YouTube Millionaires: Wong Fu Productions Conveys “Meaningful Messages And Stories”

By 08/11/2016
YouTube Millionaires: Wong Fu Productions Conveys “Meaningful Messages And Stories”

Welcome to YouTube Millionaires, where we profile channels that have recently crossed the one million subscriber mark. There are channels crossing this threshold every week, and each has a story to tell about YouTube success. Read previous installments of YouTube Millionaires here.

This installment of YouTube Millionaires is brought to you by Segway. Segway

For more than a decade, Wong Fu Productions has served as a home for exquisitely-made short films. The videos shared on Wesley Chan and Philip Wang‘s channel are sometimes funny and sometimes deeply emotional, but no matter the subject of a particular Wong Fu short, it is made with precision and care. In recent years, Chan and Wang have expanded their scope.They produced a feature film called Everything Before Us in 2015, and their latest project is Single By 30, an upcoming YouTube Red series based on a previous Wong Fu short.

Tubefilter

Subscribe to get the latest creator news

Subscribe

To celebrate Chan and Wang’s success on YouTube, we asked them a few questions:

Tubefitler: How does it feel to have more than 2.7 million subscribers on your channel? What do you have to say to your fans?

Wong Fu Productions: We’re extremely grateful to have our subscribers, it’s incredible knowing that we have the potential to reach so many people at once, but it’s funny, we get a lot of comments saying, “Wow these guys only have two million subs?!” I guess in this era of YouTube where there are channels with 30+ million, 2.7 million seems puny, but I take it as a compliment. In a weird way it makes us “underrated” despite having a substantial following. And anyway, to us it’s less about a bigger sub-count and more about continuing to make quality work that resonates with people, which our “paltry” 2.7 million subs allow us to do ;).

TF: You’ve been able to succeed on YouTube despite being best known for a genre (dramatic short films) that often goes unheralded. Why do you think your videos have resonated with viewers?

WF: I think us having lasted so long while creating this type of content is a testament to a couple things. One, that there is an audience for people who want to feel emotional, be drawn in, be moved by content even on YouTube. YouTube can be a place for something other than personalities and jokes, but also a place for meaningful messages and stories. Secondly, I think it shows that it’s very difficult to create this type of content consistently and build a following around it. We do our best to balance dramatic and comedic content, but to continuously be able to create stories that can move people to tears is not easy to do. We’re glad that we can be a destination for these shorts and sketches for our audience. Single By 30 is a great example of that, being the first scripted drama on YouTube Red.

TF: A big theme of your work is representation. Why is it important to you to feature such diverse casts?

WF: 95% of our content is about topics and stories that don’t require a viewer to be “Asian” to understand. We write about falling in love, awkward situations, heartache. But most of mainstream media doesn’t give Asian Americans a chance to play characters that experience these very normal, human, emotions. While we’re not trying to make “Asian content”, we do want to give ourselves a chance to represent a side of us that rarely gets seen but is completely everyday to us (yes we get sad, lonely, and joke like everyone else). If Hollywood isn’t going to do it, we’re not going to wait for them. It sucks that when people first see us on screen (or even our channel name) they’ll automatically assume this is an “Asian video.” We can be more than what you see or have been fed to believe.

TF: You guys are often characterized as “Asian-American filmmakers.” How important is your cultural status to your cultural identity? In other words, do you prefer to be thought of as Asian-American filmmakers, or just filmmakers who happen to be Asian-American?

WF: The flip side of my previous answer is exactly what you’re asking here. While Asian Americans do want to be accepted and known to be multifaceted, we also acknowledge that it’s impossible not to see ethnicity and in fact, I believe we should celebrate our differences and that we can actually find commonalities and unity despite cultural backgrounds. I love learning about other people and what makes them unique, but also where we can relate! We never shy away from being Asian. We’re proud we can rep our community in what we do and we hope people who watch our videos can see that we’re Asian, but also relate to the human aspects too. It’s like, when Will Smith is the lead in a movie, people aren’t still saying “Wow! There’s a black lead!” They’re just like, “Wow, it’s Will Smith! I like his stuff for xyz reasons”. The short answer to your question is that we are filmmakers who are Asian-American, because we want our work to come first.

TF: You guys have been on YouTube for a decade now. What do you think is the most significant way in which the site has changed?

WF: I remember when everyone freaked out about ads being introduced. People would actually click away if a video had ads enabled! Now it’s totally normal and expected. I think YouTube sharing its ad revenue is still what makes YouTube the most exciting and unique platform. No other “social media” platform has been as open and generous with its users as YouTube. How long did it take for Twitter and Instagram to share stats? How much longer before they ever share ad revenue? Even Facebook hasn’t yet. It’s really amazing that YouTube did it so early and created opportunities for millions of people to pursue their passions.

TF: With the film and digital worlds becoming more and more intertwined, how do you think filmmakers will need to adapt to keep up with the times?

WF: Embrace new opportunities! Traditional filmmaking teaches one way, but we need to let go of “tradition”. I know it’s hard to do so because there are decades of precedent and we’re literally in the first five years or so of digital/streaming, but the sooner they accept that this is a legitimate option, the sooner they can be a part of a new narrative and build. Filmmakers can learn to embrace that they have more control of their ideas/product than ever before, if they want it. Some filmmakers want to stick with tradition and let a studio and agencies and departments take over. But the modern filmmaker should know how to network, edit, promote (yes that means social media), and distribute their work. There are so many ways to build audiences, to create and to release content, why stick to the old way which was literally one lane?

TF: Are there any common mistakes you think young filmmakers make when choosing to distribute their work through YouTube?

WF: Youtube is all about consistency. You can build an audience, but it can only come through consistency. Many filmmakers focus on making one mantlepiece project, put it up on YouTube and don’t have any plans to follow up. Many think it just takes one big hit and that’s your big break and all these opportunities should come right away. But building an audience takes time, and it requires earning trust over time and over multiple videos. Some filmmakers would say they don’t want to force out content, which I agree with, but this doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It’s all about working within boundaries and being resourceful. We do have the mantlepiece projects that we release every so often, but in between we’ll think of ideas that are one location, one day shoots. We’ll write scripts within our limits (no helicopter chases). And there are great stories everywhere and it helps you be more creative. And if you keep consistent you’ll get better and better, build your audience, and eventually you’ll get a chance to make the big dream project (like Single By 30 for us)

TF: What do you hope viewers take away from Single By 30?

WF: It’s simple, I just hope people will watch and relate to it. We wanted to tell a story that felt real and like it could be your own life or your friends. We made it a point to write conversations that felt honest, and create characters that were all equally flawed and hopeful. And hopefully they’ll think it’s fresh compared to what they see elsewhere. There are no dragons, or guns, or espionage… but I think to many of us, our own lives are dramatic enough and we don’t see many shows that reflect that. I also hope people who are new to the channel will be impressed and want to stick around to watch our other short films and sketches!

Epoxy-Logo-grey-textThis installment of YouTube Millionaires is brought to you by Segway. The miniPRO combines decades of experience with cutting-edge technology to deliver the ultimate hands-free, self-balancing scooter. With its enhanced safety features and high-performance system, the miniPRO is a durable powerhouse suited for casual riders and adventure-seekers alike. The hoverboard has evolved. Welcome to the Ninebot by Segway miniPRO personal transporter!

Subscribe for daily Tubefilter Top Stories

Stay up-to-date with the latest and breaking creator and online video news delivered right to your inbox.

Subscribe