YTOTW: The 3 Guys Of INSTILL. And Their Plan For Better Local Content On YouTube
In today's YouTuber Of The Week, we caught up with the guys behind INSTILL., a Malaysian trio that hopes to inspire the people with their positive videos. Get to know them better when we interviewed them in an exclusive here.
By Darian Goh — 09 Feb 2015, 12:41 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
Mamak sessions are never a waste of time. That's how the guys from INSTILL. banded together: over teh tarik in August 2013.
Darian: When did you start your YouTube channel and how did it start?
INSTILL.: Back in August 2013 over a casual Yum Cha session. Who says mamak session is a waste of time?
Made up of Roy Ajong, Paul Leong, and Cuzario David, the trio aims to tell stories that are positive, inspiring, and most of all, real
Darian: Tell us what's your YouTube channel about, what kind of videos do you do?
INSTILL.: Well, INSTILL. is a film company driven by deeply passionate storytellers who engage their audience with positive messages through inspiring contents with reoccurring themes of ‘love’ and ‘life’.
Darian: Where do you get your inspiration to make videos?
INSTILL.: Basically, anything and everything. From animals, mode of transportations, politics, food, infrastructures, people…whatever you can think of. However, all the videos we have produced thus far are pretty much life related such as our past experiences and personal struggles and and how we victoriously walked out of each one of them.
Likening themselves to chefs, they hope that their videos feed people with positive messages. They understand that they can't please everyone but hope that over time, their skills and their craft will improve as they make more videos.
INSTILL.: We love to picture ourselves like chefs. Reason being is that we feed people with positive messages through our videos. But, like food, some people might like it while the others don’t simply because everyone has their own preferences…and we can't please everyone all the time. All we have to do is just to master and perfect our craft hoping that whatever we produce will be well accepted by the mass.
Their ability to make their videos uniquely Malaysian is something to be admired. In the "Paper Plane", the short film revolves around an Iban family in Sarawak and a Chinese family and how both these two families intertwine.
INSTILL. believes that Malaysians are a talented bunch and hopes that the locals will support it. "If we don't support our own industry, then who will?"
Darian: One reason Malaysians should subscribe to your channel?
INSTILL: Nowadays, most of the products in the market are China made. Ours, is truly made in MALAYSIA. Malaysia “BOLEH”. We feel that it is about time for us to look inward and really appreciate what the local people are doing with their talents. Often times, when you're looking for a certain good brand, you would definitely look to the western countries and Malaysia is definitely not the picture.
We think it is really important for people to support their own brand. There are a lot of great talents out there who goes unnoticed. The thing is, if we don't support our own industry, then who will? And for the record, we are as equally talented as those guys in the western countries. Perhaps, even better.
But before you jump on the YouTuber bandwagon, the guys from INSTILL. warn. "Think deeply before you venture..." If you're into film making, join a production house and learn from the best before coming back when you're ready.
INSTILL.: Think deeply before you venture into being a Youtuber. If you would like to be to be famous instantly then go ahead and produce anything that can go viral. On the other hand, if you are really serious about producing blockbuster movies then don’t really bother about Youtube. It would be best that you opt to surround yourself with the big guys, and that means you should work in a production house rather than wasting your time on Youtube. Go out, learn as much as you can from the sifus and comeback later once you feel you well equipped are ready. Lastly, if you are in it just for fun then post up silly or cute contents with high virality value.
INSTILL.: Just as much as we love making videos out of nothing, we sometimes question ourselves if we are doing this just to gain fame and get noticed or are we really serious in the things we do simply because most of the times it does feel like we are merely playing and having lots of fun making all these videos.
Although the Malaysian YouTube scene is growing, INSTILL. feels that the videos currently out there lacks substance when there is so much more to explore
Darian: What's your opinion on the YouTube scene in Malaysia? Is there something new or is everyone jumping on board doing the same thing and nothing exciting?
INSTILL.: Well, it is purely a game of supply and demand. What we can say is that the scene is kind of growing as people are well aware of and exposed to the kinds of contents available. However, despite the growth, we feel that the contents in Malaysia lack substance and depth. There isn't many, if at all, "wow factor" in the videos out there. So if there is at least one thing we can do better and improve in, it is definitely to produce good and meaningful contents.
Whether one likes it or not, a big part of YouTube culture is the haters and trolls. INSTILL. deals with them by using it as a tool to improve themselves and by keeping themselves grounded.
INSTILL.: Hate itself is such a strong, and hater is even worst. Well, we hope that there is no one hating us out there. What did we even do wrong to deserve that? Anyway, we take criticisms as a tool to build and make us stronger as they not only keep our feet planted on the ground but also help us to check if we are moving towards the direction we should be heading. So to those who have been helping us to realise that, thank you so much! We really appreciate your gestures, really.
But it's not all doom and gloom, YouTube in itself is a rewarding experience and if you venture into it, it may set you off on a crazy adventure
INSTILL.: Youtube itself is a crazy experience. Today’s friend might be tomorrow’s enemy. It is too scary and unpredictable.
The guys will be releasing more shorts soon so do check them out and subscribe to them here if you don't want to miss out!
Darian: Will there be any shorts or future projects that we should look forward to?
INSTILL.: Okay, here's a hint: let us “RENT” an “ANYWHERE DOOR” and wish us a “SAFE FLIGHT”. Did you manage to read between the lines?