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Are you ready to Click Play?
It was only a matter of time. For many people, YouTube has replaced television as their medium of choice for audio and video content, and just like TV, the video-sharing site now has its own certified celebrities.
In a recent feature that highlighted the Google-owned platform’s growing popularity, Forbes magazine recently profiled 13 of the planet’s highest-paid YouTube stars, with the minimum earnings at a staggering $2.5 million (pre-tax). That’s over P116 million, all for posting videos most crusty old grandpas won’t even consider work in the first place.
The pervasive presence of YouTube (Alexa ranks it the third most visited website on earth, just below Google and Facebook) and the countless celebrities it has spawned are undoubtedly the reasons local concert and events group Karpos Multimedia is staging Click Play, the first-ever social media festival.
The Click Play Social Media Festival is an opportunity for YouTube fans to meet and interact with some of YouTube’s biggest stars. While none of Forbes’s top 13 money-earners are making their way to Manila, the festival is bringing to the country some pretty big names in their own right. The lineup includes entertainment personality Ryan Higa (aka Nigahiga), singer-songwriter David Choi, actor Ki Hong Lee, singing group Cimorelli, and Vine videographers Sam and Colby.
Ryan is a certified YouTube sensation with over 15 million subscribers and his videos, mostly comedic takes on everyday stuff, logging an astounding 2.2 billion views. David meanwhile began his career with a meta song, “YouTube: A Love Song,” which propelled him to instant fame on the site. He now has close to a million followers and his original songs have been heard on countless other shows on mainstream TV networks.
I got the chance to ask Ryan and David a few questions. Excerpts:
GMA News Online: After almost 10 years of doing videos, do you still feel challenged? As far as being one of YouTube’s top celebrities, what else would you like to accomplish?
Ryan Higa: It’s always a challenge to produce a video that you hope the fans will enjoy and you never know until you upload and read their comments.
I hope to one day produce a movie.
Which YouTube channels do you subscribe to that people might find surprising?
RH: I watch a lot of videos even though I’m not subscribed to their channels. Some are videos that are shared from friends and fans.
Can you share any funny and/or inspiring messages you’ve received from Filipino subscribers and fans? Anything you’re looking forward to seeing and doing in the Philippines?
RH: A fan just sent me this “Kaway kaway mga teambahay!! (Hello to all fans that can’t come)” I’ll have to learn how to say it! I don’t have any expectations, I’m just excited to see the fans, the country and experience the culture.
GMA News Online: If you could pick any musician or band to cover one of your songs, who would you choose, and what song would you like him/her/them to cover?
David Choi: I would love to hear Stevie Wonder do a rendition of my song “By My Side.” I think that would sound amazing.
What would you do if you had a weekend completely free?
DC: I’d go find a nice beach, bring a couple friends, get some food nearby and just soak in the sun.
What’s the weirdest fan message you ever got?
DC: I once had a fan tell me they saw me standing outside of my house. That was weird.
Catch my column next week for a similar chat with Cimorelli and Ki Hong Lee. — BM, GMA News
The Click Play Social Media Festival happens November 22 at the SMX Convention Center. For more information, visit clickplayfestival.com.
Paul John Caña is a magazine writer and live music geek. He is also co-founder of libreto.org, an online collective of writers and artists. Email him at pjcana@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @pauljohncana.
