MANILA, Philippines – Online video and content creation has become its own cultural tsunami (all thanks to YouTube, Vine, Instagram, among many other platforms). In the mien of YouTube’s own VidCon and Playlist Live, Karpos Multimedia is staging “Click Play: The Social Media Festival” tomorrow at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. The event comes as a whole-day social media festival dedicated to both inspiring and aspiring online content creators.
YouTube has conquered the digital landscape since it first launched in 2005. The platform has embraced the role of a breeding ground for the next generation of celebrity; comedian Grace Helbig (youtube.com/itsgrace) transitioned to her own cable network talk show, content creator Tyler Oakley embraced the role of social media activist and red carpet presence, and author John Green of recent Hollywood hits A Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns was one of the original big-hit YouTubers.
Star of the Maze Runner series and television’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Korean-American actor Ki Hong Lee, shares a similar journey on breaking into Hollywood. “I wouldn’t say that I was able to bridge the gap in any sense,” shares Lee, on making the jump from YouTube to the silver screen, “I think I was just trying to act and get my name out there in whatever way I could.” Lee is a recurring actor in YouTube channel Wong Fu Productions, starring in short films Take it Slow, This Is How We Never Met and She Has a Boyfriend, one of which has racked up over six million views to date.
“I was extremely fortunate enough to meet Wong Fu Productions and they have been gracious enough to include me in a lot of their videos. That really saved me as an actor. They provided me opportunities to act when I hit a bit of a dry spell professionally — so I’m always thankful for what they did for me,” says Lee.
NU-Wave of stars
Click Play embraces the nu-wave of social media stars; with billions of hits and millions of subscribers, #TeamInternet enjoys huge fan bases that embrace niche categories like video games, comedy, beauty, music, fashion, and much more. The biggest draw? Putting in your own bid to become the next big YouTube or Vine star is as easy as one, two, three: shoot, edit and upload.
The festival will serve as an avenue of interaction that will encourage the exchange of ideas and experiences on current digital trends and techniques among its attendees. Click Play is set to entertain with exclusive performances, interviews, and onstage fun and games. Get a chance to meet and hear what various online media personalities have to say about this bustling digital age.
Apart from Hollywood heartthrob Ki Hong Lee, Click Play is also headlined by YouTube legend Ryan Higa (youtube.com/nigahiga), singer-songwriter David Choi, sibling act Cimorelli, Vine stars Sam and Colby, and many more.
In between sets, Click Play takes you behind the scenes of today’s successful local content creators: Pepper.ph, Where To Next, and Neon Island. Learn how they took their brands to the next level — all thanks to social media.
* * *
“Click Play: The Social Media Festival” is on Nov. 22 at SMX Convention Center MOA, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
For more information, log on to http://www.clickplayfestival.com or click onto @clickplayfest on social media with the official hashtag #ClickPlayFest. VIP tickets are already sold out. Regular tickets still available at SM Tickets.
“Click Play: The Social Media Festival” is presented by Sun Cellular, official airline partner Cebu Pacific Air, official Resort Partner Bellevue Resort, A New Festival Experience by Karpos Multimedia.