Bill Yang finds success outside his comfort zone
Bill Yang finds success outside his comfort zone
Yang: ‘All it takes is one to inspire many. We need more ones to step out’
Bill and Stracy Yang take viewers across Micronesia and back again. With each video, the Yangs highlight a part of day-to-day life: picking up an order of doughnuts from a store in Pohnpei; hauling a cooler filled with crabs to the Marshall Islands; capturing the sights and sounds of a night market in Kosrae; and more.
The Yangs, under the handle Yangsta and Yangsta97, share videos on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. On YouTube, they’ve uploaded over 200 videos, which collectively have garnered over 880,000 views and counting. They also run the Instagram account @micronesiadaily, which shares news and profiles of Micronesian artists, scholars, political leaders, athletes, and more.
“Majority of my content revolves around our island cultures,” Bill Yang told The Husk, adding that the culture has a huge impact on the work he publishes online.
Stracy is from Satowan and Tonoas in the Chuuk islands. Bill’s mom is Kosraean and his father is Chinese, and Bill grew up in Pohnpei. “AKA Pohnpeian by heart,” he quipped.
The couple have a son, Liam, and they live in Texas now. Part of Bill’s motivation to create content has been his family.
“Social media today gives us this ability to earn without a limit, and my goal is to eventually make enough to just be with my family as much as I can,” 27-year-old Bill said. Having worked as a waiter and a Home Depot store associate, and having observed family members with their own businesses, Bill has a clear idea of how he wants to spend his days – and that’s with his family.
“The stress and time that takes you away from your family is not how I’d like to live my life,” he said. “Making money online AND through your passion while getting to spend time with my wife and kids is the dream and goal.”
On the Yangsta YouTube channel, Bill uploads vlogs sharing his life and his family, treating viewers to island life. He’s also compiled videos featuring weddings, birthdays, sports games, and concerts. The videos are highly produced, underlining the Yangs’ impressive skill sets. Beyond an interesting shot, the Yangs do well in setting the scene and editing for impact – which is no small feat. Bill said he was inspired by YouTubers Casey Neistat and The Bucket List Family, as well as documentarian Nathan Fitch. Fans of Neistat and Fitch will recognize their influence in Bill’s videos while also appreciating the lengths Bill and Stracy go to inject their own creative flair.
Bill said Fitch’s storytelling and documentary style inspired him early on. When he was studying at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo, Bill developed his video editing skills with the Pacific Islander Student Center media team.
“Nathan Fitch, producer for ‘Island Soldier’ movie was invited to hold a film session for our media team thanks to Dr. Vid Raatior,” Bill said. “This was the official beginning of my storytelling journey.”
Bill has been posting videos online since about 2015. After Liam was born in 2021, Bill committed to uploading videos consistently.
One of his more popular Reels features Bill asking how to say “beautiful” in the Marshallese language. He jokingly implores his friend to teach him rizz to use on his wife Stracy. The clip earned over 170,000 views on Instagram and over 15,000 likes.
It’s a video that has all the makings of what does well with short-form content: a beautiful girl; catchy TikTok lingo; a fleeting, digestible plot that grabs viewers within milliseconds.
For the masses, it’s entertaining. For islanders coming across the video in their feed, it’s a comforting, familiar scene: friends and family seated together, shooting the breeze, replete with laughter and good vibes.
That’s a lot of what makes Bill Yang’s videos work. He bridges the gap between the islands and the diaspora, giving viewers a taste of home but also giving viewers in the islands a taste of life away.
Bill has several popular videos highlighting different Pacific Islander languages, querying his friends and family as to how to say certain words in their respective islands.
“On TikTok, most of my content surrounds learning Micronesian languages with me speaking Kosraean, Mandarin, and Pohnpeian and my wife speaking Chuukese,” Bill said. “While I’m not the best speaker of these languages, I love learning and sharing it.”
It seems viewers love learning alongside the Yangs.
“On YouTube and other platforms, I want to create content about our people, our country, and our culture and traditions,” he added.
Continuing to post about aspects of life that he enjoys keeps him motivated to make more videos.
“What motivates me to keep on creating these type of contents is people response and DMs to me thanking us for teaching them or reminding them of their language,” he said.
Beyond that, Bill said making memories and meeting new people has been rewarding, especially when mutuals become IRL friends.
Bill said he hopes viewers laugh and discover something new when they watch his videos. He also hopes people gain a sense of pride.
“I want people to learn from my content while laughing would be best,” he said. “Be proud of who they are and where they’re from. Know who they are and what we can do.”
Micronesia Daily
In addition to the Yangs’ vlogs, Bill launched Micronesia Daily on Instagram. With Micronesia Daily, Bill turns the lens to other Micronesians.
It was “created to showcase Micronesians doing amazing things, i.e., scholars, musicians, athletes, entrepreneurs, businesses, politicians, military success,” he said. Micronesia Daily is educational and shares news and updates from the islands.
Bill added that it’s an account that aims to inspire Micronesians who live in the diaspora and those living at home.
Over the years of creating content online, Bill said he struggled with three things: confidence, consistency, and getting out of his comfort zone.
Consistency is something Bill continues to tussle with, but he’s learned to make it a point to set weekly and monthly posting goals so he can continue to reach new audiences.
As for confidence and broadening his horizons, overcoming those hurdles came with time and a supportive group of friends.
Growing up “sheltered and spoiled” made him “scared of new things and the unknown,” he said.
“It wasn’t until college that I truly stepped out of my comfort zone. Made new friends – complete strangers from all over the world at UH Hilo. We called our friend group Bro-Hana. It was a friend group that consisted with individuals from almost 20 different countries,” he said.
Making those new connections and expanding his horizons only helped Bill.
“I had a camera on me since 2015, was too scared to film myself and post it due to lack of self-confidence and esteem,” he said. “I tackled that by surrounding myself with the right people. In this case, my wife and my group of friends in Hilo, Hawaii. Shoutout VID-GANG.”
‘All that you have is all that you need’
For Micronesians aspiring to create content or make videos, Bill offers this advice:
“All that you have is all that you need. You don't need all the fancy gear to tell a story or catch people’s attention. All you need is a story, your creativity, and whatever camera you have on you, whether it be your phone or an old camera,” he said. “Do it first for free. Be proactive. You do things for yourself or for fun first, and then opportunities come later.”
“All that you have is all that you need. You don't need all the fancy gear to tell a story or catch people’s attention.”
Bill wants to see more Micronesians breaking out of their comfort zones.
“I want our people to be more proactive and open to new possibilities and opportunities, whether that’s a new skill, vocation, career or hobby. All it takes is one to inspire many. We need more ones to step out,” he said.
If stepping out seems too daunting, Bill assured aspiring Micronesian creators not to fret.
“Know that people don’t care as much as you think they do,” he said.
Support the Yangs
Subscribe to their channel on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/@Yangsta, and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok, @Yangsta97. Follow Micronesia Daily on Instagram for news and profiles on Micronesians doing amazing things.
