Jan 10, 2024 [[read-time]] minute read
It's not hard to relate to either of Steven He or Jeenie Weenie's YouTube videos. Whether you grew up extremely Asian, or flew on an airplane even once, there's plenty to laugh about with these top creators' content. While their channels aren't strictly about the Asian experience, both have become recognizable names for representation in the Asian content creator communities — particularly within the comedy genre. So it was even more rewarding when in 2023, the pair partnered up to collab in Steven's major project, GINORMO!, a satirical series on 1970s Japanese-style monster shows.
We bought the pair back together again, this time to have them interview each other on their experiences as Asian creators and their YouTube career journeys. (Yes, Jeenie really was a former flight attendant!)
“It's giving a lot of confidence in the AAPI community for them to even tell their own stories. They'll say 'Oh, you can do it? Well I can do it too then!' and I say 'Of course you can.'”
Jeenie Weenie
YouTube creator
What both creators learned is you don't necessarily need traditional theater or film background to make it as YouTube creators. While Steven is a professionally trained actor, that merely gave him perspective on the production process and how he approaches content creation. Jeenie, on the other hand, films primarily with her phone. Both creators have more than 20 million subscribers combined — proving that it doesn't make one method more appropriate than the other as long as they take the leap to share those stories.
"It's crazy how often you hear a similar story repeat... a kid from Utah might tell me he's the only Chinese kid in his school and he felt like an outsider. But now everyone runs around screaming 'Emotional damage!' and this feels cooler," Steven says. (He maintains that despite that particular moment going viral,he doesn't make a single dollar out of the actual meme itself.)
"It's giving a lot of confidence in the AAPI community for them to even tell their own stories," Jeenie says. They'll say 'Oh, you can do it? Well I can do it too then!' and I say 'Of course you can.'"
Watch the full interview and get a glimpse of Steven and Jeenie's content below. See if you can spot any more creator collabs!