A new generation of Asian-Americans — including a couple with Hawaii ties — are part of an exciting project on YouTube that has attracted more than 443,000 subscribers and 24 million views since it was launched in June.
The network is called YOMYOMF, an acronym for "you offend me you offend my family," a familiar phrase used in poorly dubbed chop-socky flicks of the past.
YOMYOMF was originally the title of a pop culture blog co-written by film director Justin Lin back in 2009. He’s the main creative force behind the network and rightly so: After his breakthrough 2002 feature debut "Better Luck Tomorrow," Lin has taken the wheel of the past three movies in the lucrative "Fast and Furious" action franchise, including the sixth film due in theaters next year.
PANEL DISCUSSION
YOMYOMF Network officials including Phil Chung, Kevin Wu, Chester See and actress Jamie Chung will appear on a New Media Academy panel at the Hawaii International Film Festival on Oct. 20. For details, visit www.hiff.org.
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The network is part of an ambitious financial plan by YouTube, which reportedly is investing $100 million for the creation of new, prestige channels and has recruited the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Jay-Z, Deepak Chopra, Rainn Wilson and Sofia Vergara.
Lin has teamed up with such Internet stars as Kevin Wu, better known as KevJumba, and Hawaii-born Ryan Higa. Also along for the ride is Anderson Le, director of programming for the Hawaii International Film Festival and a member of the network’s management team.
Le, Wu and Higa have been responsible for creating and taking part in original scripted and reality programming. Based in Los Angeles, the YOMYOMF Network also has attracted some well-known names in entertainment such as Jessica Alba, Wayne Brady, Masi Oka, Sung Kang and the Emmy award-winning directing team of brothers Joe and Anthony Russo.
Even though Higa and Wu are already considered YouTube sensations — their comedy hijinks have garnered 8 million subscribers to their YouTube channels — working with someone like Lin is a huge step for them.
"Being partnered with Justin — who is a much bigger name than me and such a talented guy — he can do things I could never do production-wise," Higa said by phone from North Hollywood.
Like Wu, Higa has been making cameos in various YOMYOMF shows. Higa was also a judge for one of the network’s first reality series, "Internet Icon," an "American Idol"-type contest for budding video creators that resulted in some finalists making their own music Web series for YOMYOMF with the show’s host, singer Chester See, called "Always You."
Higa said he’ll soon start shooting a show with Lin that’ll be on the network sometime in 2013.
In the meantime, both Higa and Wu are expanding into feature film work. Higa and his Wong Fu Productions associates went to the Sundance Film Festival last year to pitch their short spy spoof "Agents of Secret Stuff," and Wu stars in the buddy comedy "Hang Loose" that was shot here last October by director Ryan Kawamoto and will be premiering at the Hawaii International Film Festival on Oct. 21.
Wu also just wrapped up a three-month shoot on Oahu as a first-time director for his low-budget film "Man Up."
He said Lin, Phil Chung, a playwright who is YOMYOMF’s creative director, and others with the project see it as a way to blend new media and the established entertainment industry.
"And it’s great that YouTube is financing all of this original content," Le said. "This is uncharted territory for them. We’re doing very well, but we’ll have to thrive in the months to come like a national television network. We’re still in the first quarter of development."
Le’s contribution to the network, "The Short List" film showcase, is showing Hawaii-made projects such as Kenji Doughty’s pre-contact drama "Until the Sun Sets," with dialogue in Hawaiian. (In honor of the month, "Silent Terror," an anthology of four dialogue-free films from some of Asia’s top horror directors, will be featured.)
"We’re not putting the network in a pigeonhole by doing just Asian-American- themed shows," Le said. "We’re not in a school of exclusivity. … "
The YOMYOMF Network is looking at later pursuing "a multiplatform effort" to make content more widely available, he said.
Wu said, "New media is so great because we now have established actors wanting to get involved in it because of its added value."
Le added: "This is the new creative outlet for established Hollywood."
Two YOMYOMF shows are indicative of that statement: "Drone," a sci-fi action show starring Lance Reddick ("The Wire," "Fringe") and the action-comedy "The Book Club" with "Community’s" Danny Pudi.
"And we have over 50 shows in development," Le said.
