If Casey Neistat was a teenager living in paradise, his vlogs would be something like Isa Mwah’s, except Isa’s videos, quite frankly, are more impressive.
“Adventure time is all the time!”
That’s Isa’s single-sentence description on her YouTube channel. It’s almost a promise. And let me tell you, she delivers every time.
Isa was born on Pohnpei.
“I am of Irish, Scottish, Ngetikese, & Mortlockese descent,” she said.
Her videos feature a slice of Micronesian island life with pristine waters under clear blue skies and tropical scenery that feels familiar if you’re from the islands. It’s the kind of FOMO-inducing backdrop that sells out vacation venues. Fortunately for Isa, it’s her real life.
Videos of Isa and her friends and family jet skiing, surfing, hiking, biking and swimming with mantas are sprinkled in with vlogs spotlighting school events, birthday parties, talent shows, tennis, Micronesian dances, and (also a very Micronesian thing) playing volleyball.
The very first video of her channel is titled, “water skiing in Pohnpei! (so much fun!)” and opens with a shot of the water. The inviting blue-green sea expands across the frame, interrupted by peaks on the horizon, hovering under a baby blue sky.
“We are in the middle of the ocean,” Isa says, out of frame.
Uploaded just about two years ago, it sets the tone for what will be a journey that leads to her garnering over 4,000 subscribers and more than half a million views on her channel.
Isa said she was spending a summer in Florida with her dad and the subject of her future came up.
“Somehow YouTube came about the discussion. We started watching YouTube videos of Casey Neistat and a South African friend of his, Dan Mace. Casey Neistat’s back story of his life before he started his YouTube career, and the results it has had of his life, inspired me. Dan Mace, at that time, shared about how he would explore other unique content creators and help them improve their channel only if their story caught his eye,” she said.
“Before you know it, I started editing my first amateur water activity video, taken on my dad's old Canon camera last summer, editing on my laptop, in my room,” Isa said.
Isa has since uploaded fun, positive content featuring herself, her family and friends.
Her uploads are “mostly videos of me being adventurous and safe at the same time. The videos that I upload now are updates of my home island. For example, graduations, interscholastic sporting competitions, and other events.”
Isa hopes to continue to create fun and adventurous videos at home and abroad, showcasing her loved ones along with her on her fun-filled escapades.
“Those videos truly made me enjoy editing for nights on end,” Isa said.
Isa said if she wasn’t living in Pohnpei she might not have started a YouTube channel because of privacy issues. Now, her good friends and her family regularly watch her creations.
“I was genuinely happy when they watched them. Their positive reactions always made my day,” Isa said. “I thought that filming my life on this island was somewhat interesting since there was very little YouTube coverage of Pohnpei at the time.”
Every video she’s put on her channel so far has earned a special place in her heart so she said it’s hard to choose a favorite. But she added that she enjoys the videos with her friends having a good time, unscripted.
Isa’s most viewed video
So far, her most viewed video is titled “Pohnpeian River Dance” and it has more than 382,000 views.
The girls prepared a dance routine within half a day then rushed to the river to record before the sun set.
The end result of the girls’ hard work is a punchy piece that blends Micronesian dance and modern moves but also exhibits island pride and adventure and friendship and sisterhood and good vibes. Remarkably, Isa’s editing skill manages to convey all of those messages in 2 minutes and 10 seconds without any dialogue.
The comments under that video are a tsunami of praise. Viewers from around the world are supportive of the island, the girls, the dance and the setting.
“We truly did not expect the amount of attention our video got—300,000— and continuous growth of viewers is overwhelming. We would have been fine if it only got 100 views,” Isa said with a laugh.
“A part of me believes that it got as many views as it did because the majority of Micronesians enjoy dancing, and another part of me believes that it is a unique dance routine, title, and location,” she added.
Isa has been able to use her video-making skills to record events and team sports, which she said she’s super excited about. One such recent project for her is filming the MPOWER Jiu-Jitsu team’s practice.
As she continues to make videos for herself and others, Isa said one of the best parts about creating content is that she gets to express herself in a creative way and reach a wide audience. She makes videos for Instagram and TikTok as well.
The feedback Isa has received since she started her channel has been positive.
“People have said that they think it is cool that I am the ‘first Pohnpeian YouTuber’ and my editing skills are cool for a beginner. A lot of positive feedback and I am super appreciative of that,” she said.
They tell her she also has had a positive impact on kids who watch her creations. For Isa, that’s an honor.
“I hope to positively impact people in the work that I do,” she said.
Thank you to Isa for her time! I appreciate it. I adore her YouTube videos1 and think she’s very talented.
Be sure to subscribe to Isa Mwah’s YouTube channel
And follow her on Instagram and TikTok:
Instagram @isamwah https://www.instagram.com/isamwah/
TikTok @isamwahaha https://www.tiktok.com/@isamwahaha
Thank you for reading. Write to you again soon.
Cheers,
Jasmine
If you liked this, why not subscribe to The Husk? You’ll get these stories and more sent to your email inbox. It’s an easier way to learn more about cool Micronesian creatives and that’s kind of nice, right?
BRB, just going to follow her on TikTok too.