Back in the past, people idolized silver screen stars from the likes of John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, or the more modern stars Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, and Robert Downey, Jr. It was through movies they got their fame, aside from their beauty and talent. Today, fame is not limited to having a big blockbuster movie or a hit song but also by having a popular online video blog.
Who would have thought that recording his reactions while playing video games would make Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, more popularly known as PewDiePie, an instant internet sensation? Or how about friends Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla, collectively known as Smosh, whose wacky videos would garner millions of views? It was free video sharing site YouTube that created the platform for these young people to create their own content. Today some of these “stars” have millions of fans and followers, comparable to today’s Hollywood celebrities.
So, it is no surprise that they get their own world tour (yup, they do). And thanks to their fans, they get to travel the world. Some YouTube stars were able to visit the Philippines recently thanks to one fan.
It all started with the hashtag #BringYouTuberstoManila. Reese Limbaga, the 15-year-old fan who created the online campaign never thought that her single post would trend worldwide and catch the attention of Google, YouTube’s mother company. Her wish came true and the video sharing site brought its stars to this part of the world for a special meet and greet.
Hundreds of YouTube fans went to Resorts World Manila to see the hottest video bloggers and most followed online talents live. These online sensations were: American video blogger Bethany Mota, singer Macy Kate, singer and songwriter Kurt Hugo Schneider, comedian Thatcher Joe, singer AJ Rafael, the online group JasPoLi composed of Joe Sugg, Caspar Lee, and Oli White. The event also saw local sensations Lloyd Café Cadena, Donnalyn Bartolome, Abra, Chicser, Jireh Lim, among others.
“We were in Singapore and Bangkok for the fan fest. It was trending nicely and really well when all of a sudden, this hashtag came out: #BringYouTuberstoManila, and we sat down with our friends with Google and decided to do it. We got an amazing lineup and most of the talents we have today haven’t been to a fan fest before,” says Jasper Donat, CEO of Branded Ltd., co-producer of YouTube Fanfest.
The online stars poured out their very best performance for the Filipino fans, singing their favorite songs, sharing their everyday lives, and being silly, just like on their videos. But more than that, the famous sensations also shared their passion for video blogging. They encouraged their viewers to be confident and to not be afraid to show their true selves to the world. They even gave tips on uploading good videos and how to get more viewers.
“The videos that I really enjoyed doing are the ones I did on location. I did films in a desert; I rented old fashioned cars before. I just love anything that I can put my creativity into. I just want to create things and those are the videos I enjoy doing the most. You can also post your day-to-day activities. I’ve done a video that took me 20 minutes to film, I’m just showing my room and that got more attention than videos that took me a week to do. The things that I love to do tend to be the things that take longer to create,” says Bethany. “Upload as often as you can because it shows your audience that you are there constantly. So as long as you love what you do, then naturally the audience will come.”
She also shared tips on dealing with haters and the negative comments she gets on her videos.
“People will say things that sometimes get to you but that’s something that I have to fight with and realize that lashing back makes it so much worse. What I do now is either not respond to negative comments or respond in a positive way,” she says.
Abra, the rap artist who became popular because of his video “Diwata,” also shared his viral secrets to Filipino fans. “If you think you have a good project, song, video, or just anything you love to do and if you’re contented and happy with it, upload it. When you think of something new to post, post it. You’ll see your growth in there, on how you started until you become what you want to be. But if you’re afraid of judgment and what other people will think, then you’ll just be stuck there, never knowing what would happen if you showed that video to the world,” he ends.
Credit : Manila Bulletin
Caspar Lee Indonesia 