TikTok star Jujumao on competition; collaborations with Filipino, Japanese content creators

MANILA, Philippines — Popular content creator Jujumao never thought that he would find good friends while making food or cooking content. 

Juri "Jujumao" Imao was admittedly intially clueless about food content creation on the popular platform. He only knows that he was passionate about Culinary Arts since he was a child, and had to bide time before he was able to fully pursue his passion for it. 

He wanted to go to the famous Le Cordon Bleu. His parents were supportive, but they did not have the funds to send him to the premiere French culinary school. 

Jujumao instead took a business course on a scholarship in Ateneo University, then he graduated and worked in the finance department of a hotel. Fortunately for him, he chose to train in the kitchen as part of their company’s cross-training. 

Fast-forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, he joined in the dance challenges and eventually started creating food videos. 

It turned out well for Jujumao, whose passion for the arts in general is well-rooted. He descended from the late National Artist Abdulmari Imao, whose son, the equally well-known sculptor Sajid Imao, is his father. 

Today, Jujumao has 826,000 YouTube subscribers, 2.6 million TikTok followers, and 1.3 million Instagram followers. 

Jujumao told the participants at last year’s TikTok creative-cum-cooking workshop that he started with zero knowledge of the platform. 

“Just do it,” he said to participants, an advice he himself followed when he initially started making videos.  

He did, and eventually found like-minded individuals whose passion for food and cooking equal his. 

“Try as much as possible to open yourself with very like-minded people like you. I keep saying this, I leave all the things to my best friend Abi (Marquez) and Kath and Gene kasi it’s through my exposure with them that I really learned how to function in the space and kahit gaano ka kagaling na content creator, I believe that if you don't have, you know, like-minded people around you… Siguro, it's the journey; it is not the same, if that makes sense. Parang na-fast-track ‘yung career ko,” Jujumao said. 

Stranded in Japan

In all his platforms, he is regularly seen collaborating with other content creators, including Abi, who was included in the list of Forbes 30 under 30 for 2024. She was also named TikTok Food Content Creator for 2023. 

His social media fame has even made him visit Japan, where he collaborated with other global food content creators, such as Bayashi and KentyCooks. 

Jujumao, who has said that he counts Japanese food as a favorite, shared an unforgettable experience on his way to Japan. 

He was set to meet KentyCooks, the Japanese food content creator who sports a bowl cut and does ASMR cooking shorts of dishes that he immediately eats straight from his fast cooker. 

While on his way to a distant province in Japan, he got stranded due to typhoon. 

“He lives in a province far away, which is like 12 hours from Tokyo. Gano'n kalayo. By train na ‘yun ha! May bagyo noon sa Japan. Wala akong mapuntahan kasi lahat ng trains, taxi, wala. Stranded ako sa train station,” Jujumao recalled. 

He asked Kenty if he knew where he could stay for the night near the train station. To his surprise, the Japanese content creator drove himself to the station where Jujumao was stranded. 

“The station where I was stuck, siguro mga four hours away from where he lives. It’s not because it was traffic because in Japan, there’s no traffic. And then when he met me, nilibre niya pa ako ng food. One of my most memorable experiences,” Jujumao said. 

The Filipino TikTok star said that beyond competition, he is thankful for the relationships he has built. There might be competition, but it is a healthy one. More than it, there is a collaborative community that he could lean on. 

“Honestly, I don’t think I’ve gotten this far without my best friends, sina Abi and Kath and Gene, kasi when I was starting, wala talaga akong alam on how to operate in this platform. But just being able to connect with my fellow content creators on tricks of the trade like kind of content to produce, how to connect to the audience. These small things. Mga facets na gano'n. 

“There are things that are being overlooked as a content creator, it is really the power of the community. In any profession you get into, you need mentors. Some people may disagree with me, hot take, but most professions you get into, it's really important to get a mentor or sort of friends to help you out. Kasi it’s all about having other perspectives other than your own,” Jujumao said. 

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