October 16th, 2010, Northeastern University celebrated the current rise of Asian Americans in Entertainment. “Youtube Yourstory,” presented by the sisters of the Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority Inc and the Asian Student Union, discussed the issues surrounding race and talent with a few very special guests. Wong Fu Productions, David Choi, Ryan Higa, Kevin Wu, Daniel Mathews and Victor Valasquez of afterschoolspecial, and Sophia Moon all graced the stage with very different talents.

Sophia Moon who is now pursing an MBA at Northeastern University began the night with 2 songs.  She performed Echo and a cover of Impossible by Shontelle. The Brooklyn, New York born and raised artist began singing in front of audiences since the age of ten. She’s been writing songs since the age of fifteen and is now hoping to make her mark on the US billboard charts. Her sound is an appealing blend of R&B and classic pop, ranging from piano-based power ballads to dance floor anthems.

Daniel Mathews and Victor Velasquez of afterschoolspecial performed Forever 2, Future Rockstars of America, That’s Not My Name (AxS Remix), and Dreamers “Name”.  These are great songs on their first full length Album, “IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD.” afterschoolspecial will have their first full length album and music video release party this Friday, October 29th, 2010 hosted by Just Kidding Films and other amazing special guests. Check out their facebook event page here.

Ryan Higa, the owner of the #1 subscribed account, NigaHiga on Youtube.com with over 2,700,000 Subscribers embraced the stage with stories of how he all got started. Discussing his life in Hawaii, Ryan started his Youtube endeavors by creating videos in High School during his free time. What started with a couple of funny parodies and shorts became a full time job with fame and fortune. Embarking on a new journey and a highly anticipated short film with Wong Fu Productions, Ryan is on his way to a very successful path.  Known for his charming personality and handsome gestures, the girls (and even some guys) in the audience could not hold back from asking very inappropriate questions, making Ryan’s Q & A session a difficult one to moderate. However, when one girl asked if there was a team behind his  filming style he answered, ” Well I have a tripod and put it here, and I put my lamp here, and I just move back and forth and say ‘hey guys! how are you doing today?’. ” The crowd went wild.

David Choi, singer, songwriter, and producer of DavidChoiMusic had been traveling up and down the east coast for his October 2010 tour and was kind enough to make a second appearance at Northeastern University. Serenading the audience with 3 of his songs,  “Won’t Even Start“, “That Girl“, and “By My Side,” the crowd couldn’t get enough of David’s unique and soothing voice.  David ended his tour in New York city last week and is preparing to go to Korea in November.

Making another brief appearance was Amazing Race reality TV star, Kevin Wu, who’s channel KevJumba has over 1,700,000 subscribers. Also known as Pong from B.E.S.T crew with Ryan Higa, Kevin’s witty sense of humor resonated the audience. Refusing to discuss anything about the Amazing Race, Kevin spoke about his first video of him dancing  in his backyard. What started as brief dancing videos, comical hand gestures, and profound thoughts about women and race, skyrocketed  Kevin’s popularity on youtube. Currently, Kevin and his dad, Michael, are on the Amazing Race Season 17. The season premiered on September 26, 2010. Michael and Kevin’s best placement so far was a 3rd place finish. Their worst placement so far was a last place finish (9th), a non-elimination leg. Be sure to watch Kevin and his father on Sunday nights at 8pm EST on CBS.

Northeastern University was Wong Fu Productions’ first show on their Autumn 2010 tour.   Finishing the night with amazing previews on the projects that they’ve been working on, the audience was definitely spoiled. They got a sneak peak of Alyssa Bernal’s Cali Cali Cali and afterschoolspecial’s new music video. Also, the audience got a taste of Ryan’s new movie Agent of Secret Stuff (A.S.S) Be sure to check out their tour schedule because they could be coming to a school near you!

Regardless of the differences that each of these performers showcased that evening , they shared a passion to inspire genuine voices to go against mainstream media and stereotypes. With over 900 guests in Blackman Auditorium, and 900 more watching at home live on blog TV, Youtube Yourstory was surely an event that was seen and heard all around the world. Although the event was very entertaining and fun, the message to fight against stereotypes was clear. Organizers Haylee Thikeo and Annie Yao introduced this issue and said:

You guys have to understand that new media is powerful. We finally have the chance to become the creators, directors, and we finally have a voice to make the call on how we want to be portrayed. We can finally show everyone that we can be cool and marketable too. Something that only 5-10 years ago was a crazy thought… we are in the middle of a movement, and all of you, sitting in this audience, and those watching at home, are part of it
Thikeo also quoted David Choi  from his special guest post on Angry Asian Man about the movement when he said:
To start this off, I think most people in the entertainment industry still believe YouTube to be some sort of child’s play. A joke. I’ve heard it all, but I’m here to say otherwise.The reality is, these creators on YouTube are getting far more views…Their websites are easily getting thousands of hits a day and can get their messages across in ways that were impossible before.

Thikeo ended her speech by explaining that before youtube, Asian Americans didn’t have a voice. She said,  “TV didn’t give us a voice but Youtube did.”

afterschoolspecial at Youtube Yourstory

David Choi at Youtube Yourstory

Wong Fu Productions at YouTube Yourstory