers: 7,121
Antonalog is centered around technology. The channel features reviews and tests of smartphones and gaming technology.
What started out as a hobby and love for technology turned into a full-blown tech channel. After consistently making videos, people started sharing and posting on Twitter, and Freshman Anton Lin’s channel grew steadily to where it’s at today. Wanting to share his love for technology with the world, Lin hopes to expand his channel to 50,000 subscribers by the end of next year. The channel’s goal is to inspire and influence viewers to make better decisions when buying technology. Since starting his channel, he has become more comfortable with speaking to viewers. Lin feels that the best part of being a YouTuber is interacting with the tech community, whether with his viewers or with other YouTubers.
Music – Emily Jean
Emily Jean, 11
Created: Aug. 10, 2010
Number of Subscribers: 487
Emily Jean sings covers of American pop songs and often features herself playing the guitar or the piano to accompany her singing.
Growing up in a musical family, Emily Jean created a musical channel to share her singing and spread her passion for music. Her goal for the channel is, simply, to make others happy with the music she puts out. In the future, she also wants to work on putting more of her personality into her videos. Jean attributes much of her success to her supportive friends who help promote her music. Her favorite part of being a YouTuber is seeing the positive effects her music has on others. As advice to any new YouTuber, Jean said, “Don’t be afraid of what people are going to say. Keep making videos and being interactive. Know what you want.” As for upcoming videos, look out for a new “Closer X Cold Water” mashup coming out on Emily’s channel soon.
Culinary – Sugar Crystal Kitchen
Jessica Wang, 11
Created: Oct. 4, 2014
Number of Subscribers: 1,250
Sugar Crystal Kitchen features tutorials on sweets, with everything from sorbets to sticky rice. Visually appealing and concise, this channel is not only practical for food-lovers but also cute and intriguing to watch for all audiences.
After receiving several requests to start a blog for her recipes, Junior Jessica Wang decided to start her YouTube channel, Sugar Crystal Kitchen, to bring her recipes to the world. While the channel started out small, Wang soon began collaborating with other YouTube stars and rapidly gained popularity as she quickly became noticed by fans. She currently has over 1,250 subscribers and continues to be on the rise. “My hope is that I can hit over 5,000 subscribers by the end of next year,” Wang said. She encourages anyone who views her channel to try out and use her recipes.
Sports/Exercise – ElevateYourself
Donny Hui
Created: June 12, 2012
Number of Subscribers: 40,287
Elevate Yourself, a channel created by Ceramics Teacher Donny Hui, is a volleyball tutorial page dedicated to helping amateurs and competitive players alike advance their skill, experience, and technique. He posts lessons on volleyball technique, strategies, eating habits, and compilations of volleyball play.
Coach Hui created his channel to inspire people and help them achieve more than they think they can. He created his channel, ElevateYourself, as a tool for his business, which provides volleyball instruction, personal training and fitness training. After Hui started posting more volleyball instructional videos online, it “went crazy from there” as his audience and subscribers increased. Hui has come a long way and, one day, he hopes to be able to work on his channel full-time. Hui’s favorite thing about YouTube is the comments and emails he receives from inspired fans. As a word of warning to YouTubers, Hui advises, “If you try to do it for money, you will get burnt out and you will not grow,” recounting a mistake he learned from his personal experience. After volleyball season finishes, Hui plans to post more workout and instructional videos and continue to motivate people in whatever they pursue through his videos.
Beauty/Fashion – Meredith Mao
Meredith Mao, 12
Created: December 9, 2012
Number of Subscribers: 250
Meredith Mao’s channel has fashion hauls and outfit videos, as well as personal vlogs of her travels and fitness routines.
Two years ago, a camera-shy Meredith Mao decided to step out of her comfort zone and filmed her first YouTube video. She created a channel that mirrored her interest in beauty and fashion, hoping to inspire people with her content and make them smile. In the future, Mao plans to add more vlogs to her channel to keep better track of her life and look back on how far she has come through her videos. Mao’s favorite part about YouTube is the creativity that YouTube’s open platform allows for, as well as connecting with people from places. Mao’s advice for other YouTubers would be to “be yourself, and don’t try to copy what [content] other people make.” Watch out for upcoming seasonal lookbooks and makeup tutorials coming soon on Mao’s channel.
Photo Courtesy Google Inc.
