YouTubers thrilled to meet idols at FanFest
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Fans cheer and take photographs of their idol stars at the YouTube FanFast at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Aug. 28. / Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-heun
By Kim Jae-heun
Many festivals have taken place in Korea in recent years, drawing thousands of young people to enjoy music outdoors, wrestle in the mud and cover themselves in colored dyes while running a marathon.
YouTube FanFest is one of the new events that provides an opportunity for fans to meet their favorite star “creators,” who upload their videos on YouTube. The first YouTube FanFest in Asia took place in Singapore two years ago, bringing the idea of America’s Vidcon where there are conferences for YouTubers to share their experience and knowledge while meeting their fans. Now, the festival is held in 10 countries around the world.
Korean culture vlogger Korean Englishman, Ollie Kendal, left, and Josh Carrott perform their stage act during the YouTube event on Aug. 28. / Courtesy of YouTube
Korea hosted its second YouTube FanFest this year on Aug. 28 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, featuring 10 of the hottest local creators and musicians, and attracting fans who filled the 1,000 seats available. The stellar line-up included trailblazers in the gaming world, The Great Library, DDotty, ACAU, YD; up-and-coming beauty creator SSIN; world-renowned guitarist Jung Sung-ha; Korean culture vlogger Korean Englishman; new comedy creator Gogient; top comedy YouTubers Cuckoo Crew; and unique acoustic duo Seenroot. World YouTube sensation and teen fashion icon Bethany Mota, who has more than 9 million subscribers, also took part in the event performing a make-up show with local creator SSIN.
A trailblazer in the gaming world, The Great Library, poses after his dance performance for fans during the YouTube FanFest on Aug. 28. / Courtesy of YouTube
Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal of Korean Englishman are based in London, but the majority of their fans are from Korea. They visit Korea once every six weeks to meet local creators and update themselves with ongoing trends.
“So, I actually studied at Korea University for a year and naturally I introduced my friends and people around me to Korea,” Carrott said during the interview with The Korea Times. “Me and Ollie met in London and we used to make a lot of fun videos at university. After university, we decided to introduce Korea to the Londoners through the fun videos we made.
“YouTube has definitely grown a lot since we started two years ago. Back then, we did not think it would be possible to be a YouTuber in Korea. (The trend and popularity of YouTubers) will keep growing in the world and in Korea,” Carrott said.
A group of middle school students pose during the YouTube FanFest Korea 2015 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Aug. 28. / Korea Times photo by Kim Jae-heun
YouTube creators around the world have gained huge popularity among their enthusiastic fans ranging, from teenagers to late 20-somethings. Creators produce content on particular subjects or items that cannot be found on television. A video can be a review of beauty products, commentary on unpopular games or it can simply be love and relationship advice.
In the United State, many YouTube creators have already become more popular than mainstream celebrities among teens according to a recent survey by Variety Magazine.
The video-sharing website has gained significant momentum and influence as a top creator platform in Korea too. Korean YouTube users making videos have more than doubled and the number of video uploads has skyrocketed almost 90 percent the past few years.
“In the past two years, Korea has been one of the fastest growing YouTube markets in Asia,” said Sean Hyun-wook Park, Marketing Director of YouTube Asia Pacific. “If you look at the top 20 channels that have grown the most in Korea this year, half of them are produced by creators’ and not from professional entertainment management or broadcasting companies.
“The purpose of the festival is to establish YouTube stars’ presence and influence in Korea while providing a chance for fans and creators to meet with each other. We have started promoting Korean creators through advertisements since they are not yet well-known outside of YouTube,” added Park.
The Great Library and SSIN are this year’s models.
YouTube also holds conferences to educate creators about producing high-quality content while promoting equipment and gadgets.
Among the star YouTube creators, game channel hosts have captivated the majority of teen fans. Many parents came to the FanFest holding their children’s hands while some of the older people were with their friends shooting scenes with cameras to upload onto the Internet.
Han I-jeong, a 12-year old girl, was excited talking about the creators with her friends while they were lining up for the show.
“YouTube creators are more popular than boy bands and girl bands among our age group. You have to turn on TV to watch singers, but you can watch creators’ content on smartphones with no restrictions on time or place. Also, the creators’ videos give me the feeling that I am watching his or her private life and I feel empathy for them, especially when they are cooking (in between playing games) instant noodles,” Han said.
Han’s mother pointed out how the smartphone is easy to use for children her daughter’s age.
“A minimum of three to five videos are uploaded every day by the typical creator, but sometimes they post 20 videos and more. A clip runs about 15 to 20 minutes,” she said.
YouTube’s ultimate goal of FanFest is to form solid relationships between creators and fans.
“YouTube has been sharing advertising profits with the creators. As the video-sharing website is a global platform, it provides chances for any creators to become world famous. In the case of SSIN, she runs her show in Korean, but 30 percent to 40 percent of her fans are international,” Park said.