Fifty years ago the pipe dream of the typical teen was to grow up to be a professional sports player. Possible but improbable. Same went for professional video gamer two decades ago, though esports is now a thing (and thriving in Hawaii). Who wouldn’t love to do what one loves to do, and make a living doing it?
But the pathway from everyday to extraordinary is typically narrow. “Don’t quit your day job!” Yet we’re now inundated with people who are rich and famous for being rich and famous. Celebrity is a career, one that used to require wealthy parents and a cooperative broadcast network. Like everything else, though, technology has lowered barriers — for better and worse — and democratized access to both audiences and business opportunities.
Once-quaint social media services have evolved into robust platforms for co- monetization (to be sure, they make most of the money, but they share!). Hawaii creators have long been on the leading edge of the media-making frontier.
Hilo native Ryan Higa was an early innovator on YouTube, which was only a year old when he had the most subscribed-to channel. The teen vlogger is now 33, a published author, a Twitch game streamer and a podcaster.
Higa now has 25 million YouTube subscribers, and his videos have over 5 billion views. Not bad for a Waiakea High School kid who started by posting music lip-sync videos.
Today a global audience is a fingertip away, and countless tools exist to plan, record, edit, publish and promote your content. Frankly, if your kid says she wants to be a social media influencer, it’s a little harder to discourage them than a would-be sports star.
Social media made it second nature to publish on the internet. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok and Instagram made it possible to make money doing so, without the gate-keeping of traditional media.
With the new year a surprising number of my friends have “make more content” among their resolutions. It reminds me of the early 2000s, when everyone wanted to start a blog. (Writing! How quaint!)
Getting started can be intimidating: What if the content sucks? What if no one likes it? Frankly, a disappointing percentage of would-be media makers get stuck on choosing a name and brand.
My advice? Just do it. Do it badly at first, but consistently. Start with what you know and what you love, but it’s OK to change direction, try new things or even start over from scratch. But don’t just take it from me.
“You have to really love what you’re doing,” says Peter Kay, a longtime technologist who now produces “Living in Hawaii,” a show for would-be Hawaii residents. “There’s a really good chance that you’re going to be working for many long hours for zero dollars in return, so you just won’t be able to sustain that unless you truly love what you do.”
“Don’t create content for likes and views,” adds Marisa Gee, who is a foodie and crafter at Kawaii Mono.
“Create content that makes you happy — that way it doesn’t feel like you’re working.”
“Don’t be afraid to pivot your content to keep it enjoyable for yourself,” concurs Dallas Nagata White, photographer and gamer. “Making content focused solely on chasing the algorithm will lead to burnout eventually.”
And as much fun as being a colorful personality can be, it helps to have a higher purpose in mind. It even helps open doors.
“Create for good,” advises Kaimana Pine, digital marketer at Holoholo Media. “Assisting a local nonprofit that needs help is a great way to start or build relationships and a portfolio of work.”
Some people are natural performers and are doing great things independently, like comedians Andy Bumatai, James Mane and Pashyn Santos (who recently competed in the real-world “Squid Game” on Netflix), or actors Emma Wo and Nolan Hong (and his wife, Jamie). But everyone had to start somewhere scary and awkward.
And in many cases, sharing that early, stumbling journey is a great way to engage an early audience.
I consider myself a media maker — an early blogger, podcaster, vlogger and even lifecaster. But the “creator” label is a whole new world. I’ve also resolved to make more media this year, despite my decidedly “face for radio” looks. I always prefer to showcase the stories of others, anyway.
———
Ryan Kawailani Ozawa publishes Hawaii Bulletin, an email newsletter covering local tech and innovation. Read and subscribe at HawaiiBulletin.com.
