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What Happened to the Other YouTubers of the JK Era?

#peterchow#gavin#era#tim#mainstream
the transcript auto-captions · entered into evidence

0:00 [Music] Okay, so you guys have been doing this for so freaking long now. Is there anybody from your generation of YouTube that's still doing it too? >> Yeah, Tim. Yeah, >> that's and when I see on the analytics, >> yeah, >> we can see like who our fans are also watching and it's it's a >> Tim, David, Tim, David. Uh >> I wouldn't even say David's from our generation though. I think David's after us, but like Tim, us Phil Wu. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Um yeah, that's it basically. >> David is like Yeah. Just a little bit after us. >> Yeah. on in your opinion, how do you think who do you think's gonna last the

0:50 longest? You, >> ████ >> Wong Fu, Tim. Anybody else from that, Jen? >> Out of the three of us, maybe Tim because Yeah, because um >> he still does mainstream stuff and >> it's just him and it's very low cost to do. So, just like like logistically, right? like his cost to create content is practically nothing. >> And he's always wanted to be famous. >> So he's constantly creating cranking out. >> Yeah. Since he was in high school, like he wanted to be an actor. And for him, I think he just wants to be like not famous like everyone knows me, but he's just wanting to be a celebrity. So for him, it didn't matter if he made it as

1:40 uh like an actor, a rapper, a host. Like he could be Mario Lopez or he could be Will Smith or he could be, you know, like so for him it's like all roads lead to where everyone knows him. So I think what because of that he's going to keep chasing that in the traditional realm. And if you keep chasing that in traditional realm, I think there's always going to be value in hearing what this guy has to say personally. >> Oh yeah. So imagine like Mario Lopez had a YouTube channel, right? It's like, "Oh, cool. What does he have to say personally, >> so I see him." >> Um, and then I would say probably second place would be I think Guang Fu cuz I think they just love uh like AsianAmerican content and like putting Asian-Americans on the map. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Where I think for me and Joe, our our goals and objectives and mission has changed like, you know, we've done the

2:31 same thing but has changed for different reasons so many times. And I don't think we have like the I was born to do this thing and I'm going to keep doing it until I die. >> Yeah, that's that's what I think. I love inspiring speeches from our viewers. >> Well, the honesty. >> No, no, that was good. That was good. I I respect that. >> Also, like even with um when I think of uh not that you asked my opinion, but when I think of like Phil from like Wong Fu, right? Um, even building things like Bo Mofo, which is like doing an amazing job killing it, expanding and stuff. He still >> don't have as many stores as Jumbi. >> But but like he still has that like uh desire to even use that platform to create content to put up AsianAmerican. >> Yeah, you can tell that's his ████ >> That's cuz he has the spill the boba tea

3:23 podcast or whatever. Whereas these guys go do Jumbi or like a barbell or something. They don't give a flying ████ about JK and Asians. You know what I mean? They're just doing their thing. >> Well, we like keeping our world separate. He likes to mis >> merge them. >> Yeah, I could see that. It is really cool though that like I think it's almost in some ways there have been blessings on whether or not you change gears with like you know like if you have to focus so much harder on barbell and not as much on JK at certain times that might have actually helped in other ways too because I feel like when you're more hardcore like let's say you guys never did you didn't do jumbie you didn't do barbell and it's just JK you might have run it a whole lot differently to a situation that might have deemed it unprofitable and you would have ended it you You know what I mean? >> Yeah. >> Who knows what decisions you would have made differently if this was like the only thing >> our only thing. Yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, even within JK,

4:15 we've had so many different projects going on >> cuz you know, originally it was a sketch channel and then originally >> like JK Sketch just kidding films just like >> and we wanted to do more comedic acting and we didn't like being ourselves. We wanted to always be like >> ambiguous Asian >> like Matt TV characters. That's >> And we Yeah. We didn't like being on camera and talking. >> What? >> Yeah. Seriously, that's that came like >> So when you were doing your vlogs like your >> I didn't vlog until 7 8 years later into YouTube. >> Damn. >> I didn't I that wasn't the first thing we did. So it was that and then JK Party was behind the scenes for Just Kidding Films and then it learn later turned into a game show cuz challenges were pretty fun. And then we got comfortable being ourselves, >> right? Is there anybody from the same

5:06 generation or close in that era that um that you you wish could have lasted as long? Like they you feel like they had more to give, they had more to say, but then they just got sidetracked and did something else. >> Almost everybody. >> Dude, I miss like I really miss the community that we had. >> Yeah. So that's one thing I think just feels like damn like we it's it's bittersweet because I feel like we accomplished the movement of like getting Asians to mainstream >> and then people are consuming content that's like like representative of them. >> Mhm. >> But now I guess the catch 22 is when you're mainstream you're not like your own little niche group anymore. >> Yeah. >> You know what I mean? So like if you're like your your your guys' like dance stuff, right? Like that was pivotal at the moment, but once you get to that

5:57 point now, no one goes, "Asians can't dance." It's like, "Oh, they're the ████ Michael Jordans of dance. They're the best ones of dance." And then so once you get that though, >> it's a you don't have a community that's like a small group. Now you're just a part of the big leagues, >> right? Like you don't have your underdog bunch of village that's like all trying to like save the >> Yeah. So then there is still like a Asianamean entertainment community, >> but then once they get big, they don't need that. So then everyone just keeps going off into doing their own little things and then they're building their own worlds and now you have like all these people with their own worlds and then we don't have the Asian variety shows that we used to. >> That's true. >> Like and I think that's what I missed. I miss like even the fan base too. I feel like what they consume has changed because

6:47 >> Yeah. like everyone's not a teenager anymore. Yeah. >> So I Yeah. I just think it's cool that we accomplished it, but I'm sad that we don't have that connection anymore. >> Yeah. Like the college touring era. >> Yeah. >> That was fun. And then we would like run into remember we did Stanford and like oh and then we did Australia. And it was nice like knowing like your friends are just >> randomly there >> and then you just make all these great memories of us performing and then Yeah. like seeing seeing you guys for ISA stuff. >> Yeah. And we all hang out after >> ISA did a great job bringing all those like camps together. >> Mhm. >> It was really cool. >> Yeah. But I do I did wish that like those all of us um somehow made it to where our budgets and everything got

7:37 better. So like some of some of the people in our era like Jubilee, they did continue going on. No one knows though it's a Asian company. like we knew because we knew them in the community, but they they're they're so mainstream now. They they could be like I don't know like CNN or like a channel like it's just a brand. >> Nobody digs that deep to go oh they're Asian. >> Yeah. >> But imagine if all of us got to that point where now our budgets, our production, our reach, everything >> Yeah. >> is there and then we're still collabing and doing like >> world tours in the same groups, you know? I think that would be so cool. That would be really cool. Yeah. >> Yeah. It's it's definitely like everything does have to change and stuff, but I feel like there are some people that just they just change their mind about it. You know what I mean? Even for um for lack of the stats

8:27 demanding it, but they're just like, I just want to do something else. There were a lot of creators that >> that's and that and I feel like that's pretty normal, too, cuz I think like what you do is reflective of who you are at that time >> and then people change and their interests change or passions change or responsibilities change. Yeah. >> So, as a result, what you're do what you do is going to be different. Like like one of the OG singers ever was David Choy, >> right? And then like he was hella good. Played guitar and now he's pretty much like a app developer. >> Yeah, that's right. Yeah. For Taco app or something. >> Yeah. He's just making apps. He has all these other investments that he does. >> He's a smart guy. >> And I'm sure his old fans are probably like, "Dude, it'd be cool if we dropped another album or whatever." But then he might be like, I'm not in that phase of life where I'm like getting sprung uh like you know like watching a girl walk

9:17 through a prairie or you know like you >> Yeah, you're going to sing about that stuff. Yeah, >> that's a bar, dude. That was tight. >> Is it? No, dude. This one's ████ with me. He ████ with me all day. >> He's just He's a trickster. >> I can't trust him. Trickster. >> He's a fiber. He's a pervert. >> Bag of tricks. It's a pervert with the bag of tricks is what I call him. >> Do you really believe that? >> Yeah, I think he believes it. He uh I always thought David Troy was was really underrated, too. >> Yeah, he's hell. >> I thought he was underrated. Like, I thought >> Who do you guys miss from that era that you're like, "Oh, I wish >> he misses Dietrix." >> Yo, Dedric was producing like funny ████ back then. Like, >> like I was like, "Dude, that's like kind of Ryan but different. He had his own style." >> You know who I miss from that back in the day? But I think he's still making stuff, but it's a different flavor just because I think as you get older, you kind of get wiser and then kind of more aware, which kind of takes away from the

10:08 innocence. And is my Tony >> Oh, I haven't seen >> cuz his ████ was just crazy and wild. But then I think once you start understanding like what does the market need and then the algorithm and then you kind of start to lose. It's almost like you you hear a hit and you're like, "Oh, they wrote that for radio versus that came from the heart." And I think in our era, everything came from the heart from everybody and you can feel it. >> And so now nowadays things uh could be better produced or better made, but it's harder to tell if it's like, oh, it's made for the system or is it made from your heart, you know? >> Mhm. M >> I mean Tony he when he pivoted to travel and food. >> Yeah. >> Like that was still good cuz he was his authentic self traveling the world and it's like >> um that's kind of he still is that era

10:59 like and he still produces like that but it's one of the few though like we don't see >> you know you know who I like that I feel like I don't know if he's still making stuff but I liked him at the time was uh Peter Chow. >> Oh it's Peter Chow man. >> He was cool man. I used to watch >> I liked it when he was anonymous. >> Yeah. >> No one knew who he was. >> Oh yeah, cuz he had the shades. Yeah. >> They don't even know what his eyes look like. And then uh even out in public, I remember I met him for the first time. He was still Peter Chow, right? And then I was like >> like yo like really keep this up and he's like, "Yeah, what's up?" He's like Asian accent. >> Oh, he was still talking like the character. >> It was no no my real name is Gavin. >> Oh ████ >> Gavin. >> Yeah, I think it's Gavin. I haven't talked to him in a long time. Let me see. >> What's up, Gavin? But I was like, "Oh s███." But then he leaked it out just for a quick second and he goes right back cuz I think he was fans of us. So he wanted to let me know this is who I really am. >> Oh wow. So he was really like dedicated

11:50 to keeping >> a quick second. Uh he just let me know and they went right back to Peter Child. I'm like dude this guy's this guy's commitment, dude. >> One group that I feel like was too early for their time. We were highly inspired by them and it's notorious MSG. >> Oh, >> they were one of the first >> Davin. Sorry. I'm so sorry, Peter. Davin. >> Close close to Gavin. Yeah, >> better than Calvin. >> Oh, these freaking three. >> You guys remember Notorious MSG? >> I don't think so. >> Dude, they're OG OG, man. >> They're like Ryan Heigga era, I think. Or like even before, man. >> Before I think they're like Bobby Lee era. They were making content and making their own ████ and they're releasing stuff before there really was even YouTube. >> And their production was like next level. >> Who are they? Who were they outside of this? >> What do you Like >> like would did they have solo comedian

12:40 careers or something? >> No, they're they're graphic designers and marketers. >> Oh, they're band. >> So their their whole persona is they're these guys that are Chinatown chefs in New York and then in as a part-time job they're rappers. >> Oh, that's tight. >> And these guys inspired you? >> Wow. Highly. >> Yeah. When we discovered them like dude like they just did it so right. And they they're also one of those guys too where you're like wait what's your real identity? And it wasn't until we met them up in New York >> that he was like, "Oh, dude. What's up, man? My name's Ken." And he's a normal dude, but then on camera, I mean, like every regular platform, he's Hong Kong Fever. >> Hong Kong Fever. >> Yeah, they're they're awesome. >> Yeah, they had actual records and whole full albums, huh? >> Yeah. >> Full on albums. And their branding from head to toe is crazy good. >> Everything they >> Whatever happened to them? Well, I think

13:31 one they were too early and then they were older, so they needed to like work and be an adult >> and then they couldn't ████ around. >> But they're on the warp tour and stuff like they they uh they made it pretty high for that time. >> Oh yeah, >> but it's just the world's not ready for stuff like that, you know? >> Yeah, >> timing is everything. >> Yeah, timing. I thought I thought you guys had >> like like Rich Brian 10 years ago. I don't know, you know, but now he's like millions of followers. So I think like at that time that was the highest. >> Sure. Totally. Yeah. Some people say that our timing would have been better now >> because well the sketches >> cuz >> like the reach like some of our actual people clip JK party JK film like whatever right and then they got there's like millions of views on Tik Tok and >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. When they clip like the old racist stuff especially. >> Yeah. >> The old vines we did all that stuff.

14:22 >> Or even like Dumb. Imagine if Dumb came out right now and they're like dude look at this Asian dude that could freestyle like a ████ I think he on in the Tik Tok era. I think he played boom. >> Yeah, but he probably but he probably came out way too early. So he was a big underground name, but he already by that time already transitioned to something else. >> Now I was just thinking of that, dude. >> Like imagine like people that always go, "Oh no, dumb writes all his s███." And he does like a 2-hour live stream now and it's just constant. >> It's like he'll literally prove to everyone that it's all freestyle. >> Damn. Cuz I do think there's also the age gap where it's like once you're like legend status or you're like kind of a older cat, >> you're in a different category. >> That's true. >> So like now there's a bunch of new content creators that are on the platforms and they're doing their thing.

15:12 >> But then like now I feel like oh I used to watch you as a kid. You're like an inspiration, but it's a completely different mentality from like if I were to do it now as a fresh kid doing skits on TikTok and like live streams and ████ like that. >> Yeah, that's true. >> Well, it's nice that you guys did put on a lot of people in their early years. You got people like Ardan and old sketches. Ardan chosen a ton of your old sketches where you're >> Oh, that's someone from our era that's like on TV and film. That's someone who was just on a freaking But you know what's I was talking to Bar about it recently too. I'm like it's funny that like >> like she's like look she's like A-list to a lot of people but like dude she worked really ████ hard. >> Mhm. >> She really like people if they really look back at her career like she she did tons of >> and she did everything too. We would get booked for shows and she would sing there

16:02 >> and she was like doing everything >> whatever it took. >> Yeah. Absolutely. But that's cool that a lot of them, you know, had come through JK at a point and then uh, you know, some of them weren't even YouTubers to begin with, >> like Theo Bon and Bobby Lee >> and like, >> you know, was one of the craziest realizations I had like last week >> that we've had everyone from Mia Khalifa to Tulsi Gabbard on the show. >> Such a range. >> Cuz someone sent me a meme of Mia. >> Yeah. >> And then I was like, "Oh, we've had her on our show." And he was like, "What?" And I was like, "Oh ████ we had Mia come. Someone sent you a clip of her. >> No, a meme. I'll show you a meme. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It's It's jiu-jitsu. It's, you know, when they do like ████ they clip another industry for the Yeah. It's like a jiu-jitsu meme. >> It's crazy, too, that like like And you guys had Pokemon on here. >> Yeah. >> And to think that to some kids now,

16:52 that's like old is really sad. >> ████ yeah. Like she's OG. >> Like she's OG to kids now. And it's like we're we must be like when you watch ████ Smother's Brothers or some ████ >> We're like the Andy Griffith show. >> Yeah. We're like watching I Love Lucy. I mean, think about it. Like, what is this? 19 years on YouTube now. Yeah. >> But see, there's still I think there's still like a a large sense of wisdom there that you can't get from a lot of other people that are doing it because >> most people's life their shelf life is not going to be anywhere near this even when they're at their most popular right now. Like, there's no way. >> Got to thank the fans for that. Shout out. >> Yeah. >> Shout out fans. Thanks for sticking by. Thanks for uh continuing to support and uh for joining the Patreon. We're going up up up.

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