Lucky for today’s generation, they have varied ways to share their interests with a wide audience—they can post a simple tweet or Facebook status or create a content themselves, upload it online, and share it with those on the Interwebs
These three individuals and one group love sharing their interests with fellow fans. They are the up-and-coming YouTube creators who won in the recently concluded YouTube NextUp Manila 2018.
Theater enthusiast Stephen Flores, figure skater and cosplayer Joel Minas, K-culture lover Jam Raquinon, and acoustic group Kithara were among the 12 creators who participated in seminars and workshops by YouTube and fellow creators and received new production equipment to take their channels to the next level.
From stage to screen
Stephen Flores showcases his love for theater, movies, and comedies on his channel, InReelLife, where he uploads skits, reviews, and travel vlogs.
This young and quirky creator started his YouTube journey in 2015 and has since then grown his subscribers to over 26,000, as of this writing. His passion for stage plays can be seen on his video series “When You’re Obsessed…” where he shows his playful side by lip-synching to his favorite songs from different Broadway shows. His currently most viewed video follows him in a skit singing along to the tracks of this year’s musical release The Greatest Showman.
“When I was growing up, I was into movies and musicals, and my parents never really tried to put me into a box. So a lot of my creativity comes from the fact that they support me so well,” shared Stephen.
Ice skating cosplayer
Joel Minas first captured the hearts of Yuri on Ice fans with his cover of the anime’s routine In Regards to Love: Eros, which has reached 1.9 million views. The said video combines his two passions: anime and ice skating.
He started figure skating at the age of nine and has brought home plenty of medals from local and international competitions, including the title Asian Junior Champion in 2010.
Today, he takes his more than 10,000 subscribers with him on and off the rink through his vlogs on his YouTube channel, where he posts ice-skating tutorials through his series “Be My Coach, Joel!” to inspire beginners. He also creates makeup tutorials, DIY crafts videos, and random challenge vlogs.
For Joel, being on YouTube is an avenue to inspire young people. “My favorite moment is reading the comments from people that watch my videos. It warms my heart to see that there are people who become inspired to try skating from my videos.”
Bubbly fangirl
A true fangirl at heart, Jam Raquinon embraces her love for Korea with K-pop dance covers, K-drama reviews, and hilarious vlogs. On her channel, Jam-packed, her over 36,000 subscribers enjoy a variety of content that showcases her bubbly personality and infectious humor.
Many K-fans can find themselves relating with her most viewed video where she enumerates 10 signs that show if a person’s a certified Korean drama fan. She also posts beauty tutorials, random challenge videos, and travel journals.
When given an opportunity to work on a dream project with a Korean YouTuber, Jam wants to do it with “1Million Dance Studio because they create such beautiful choreography videos, not only with Korean song, but also with Western songs.”
Advocates of OPM
Promoting original Pinoy music is what motivates Kithara. The five-member acoustic group made their debut on YouTube in 2008, and now they are making waves in the local music scene with the success of their albums LOVE.LOST.FOUND (2015) and ONE WORD STORY (2016).
With Pato (vocals), Poli (guitar), Dex (cajon), Jun (bass), and Apollo (violin), the band has released self-composed songs on their channel, which currently has over 17,000 subscribers. Some of their hit singles include “Hindi Para Sa’yo,” “To Move On,” and “Mag-isa.” The group also makes their own music covers of popular local and international songs.
