Wikipedia

Ryan Higa

Ryan Higa(born June 6, 1990), also known asnigahiga(/ˈniːɡəhiːɡə/NEE-ɡə-HEE-ɡə), is an American internet personality. Best known for his comedy videos onYouTube,Higa began making YouTube videos in 2006 and was one of the most popular creators on the platform in its early years. His main YouTube channel, nigahiga, was themost subscribed channel on YouTubeover two periods, a very brief 9 day period in September and October 2008, and a 675 consecutive day period from 2009 to 2011, a period of time as the most-subscribed channel that has only been surpassed byPewDiePieandT-Seriessince.[2][3]Higa was the first person to reach the milestones of 2 million[4]and 3 million[5]subscribers on YouTube. Higa launched a podcast in 2018 calledOff the Pill,which has featured YouTubers and celebrities such asKevJumba,Andrew Yang,andJeremy Lin.[6]In 2020, Higa started streaming onTwitch,where he reacts to his past videos and broadcastsvideo gamecontent, most notably inValorant.[7]

Ryan Higa
Higa atVidConin June 2012
Personal information
Born(1990-06-06)June 6, 1990(age 34)[1]
Hilo, Hawaii,U.S.[1]
Occupations
Websitewww.higatv
YouTube information
Channels
Created by
  • Ryan Higa
  • Sean Fujiyoshi
  • Tim Enos
  • Tarynn Nago
Years active2006–present (inactive since Apr 2020)
GenreComedy
Subscribers20.9 million (nigahiga)
4.58 million (HigaTV)
Total views4.4 billion (nigahiga)
916 million (HigaTV)
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers2007 (nigahiga)
2011 (HigaTV)
1,000,000 subscribers2009 (nigahiga)
2013 (HigaTV)
10,000,000 subscribers2013 (nigahiga)
Twitch information
Channel
Years active2020–present
GenreGaming
Games
Followers817 thousand
Last updated:September 3, 2024

Higa has won aShorty Award,has been namedForbes Top 30 Under 30,[8]and has been nominated for three more Shorty Awards, sixStreamy Awards,and fiveTeen Choice Awards.

Outside of his content on YouTube and Twitch, he has also published a memoirRyan Higa's How to Write Goodand appeared in feature filmsTell Me How I Die(2016) andFinding 'Ohana(2021).

Early life

Ryan Higa was born inHilo, Hawaii,on June 6, 1990.[1]He is ofOkinawan descent,[9]and has an older brother named Kyle.[10]In his youth, Higa competed injudoand holds ablack belt.[11][12]He wrestled atWaiakea High School,from which he graduated in 2008.[13][14]

Higa studiednuclear medicineat theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas,but later dropped out to create online videos.[15]

YouTube career

Higa andSean Fujiyoshibegan posting YouTube videos of themselveslip syncingto songs in mid-2006 while attendingWaiakea High School.[16]They quickly expanded beyond songs, with a variety of other comedic pieces. Occasional guest appearances were made by Tim Enos, Ryan Villaruel, Kyle Chun, and Tarynn Nago.[17]

On Christmas Eve of 2008, Higa and Fujiyoshi's two most popular videos,How To Be GangsterandHow To Be Emo,were removed due to copyright violations.[18]On January 21, 2009, the nigahiga account was temporarily suspended and was required to remove more copyrighted videos. Because of this, nigahiga's lip syncing videos were all removed (with the exception ofYou're Beautiful,which was audio swapped),[19]along with most of his other videos that included copyrighted music. Since then, Higa started composing the music himself.How to be GangsterandHow to be Emowere put back on nigahiga's channel in late August 2009, only to be removed a few days later, along withHow to be NinjaandHow to be Nerd.In Spring 2010,How to be Ninja,How to be GangsterandHow to be Emowere made public once more.[20]

Ninja Melk,a 26-minute short film about ninjas, was released in August 2009. The plot revolves around a ninja master named Master Ching Ching sending his student Lapchung (played by Bryson Murata) to find a replacement, finding Higa and Fujiyoshi to catch the evil Bokchoy (Tim Enos) and his henchwoman, Gina (Tarynn Nago).[21]

An independent 35-minute film he created withWong Fu ProductionscalledAgents of Secret Stuffwas uploaded on the nigahiga channel on November 24, 2010. It features some other popular YouTube users as well as actors such asAki Aleong.The film follows a teenage A.S.S. (Agent ofSecretStuff) (Higa) who goes undercover as a high school student to protect Taylor (Arden Cho) from the S.I.N.S. (SocietyInvolvingNot-So-GoodStuff). It included guest appearances from Ian and Anthony ofSmosh,D-Trix,KassemGand Hiimrawn.

When Higa moved toLas Vegasto attend college, most of the nigahiga videos were solo efforts, usually featuring collaborations with other YouTube users. Since 2012, Higa has put together a production company, Ryan Higa Production Company (RHPC), which included Sean Fujiyoshi, that works together to make content for the nigahiga channel.[22]In 2015, Higa's production company was based in a studio inHenderson, Nevada.[14]

In 2016, Higa and other YouTubers and friends created the parodyK-popgroupBoys Generally Asian.In mid-2018, Fujiyoshi left the group as he was moving out of the area, specifically toSacramento, Californiato live with his current girlfriend and to pursue his degree inengineering.[23]

Channels

Ryan Higa Meet-and-Greet in Hong Kong YouTube Festival

The nigahiga YouTube channel was created on July 20, 2006, by Higa, Fujiyoshi, Enos, and Nago (known collectively as "The Yabo Crew" ). By December 21, 2010, it had reached 3 million subscribers, the first channel to do so.[24]Higa had claimed in the past[25]that his channel name was derived from a combination of "Niga"(にが),which he had claimed means "rant" in Japanese, and hisOkinawanlast name, "Higa".[26]However, he later revealed that his channel name was actually derived from a desire to encourage people to pronounce his surname correctly. He expressed regret that this may have backfired somewhat, but has refused to change the channel name over the years to avoid the implication that it was ever meant to encourage usage of the termnigga.[27]

In 2011, he created a second channel, under the name HigaTV, where he posts video blogs and behind the scenes videos.[28]

In 2012, Higa helped form theYOMYOMF Network,which hosts the online video-making talent competition,Internet Icon,of which he served alongsideChristine LakinandTimothy DeLaGhettoas main judges.[29]

Boys Generally Asian

Main article:Boys Generally Asian

In 2016, Ryan Higa created aK-popband withDavid Choi,Philip Wang,Jun Sung AhnandJustin Chon.It was called BgA, standing for Boys Generally Asian, deliberately inspired by the all-female bandGirls Generation. Their first song was called "Dong Saya Dae", which currently has over 16 million views on YouTube.[30]The song was conceived as a general parody of all K-pop songs and featured joke lyrics, but unexpectedly peaked at no. 2 on the official iTunes K-pop charts.[31]In 2017, BgA released their second song "Who's It Gonna Be",[32]a more serious song than the first, though with the same basis of being a parody. This song went one better than the first, reaching no. 1 on the K-pop charts.[33]

Film and television

In 2008,Los Angelesbased producer Richard Van Vleet offered to help them create their first feature-length film. The resulting film,Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure,was directed by Richard Van Vleet and released on November 14, 2008.[34]It was shown in sold out theaters inHawaiiandCalifornia.[35]The DVD was released on July 14, 2009, in the United States.[36]The film is about a down-on-his-luck movie producer, played byMichael Buckley,who is seeking out famouscelebritiesin order to make a hit movie in 30 days or risk being fired. He chooses Higa and Fujiyoshi after discovering the popularity of their YouTube videos. He invites them toHollywoodto make a movie. They accept the offer, and run into some amusing situations on the way.[37]

Higa has also guest-starred on an episode ofSupah Ninjas,playing DJ Elephant Head, a master plotter who uses his hypnotizing electronic music to make people fall asleep to commit robberies.

He appeared in the 2016 horror filmTell Me How I Die[38]and in the 2021 Netflix filmFinding 'Ohana.[39]

Business ventures

Victorious Inc. released the "TeeHee" app in April 2015. It was a community hub for fans of Ryan Higa and was monetized through "pre-roll ads, branded content, e-commerce, and in-app purchases." The service was shut down in April 2017.[40][41]

Higa published his memoir,Ryan Higa's How to Write Good,in 2017.[42]

Higa co-founded Ninja Melk, LLC in 2016 with Kathleen Hahn and Kyle Schroeder. Their titular energy drink launched in May 2019.[43]The drink took three years to develop and is named after Higa's short film of the same name.[44]Higa uploaded a stop motion short film onto the nigahiga YouTube channel on October 19, 2019, to promote the drink.[45]

Personal life

Higa endorsedAndrew Yangfor the2020 Democratic nomination for president.[46]He identifies as anagnostic.[47]He is diagnosed withADHD.[48] Higa is a fan of theSan Francisco 49ers[49]and theLos Angeles Clippers.[50]

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2012 4th Shorty Awards Best in Humor Won [51]
2013 3rd Streamy Awards Personality of the Year Nominated [52]
Best First-Person Series Nominated [52]
2014 4th Streamy Awards Entertainer of the Year Nominated [53]
Comedy Nominated [53]
Young Hollywood Awards Viral Superstar Nominated [54]
6thShorty Awards Best Video Blogger Nominated [55]
2015 5th Streamy Awards Comedy Nominated [56]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Male Web Star Nominated [57]
2016 6th Streamy Awards Comedy Nominated [58]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Web Star: Comedy Nominated [59]
8th Shorty Awards YouTube Comedian Nominated [60]
2017 Teen Choice Awards Choice Male Web Star Nominated [61]
9thShorty Awards YouTuber of the Year Nominated [62]
2018 Teen Choice Awards Choice Male Web Star Nominated [63]
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Male Web Star Nominated [64]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure Ryan
2009 Ninja Melk Ryan / Master Ching Ching / Lapchung Also director and writer
2010 Agents of Secret Stuff Aden Short film
2016 Tell Me How I Die Scratch
2021 Finding 'Ohana Ryan

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Supah Ninjas DJ Elephant Head Episode: "DJ Elephant Head"

Web series

Year Title Role Notes
2010 I Heart Vampires Corbin's Friend 2 episodes
2012 The Book Club YouTube Ninja Episode: "Letters of the Dragon"
2013 YouTubers React Himself 4 episodes
2016 Single by 30 Trevor Episode: "Hold the Phone!"

Discography

Singles

Title Year Album
"I'm Hardcore"
(featuring David Choi and JR Aquino)[65] 		2011 Non-album singles
"Ignored"
(featuring David Choi) 		2015
"Millennial Love"
(featuring Kina Grannis) 		2017
"Exposed"
(featuring David Choi) 		2019
"8 Grapes"
(featuring David Choi) 		2018

References

  1. ^abc"HigaTV.COM About".HigaTV Productions. Archived fromthe originalon April 3, 2014.RetrievedDecember 29,2011.
  2. ^"Ryan Higa - The Shorty Awards".shortyawards.RetrievedFebruary 2,2020.
  3. ^VanDeGraph (October 21, 2016)."The Top Youtubers Throughout History".VanDeGraph.RetrievedFebruary 1,2020.
  4. ^Digital, Premier (2019-05-10)."Culture – YouTube 101".Premier Digital.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  5. ^Ozawa, Ryan (2010-12-22)."Ryan Higa Hits 3 Million YouTube Subscribers".Hawaii Social Media.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  6. ^Leskin, Paige."The 10 most popular YouTubers at the beginning of the decade — and where they are now".Business Insider.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  7. ^"Twitch apologizes to Ryan Higa after wrongful ban for" hateful conduct "".Dexerto.2021-03-26.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  8. ^Cuccinello, Hayley C."30 Under 30 Spotlight: Meet YouTube Star Ryan Higa".Forbes.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  9. ^@TheRealRyanHiga (August 14, 2010)."@hokutokonishi ahhh i'm okinawan and i've never been there.... lucky!"(Tweet).RetrievedJanuary 8,2016– viaTwitter.
  10. ^Life Hacks! (Dear Ryan).nigahiga.YouTube.May 8, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedApril 29,2017.
  11. ^Ko, Nalea J. (September 16, 2009)."Ryan Higa Snatches No.1 Spot on YouTube".New America Media.Archived fromthe originalon November 3, 2014.RetrievedJuly 1,2013.
  12. ^"HHSAA JUDO: 2007 HHSAA Judo State Championships".The Hawaii High School Athletic Association. May 19, 2007.RetrievedJuly 1,2013.
  13. ^"State Wrestling Results".Honolulu Advertiser. March 2, 2008.RetrievedJuly 1,2013.
  14. ^abStewart, Colin (May 18, 2015)."Hilo's prince of YouTube continues to soar".West Hawaii Today.RetrievedFebruary 2,2020.
  15. ^Wilcox, Leslie (January 3, 2012)."LONG STORY SHORT WITH LESLIE WILCOX Ryan Higa | PBS Hawai'i".PBS Hawai'i.RetrievedFebruary 1,2020.
  16. ^"Hilo teens become a Web video sensation".The Honolulu Advertiser. July 27, 2008.RetrievedAugust 21,2009.
  17. ^"starbulletin | Features | /2008/01/11/".Archives.starbulletin. January 11, 2008.RetrievedJuly 13,2010.
  18. ^Higa, Ryan (February 23, 2009)."Copyrighted".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedDecember 11,2009.
  19. ^Higa, Ryan (June 27, 2008)."You're Beautiful".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedNovember 29,2009.
  20. ^Higa, Ryan."Uploads".YouTube.RetrievedOctober 21,2012.
  21. ^Higa, Ryan; Fujiyoshi, Sean (August 24, 2009)."Ninja Melk".Video.YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedNovember 29,2009.
  22. ^Katz, S.D. (April 10, 2019)."YouTube Star Ryan Higa Shows the Way to Maintain Independence With DIY Studio".Variety.RetrievedFebruary 1,2020.
  23. ^nigahiga (September 1, 2018),Goodbye Sean...,archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07,retrievedJune 7,2019
  24. ^Ryan Higa Hits 3 Million YouTube Subscribers
  25. ^Tko, Tonya (November 30, 2008)."NigaHiga Explains Name, Happy Slip, Kev Jumba & TonyaTko -Amazing Asians vol 1".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedFebruary 27,2012.
  26. ^Lunn, Emma (December 1, 2014)."Jenna Marbles, Holasoygerman, Smosh and Nigahiga: The YouTube comedians earning millions".Yahoo! UK & Ireland Finance. Archived fromthe originalon May 18, 2015.RetrievedApril 30,2015.
  27. ^OfflineTV Podcast Clips (July 28, 2020)."The Meaning Behind 'NigaHiga'".YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedApril 27,2021.
  28. ^"HigaTV".YouTube.RetrievedOctober 3,2016.
  29. ^Jeff Sneider (May 28, 2012)."'Internet Icon' aims for virality ".Variety.RetrievedDecember 10,2012.
  30. ^"BgA - Dong Saya Dae (똥싸야돼) [Official Music Video]".YouTube.May 13, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedNovember 8,2019.
  31. ^nigahiga,June 3, 2016
  32. ^"BgA - Who's It Gonna be (Official Music Video)".YouTube.24 March 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-20.
  33. ^Ryan Higa and Friends Create K-Pop Group as a Joke, Gets #1 Hit on K-Pop Charts,March 27, 2017
  34. ^"Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure".zap2it. Archived fromthe originalon March 14, 2012.RetrievedNovember 15,2009.
  35. ^Associated Press."YouTube was very good to this pair".Daily Herald. Archived fromthe originalon July 4, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 19,2010.
  36. ^"Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure (2008)".Amazon.14 July 2009.RetrievedNovember 15,2009.
  37. ^"Ryan and Sean's Not So Excellent Adventure".infoplease. Archived fromthe originalon September 10, 2009.RetrievedNovember 15,2009.
  38. ^"Ryan Higa".rottentomatoes.RetrievedJune 9,2018.
  39. ^"Finding 'Ohana Cast & Character Guide".ScreenRant.2021-01-30.Retrieved2021-02-01.
  40. ^Gutelle, Sam (April 23, 2015)."Victorious Officially Debuts Its First Apps With YouTube Stars Ryan Higa, The Young Turks".Tubefilter.RetrievedFebruary 1,2020.
  41. ^"Thank you Teehee App Users! | Higa TV Productions LLC".higatv.April 16, 2017.RetrievedJanuary 31,2020.
  42. ^Higa, Ryan (May 30, 2017).Ryan Higa's How to Write Good.Hachette Children's Group.ISBN978-1-5102-0142-2.
  43. ^Ninja Melk [@ninjamelk] (May 4, 2019)."We are delighted to officially unveil Ninja Melk, a unique and refreshing energy drink..."(Tweet).Retrieved2020-01-25– viaTwitter.
  44. ^Fennimore, Jack (May 31, 2019)."Ninja Melk: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know".Heavy.Retrieved2020-01-25.
  45. ^Higa, Ryan (October 19, 2019)."Stop-Motion Ninja Melk Commercial!".Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedJanuary 25,2020– viaYouTube.
  46. ^@TheRealRyanHiga (September 15, 2019)."I've actually donated for the first time ever. New podcast with @AndrewYangVFA is up! Check it out on offthepillpodcast! #yanggang"(Tweet).RetrievedSeptember 16,2019– viaTwitter.
  47. ^"Nigahiga".YouTube. 6 October 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedOctober 8,2019.
  48. ^Higa, Ryan (April 19, 2014).How to Know If You Have ADHD(YouTube). nigahiga.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.
  49. ^"Ryan Higa on Twitter: @TheRealRyanHiga: @49ers Still such a difference from a season ago.. we killed ourselves".
  50. ^"Ryan Higa on Twitter: @TheRealRyanHiga: @cash_warren Clippers are keeping up with the lakers.. say what!?!".
  51. ^"Congratulations to the Winners of the 4th Annual Shorty Awards!".Tumblr.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  52. ^ab"3rd Annual Winners & Nominees".The Streamy Awards.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  53. ^ab"4th Annual Winners & Nominees".The Streamy Awards.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  54. ^laurengullionpmc (2014-06-26)."Young Hollywood Awards 2014".PMC.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  55. ^"Ryan Higa - The Shorty Awards".shortyawards.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  56. ^"5th Annual Winners & Nominees".The Streamy Awards.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  57. ^Variety Staff (2015-08-17)."Teen Choice Awards 2015 Winners: Full List".Variety.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  58. ^"6th Annual Nominees".The Streamy Awards.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  59. ^Geier, Thom (2016-07-31)."Teen Choice Awards 2016: The Complete Winners List".TheWrap.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  60. ^"Shorty Awards: The Complete Winners List".The Hollywood Reporter.2016-04-11.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  61. ^"Teen Choice Awards 2017: Winners List".Billboard.14 August 2017.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  62. ^"Ryan Higa - The Shorty Awards".shortyawards.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  63. ^"Teen Choice Awards Winners 2018: See the Full List".Billboard.13 August 2018.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  64. ^"Teen Choice Awards: Full List of Winners".The Hollywood Reporter.2019-08-11.Retrieved2021-04-30.
  65. ^"I'm Hardcore".YouTube.January 25, 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.RetrievedNovember 8,2019.
Wikimedia Commons has media related toRyan Higa.
Achievements
Preceded by Most Subscribed Channel on YouTube
2008-2008 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
FЯED
 Most Subscribed Channel on YouTube
2009-2011 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ryan_Higa&oldid=1257062330"