Words by John Peter Himor
Photos by Maxine Lim
Media personality-turned-YouTuber Alex Gonzaga is a rarity. Alex is one of the few Filipina personalities who have successfully switched platforms and engaged a whole new demographic of fans. This past year, Alex’s YouTube channel blazed like wildfire, reaching 675,000 subscribers in just around seven months.
During Tide’s #BagongBiliOBagongLaba campaign last July 31, we caught up with Alex to ask her about her YouTube career, her move to a different platform, and her advice to the budding content creators who want to venture into video content creation as well. Here are three things we learned from her:
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3. YouTube is a completely different ballpark.
Alex Gonzaga’s YouTube channel is currently watched by over 1.3 million subscribers despite being active for only about a year. She said that her earlier popularity in show business definitely helped gain traction for her channel, along with the wacky and relatable videos that she creates. “Dahil nga kilala na ako dati pa, naging mas madali gumawa ng channel, pero mahirap pa rin kasi kailangang mag-adjust [in Youtube].”
Coming from the TV industry, she said that YouTube is a very different platform because of the authenticity and the rawness that must come from making videos. Learning to adjust to a new medium is part of the process. Whether you come from Instagram, the blogging world, or even from scratch, know that YouTube is a completely different platform for content creation which will need some research and getting used to.
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2. Find a purpose in your craft.
Before you start making your YouTube channel and creating content, stop for a while and ponder, “Why am I really doing this?” Is it an outlet for you to create your art and to pursue a passion project? Or maybe to showcase your brand and to reach a different audience? For Alex, it was more for reaching out to her fans and letting them into her daily life. Knowing the underlying purpose of why you’re planning to start a YouTube channel will not only guide you to creating content suitable for your purpose, it will also lead you to finding deeper meaning and appreciation for your craft. And hopefully, this appreciation translates into something your audience will also love and enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiixjvGBxcK/?hl=en&taken-by=cathygonzaga
1. “Be as genuine and as authentic as you can be.”
When asked about what makes the Alex Gonzaga brand, she said that she cannot really call it a “brand”. “Kasi kung ano yung ipinapakita ko sa YouTube, ‘yun na talaga ako“. She said that she has had problems with some networks in the past who wanted to change the way she presented herself in front of the camera. Seeing the amount of support and love she is receiving from her subscribers, Alex is very grateful that her YouTube channel and her videos have been well-received while showing her true authentic self.
Melai Cantiveros and Alex Gonzaga during the Tide #BagongBiliOBagongLaba event.
Alex’s utmost advice for aspiring YouTubers out there? To know who you are and how you will show that through your channel. “Be as genuine and as authentic as you can be, kasi ‘yun talaga yung hinahanap at magugustuhan ng mga tao.” Truly, there is nothing better to show the world than the genuine you.
We really learned a lot from Alex Gonzaga about YouTube as a platform, content creation, and even some great advice to live by! Do you have any tips for budding YouTubers out there? Share them with us and comment them down below!
