Meet 5 women in APAC who are inspiring others with their channels

Alina Saito (Japan)

For those who have yet to follow you, introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your channel. How did you get started on YouTube?

Hello everyone! My name is Alina Saito, a YouTube creator based in Tokyo, Japan. My content includes songs, ASMR, and funny videos. My career as a YouTube creator started in January 2023. My journey on YouTube began because I used to perform on stage as a singer, and I wanted to reach a wider audience with my music. I soon realized that in order for people to listen to my music, they needed to get to know me first. That's why I started creating videos in various genres, with a focus on non-verbal content for global audiences.

What has been most challenging about being a female creator? Also, what has been most rewarding for you as a creator?

I feel that there are still very few female creators in Japan who are sharing their work globally. In this context, my channel is experiencing unprecedented growth. Every day is filled with trials and errors, making it incredibly exciting. It is very rewarding to think that I may be able to set a milestone for female creators in Japan. As a creator, my team and I handle every step of the process from planning to editing, so completing each video brings a great sense of accomplishment. It's also rewarding to receive feedback from viewers all around the world.

How do you come up with ideas for your content?

As I create content for a global audience, I remain conscious of my own identity. Being Japanese is a significant aspect of my identity. Given Japan's rich cultural heritage, I am motivated to continue showing its virtues to the world.

Additionally, my identity as a singer plays a crucial role. I strive to integrate the skills and performance experiences I have gained throughout my singing career. By combining these aspects with current trends, I generate ideas for my content.

What advice do you have for other women thinking of starting their own channel?

I believe in taking immediate action when you feel inspired to try something new. What's fascinating about content creation is that it allows you to unleash your imagination and bring anything to life. Unlike driving, where mistakes can have immediate consequences, in content creation, you have the freedom to experiment and make mistakes. In fact, the more you fail, the more opportunities you have to learn and grow. Don't hesitate to embrace challenges!

HANI the Artist (Korea)

For those who have yet to follow you, introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your channel. How did you get started on YouTube?

Hello! My name is Hani and I’m a student majoring in Gayageum, a Korean traditional instrument, at Seoul National University’s School of Music. With my channel, HANI the Artist, I aim to share K-Culture with the global audience. It has its roots in Korean traditional music, but is expanding with content in different languages, music and culture. I’ve been studying traditional Korean music since middle school and always wanted to share our music and culture with a global audience. During my sophomore year in college, one of my professors recommended that I start my channel on YouTube and that’s how I got started!

How do you come up with ideas for your content?

When I walk, I always think about music content in my head. On my bus or subway ride to school, I keep thinking about what to do for my next video and what my fans will like to see from me. When I’m lucky, I get inspiration from music playing from stores on the street as well! Also, my fans’ comments and requests for songs are a big source of my ideas.

International Women’s Day is about celebrating and empowering women. What does this campaign mean to you?

I was able to experience the world thanks to YouTube. I guess YouTube has now become part of my identity. I’m able to express myself, regardless of my gender or nationality, and can communicate with people around the world. Also, the feeling of being supported and loved by people who like my videos make me feel like a confident woman. I can also learn from other talented creators. My perspective has really widened thanks to YouTube.

What advice do you have for other women thinking of starting their own channel?

Listen to your inner voice and try everything you want. Let’s trust each other! Every woman with pride is beautiful. It took me so long to post my first video because I am a perfectionist. However, I want to tell you that there is no need to be perfect. There are people who love you for who you are. Trust them and be brave.

Marjia Mimi (Bangladesh)

For those who have yet to follow you, introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your channel. How did you get started on YouTube?

Hi, I am Marjia Mimi, a Bangladeshi YouTube creator living in Europe. I started my YouTube journey in 2017 when very few people from Bangladesh were creating content. There were even fewer female YouTube creators as well. However, I took this challenge because I felt freedom and satisfaction in creating content on YouTube, and started posting videos regularly. Today, I have 2.6 million subscribers on YouTube, and I post entertaining videos on various topics like daily vlogs, comedy, language, games, cooking and more!

What has been most challenging about being a female creator? Also, what has been most rewarding for you as a creator?

In South Asia, many parents want their children to be doctors, engineers, lawyers or government employees. I’ve always been the top student, so it was a big challenge for me to be a content creator. Moreover, as I previously mentioned, there were very few female YouTube creators in Bangladesh. I had to overcome a lot of things to come this far.

Unfortunately, a lot of South Asian female creators are still facing a lot of criticism on their clothes, body shape and skin color, just to mention a few. I cannot put into words how difficult the struggle was, but I chose to follow my passion and achieved pure love and support from my audience as a result, which was a huge reward for me.

You are known for your content about the experience of being an international student in Europe. How do you come up with ideas for your content?

At the end of 2022, I moved to Italy for my higher studies at the University of Tuscia, and now I’m doing my Erasmus at the University of Barcelona. People don’t want to believe that a full-time content creator can be a full-time student at the same time, with a full scholarship! It’s all about time management.

I find my content ideas from everywhere around me. Because it’s my passion, I love to make videos so ideas come spontaneously in my head. When I was in Bangladesh, my content pattern was different, but after moving abroad, I changed my entire content strategy and it worked really well. Even a few months ago, I started my English channel where I post videos in English. Content planning is so important based on your lifestyle and location.

Are there any female creators that you admire or find inspirational?

I have been following Lilly Singh and Lele Pons since 2017, even before starting my YouTube journey. Their videos, energy, and positivity inspired me a lot.

Sistrology (Pakistan)

For those who have yet to follow you, introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your channel. How did you get started on YouTube?

My name is Iqra Kanwal. I’m a doctor, singer, and the creator behind the vlogging channel Sistrology. My channel follows the daily lives of my family, which includes my four sisters, parents and I.

I first started using YouTube during Med School when I used to watch videos to brush up on certain concepts. I loved the creative content I saw, and decided to start uploading videos of me singing and performing comedy skits with my sisters. Soon after as COVID lockdowns began, I pivoted to vlogging as I realized that is the content my audience resonated most with and was also what I most enjoyed doing.

What has been most challenging about being a female creator?

When I first started vlogging, the Pakistani vlogging scene was quite male dominated and there were close to zero female creators sharing lifestyle vlogs. It was really intimidating and challenging to make my space amongst all of them, especially since the audience really wasn’t used to it. But 1.3B views later, here we are!

The constant love and support I get from the community I’ve built on YouTube is super rewarding. It still boggles my mind that I get to share my life with millions of people on a daily basis. Though, as the eldest child and daughter of my parents, the most rewarding part is the financial freedom YouTube has given me. It feels amazing that I get to support my family through something I enjoy so much!

How do you come up with ideas for your content?

Given I create daily vlogs with my family, I simply plan my day out and hit record! There are times when I also do challenges and Shorts with my sisters. We love doing those and it seems the audience loves watching those as well.

Before pursuing YouTube seriously, I hosted a few shows on TV channels in Pakistan. However, when the pandemic started, we were all, of course, stuck at home. My sisters were creating all sorts of short form skits, and I decided to use my experience as a host and start recording our lives at home during that period.

International Women’s Day is about celebrating and empowering women. How has being a content creator empowered you?

The freedom and independence that YouTube offers female creators, particularly in a country like Pakistan, is amazing. Mobility and workplace environments can be tricky to navigate and you often end up doing work that you don’t enjoy. Today I’m my own boss, doing what I love, working when and where I want, financially independent and supporting my family, all thanks to YouTube.

Mainstream media has also traditionally showcased one-dimensional female characters, so the creative freedom YouTube offers also helps showcase the diversity of personalities and passions that women have. In our case, that meant showcasing the candid lives of five sisters from Lahore, Pakistan!