Austin Cho
“I was working a normal job in corporate America, and... Obviously, the pandemic hit and I spent the majority of 2020 just really working on myself, really working on my relationships, working on figuring out what my passions are in life and catering to that because I have had a history of not doing that ever in my life.”
Austin Cho at his interview with WeXL - Photo by Arabella DeLucco
“The fruit of that really came in the beginning of 2021 where I was hanging out with my best friend, we were having lunch and we made a skit, and I had no intention other than to just have a good time with that, but I posted it, and It went viral that day. I was reading through the comments, and I just felt this release from like my inner self of being like ‘Wow, you actually did something for yourself.’”
“I never allowed the space to see what my humor could really look like. And then to express that on the internet I think was just a really bold move on my end because I've never really shown that part of myself on the internet, so to put it out there and then to get the views and then to get the engagement, I was like, oh my gosh, we're here!”
“I was flooded with ideas all of a sudden because again, I allowed myself to create and be a creator. And I think just giving myself that space allowed for a lot of freedom. The beginning stages of my TikTok were very experimental. I was making a lot of different series that no longer exist today, but it was very much like my lab.”
“I create content to essentially feel like a backbone for youth because it's really important to me. As an uncle and as just a figure online, I feel like it's my responsibility to 3. 7 [million] plus people. I feel responsible to make sure that they're digesting proper food, if that makes any sense, figuratively.”
”I want them to come to me for joy, but also learn something about themselves.”
Austin interviewing for WeXL - Photo by Dreya Garcia
“I feel really safe with my community. And... whenever I share anything with them online, even if it's 3. 7 million people or hundreds of thousands to millions of views, it just feels like I'm showing it to my family. I see some of the comments and everybody's so supportive of everyone else and everyone is so happy to consume the content that you're making.”
“I feel just like with any family member that you have in your life that you want to take care of, that you want to make sure that they grow up to be the best people for themselves and for the world, I feel that with my community. I feel like I want to instill a sense of self and a sense of foundation for the people that do consume my content because I'm so aware of the fact that TikTok as well is just media itself.”
“I feel lucky because I do feel like I'm maybe one of the people online that don't [receive a lot of hate]. At least not to my knowledge. I also don't sift through thousands of my comments because I also need to watch out for my mental health and I also need to have boundaries. I could say with confidence that most of the people that do follow me or support me are very supportive in what I do.”
Austin with the WeXL team
“That's why I feel like I can wake up quite literally from my bed. Have crusts on my face, have my hair looking like a bird's nest, and go online and expose myself to the internet because I feel comfortable because they've allowed that space for me. I very much feel safe to just repel everything because I know that what I'm doing fulfills my purpose, I'm finding happiness in what I do, and I know I make other people happy doing what I do. So, really, if anyone has anything to say about it, I'm just very much like, okay. That's great. That's nice. “
