Creators On The Rise: How Alan Chikin Chow Got 7 Million People To Laugh At His “Shower Thoughts”

Welcome to Creators on the Rise, the place—in partnership with world creator firm Jellysmack—we discover and profile breakout creators who’re within the midst of extraordinary development. 


Alan Chikin Chow has a seemingly easy objective: He simply desires to make individuals giggle.

But behind that objective–and his quickly rising digital presence–is a rigorously deliberate content material technique that has him deploying humorous, relatable “bathe thought” movies day by day on shortform platforms YouTube Shorts and TikTok.

Chow, who’s 24 and based mostly in Los Angeles, has been starring in movies since 2009–however not on the web. He’s an actor by commerce, and over the previous decade has appeared in additional than 20 TV collection and movies, together with Grey’s Anatomy, Mr. Student Body President, Into the Dark, and Millennial Mafia.

Digital content material entered Chow’s life a lot later. He began sending his bathe ideas into the world in 2019 by way of TikTook. His YouTube channel was additionally technically launched in 2019, however solely as a result of his brother (who’s “tremendous good and is at all times looking for me,” he says) began it for him.

TikTook was the genesis for Chow’s specific model of fast, punchy humor, which regularly has a fandom spin. He’s made movies concerning the daily struggles of your average anime fan, about sci-fi fanfiction, and about what it’d actually be wish to be part of a K-drama’s sprawling, tangled cast of characters.

Last yr, his brother determined to start out importing a few of these movies to YouTube. Then, in mid-2020, Chow had a “tremendous good” second of his personal. When YouTube introduced it could launch a TikTook competitor, he saved tabs on Shorts’ improvement and took YouTube’s recommendation to start out hashtagging his shortform movies with #Shorts, so they might be extra simply findable by different customers in search of bite-sized content material.

The very first video he posted with the hashtag, If Life was a K-drama, caught on, netting greater than 2 million views to this point. Others he posted afterward weren’t as profitable, so Chow went to his administration workforce at Underscore Talent to formulate a method for sending extra of his Shorts viral.

That technique’s basis is common uploads–Chow places a brand new video on Shorts each single day–and being versatile. Chow says he’s continually attempting new video methods and approaches to see what hooks viewers.

So, how’s that technique going for him?

Chow’s YouTube view and subscriber counts skyrocketed in March. Data from Gospel Stats.

Chow put it to work in February. That month, his channel generated a modest 129,000 views and netted round 1,400 new subscribers. March was modest, too; he generated round 1.7 million views and netted 13,500 new subscribers.

In April, his figures skyrocketed: his channel introduced 644 million views and 837,000 new subscribers.

Chow can’t pinpoint one specific video that went viral and kicked off the near-vertical trajectory of viewers development. And neither can we, as a result of prior to now two months, greater than 20 of his movies have generated greater than 20 million views every. His top-viewed video, Acts of Kindness Gone Wrong, has a whopping 127 million, and the runner-up, Sci-Fi Fanfics Be Like, has 93 million.

For Chow, this virality is a inexperienced gentle to vary up his profession and make content material creation a full-time pursuit alongside performing and different artistic pursuits like screenwriting.

One factor hasn’t modified, although: He nonetheless simply desires to make individuals giggle.

Check out our chat with him under.

@alanchikinchowwhen your girlfriend wears an excessive amount of make-up 💋 @theoneshu♬ Relatable Moments Alan Chikin Chow – Alan Chikin Chow

Tubefilter: Tell us a bit about you! What’s your identify? Where are you from? What do you rise up to outdoors of content material creation?

Alan Chikin Chow: Hey, I’m Alan Chikin Chow and I’m a comedy creator with the objective to unite individuals of all backgrounds and identities by means of laughter. I’m from Dallas, Texas, and I moved to Los Angeles to check enterprise and screenwriting at USC.

Outside of YouTube/content material creation, I’m an actor and author for movie/TV. I’ve starred in just a few tv exhibits like ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Hulu’s Into the Dark. I’m presently writing a pilot, however the particulars are hush hush proper now…so extra on that to come back!

Tubefilter: When and why did you begin making digital content material? What type of content material do you make?

ACC: I began making movies at USC, two years in the past. I used to be in a content material creator membership at USC, and my buddies Mia Finney and Cosette Rinab launched me to TikTook. I liked Vine, and TikTook jogged my memory a lot of Vine, so I liked it instantly.

I make comedy skits about universally relatable subjects and world popular culture.

Tubefilter: What was your first platform? When did you increase to YouTube?

ACC: My first platform was TikTook. My brother really made my YouTube channel for me a couple of yr in the past as a result of he’s tremendous good and is at all times looking for me.

Tubefilter: When and why did you begin importing content material to YouTube Shorts?

ACC: When my brother first made my YouTube channel, he uploaded a bunch of my TikToks. Then, when TikTook was banned in India, I learn an article about YouTube Shorts coming within the close to future. After studying that article, I put #Shorts within the description of all of the movies my brother uploaded. This was about one yr in the past. At that point, solely considered one of them took off (my very first video, If Life was a K-drama).

Then, in February of this yr, my managers Vanessa Beals and AJ Nubla at Underscore Talent really helpful that I repeatedly submit Shorts. I labored with my workforce to construct a digital technique for my channels and for my kind of comedy movies. After two to a few weeks, one random Short popped off. Then, all of them did. Seeing my movies take off due to my humorousness nonetheless amazes me. The work I put in from taking my workforce’s recommendation full-on and posting content material that I really like to make has been my method for achievement. Every different week, I’m creatively attempting totally different video codecs and approaches to attach with viewers. It’s been nice!

Tubefilter: Your YouTube channel has lately seen a noticeable enhance in subscribers and views. Do which video triggered this improve?

ACC: Yeah, it’s loopy! Over one billion views in about three months. It wasn’t one video particularly, it was the technique of repeatedly posting Shorts. So, I owe it to the technique that Vanessa and AJ at Underscore really helpful me, and the execution of that technique.

Tubefilter: Did the technique contain creating new sorts of content material, or are your Shorts just like your channel’s traditional fare?

ACC: This was the identical fashion of video I’ve been making, my channel’s traditional fare.

Tubefilter: Has your current engagement uptick modified something for you? Do you might have any new plans or objectives on your content material profession?

ACC: Definitely! I’m now on the level of my digital profession to develop from a enterprise aspect. My objective is to scale my content material, rent a workforce, develop IP that can turn out to be extra premium content material, and work with a few of my favourite manufacturers like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney.

Anna Akana is considered one of my inspirations. I really like how she’s been in a position to make superior YouTube movies, act in Netflix exhibits, and write and star in premium exhibits of her personal. Goals!

Tubefilter: What’s your favourite a part of making content material on YouTube?

ACC: I really like visualizing an idea in my thoughts and executing on it. The thought of pondering a humorous thought, making that thought turn out to be a video, and having individuals resonate with it world wide is so enjoyable to me.

It’s like having individuals world wide giggle at your bathe ideas. It’s wonderful.

Tubefilter: You even have a large TikTook account! Are you primarily targeted on making content material for YouTube proper now, or are you break up between YouTube and TikTook? Do you might have totally different objectives for every platform?

ACC: My favourite a part of creating content material on YouTube is the neighborhood. It is wonderful to see the extent of engagement and back-and-forth dialogue with everybody watching these movies.

(*7*)

@alanchikinchowhow CRYPTOCURRENCY works 💸👨🏻‍💻 @youngonestudio♬ Paris – Else

Tubefilter: Are you making content material on another platforms, or are you primarily targeted on YouTube?

ACC: My objective is to be a multiplatform creator. So, I’m targeted on rising my YouTube, TikTook, Facebook, and Instagram.

Tubefilter: What’s subsequent for you and your channel?

ACC: Subscribe to my channel to search out out! 😉


Jellysmack is the worldwide creator firm that detects and develops the world’s most proficient video creators. The firm’s proprietary video optimization expertise and information drive social viewers development, unlocking new income streams and amplifying monetization.

Currently residence to over 150 influential Creators together with PewDiePie, MrBeastBrad Mondo, and Bailey Sarian, Jellysmack optimizes, operates, and distributes creator-made video content material to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTook, Twitter, and YouTube. Jellysmack-managed content material boasts 10 billion world month-to-month video views and a cross-platform attain of 125 million distinctive U.S. customers, making it the biggest U.S. digital-first firm in month-to-month social media viewers.

Looking to develop your social presence? Let’s talk.

Recommended For You

Leave a Reply