Indie Content Creator: DavidSo Has Mastered The Art Of Performance-Free Conversation
In an era overrun by aspiring alpha-male content creators, it’s always refreshing to come across someone who isn’t fixated on overpowering others in the pursuit of being funny and likable. Korean American YouTuber and podcast host David So stands out for that exact reason. Over the past decade, he has developed his brand and converged on his primary skill, which is just being himself and discussing current topics.
Like most podcasters, he is an ordinary person who has amassed a following who’re interested in hearing him talk about pretty much anything. However, it’s never quite that simple when you’re generating high numbers. So, since starting the DavidSo YouTube channel in 2011, has accumulated a whopping 1.38 million followers and 336 million views. In that time, he has grown as a person as well as an internet personality. Over the last five years, he has focused his efforts and made podcasting his main project, but he put in years of work before that to buy himself the freedom to do so. After all, having a million of anything to your credit is never an accident.
Born in South Korea, So was raised in Sacramento, California, where he assisted his parents in running an African American beauty supply store. Moving from one country to another and growing up around two different lifestyles gave him a multicultural perspective that informs his outlook to this day. His calm and holistic approach toward matters not directly within his reach might very well trace back to his cultural free agency and proximity to immigrant parents trying to navigate their way through traditions and practices not native to them.
After brief stints at UC Riverside and California State University, So dropped out and decided to devote his time to a career in comedy. This began after one of his videos, “Vlog #4: Asians in the Library,” went viral on YouTube in 2011 (it currently has almost 6 million views). The four-and-a-half-minute clip is a dramatic response to a bigoted tirade by a UCLA student regarding the Asian presence on campus. So countered her racism with more stereotypes, mostly positive but some self-deprecating ones too. It was, however, meant to be funny; this ended up working in his favor because of how far and quickly it spread. Though it wasn’t the type of content that works today, it gave him the initial boost to establish the internet presence that has brought him this far.
In the twelve years since, So and his personality have evolved a great deal. The playlist section on his channel exhibits his range and all the different things he’s tried over the years as a creative — from making music to reviewing food to vlogs that involve storytelling and interviews, So has done it all. Once he reached a certain level of fame and success, he began pulling back from his silly, over-the-top comedic characters and shifted his attention to conversational content that isn’t steered by humor.
Today, he is essentially a social commentator. His videos can be as serious as they are funny, so calling him a comedian would no longer be accurate. There was a time when So’s page had multiple branches and series, such as Carpool Confessions, That Sh*ts Bomb and LIVING OUT LOUD vlogs (among others). With the exception of the occasional vlog on pressing and immediate matters, the majority of his uploads now are of the Genius Brain Podcast, which features interviews, discussions and exchanges with a lineup of rotating guests as well as one-off appearances.
There is no particular theme to the podcast besides the topics So finds interesting enough to talk about and contribute a little to as his guests take the lead. Looking at his track record as a creator, the subjects they discuss have no limits. In a sense, he took all the different series he used to work on separately and condensed them into his weekly show. The Genius Brain Podcast covers current events as well as So’s personal life, and then anything else he feels like bringing into the mix — food, art, politics, comedy, pop culture; nothing is off limits.
A podcast-focused YouTube channel where the host talks about anything any everything — David So certainly isn’t the first of last person to do so and won’t be the last, but he’s special because he embraces vulnerability and strength, confidence and doubt. Put simply, his presence is human and sincere because his days as a performer are behind him. He used his success as a funnyman to buy his freedom to be himself, and he does so in the most responsible manner. This is what makes So’s channel so relaxing to watch even when it’s about the most intense subjects. He doesn’t try too hard to be entertaining, so it ends up feeling like you’re sitting in a room with your friends talking about what’s going on in the world. This is what most podcaster and internet personalities aspire to and David So has earned to privilege to operate in that space.
