Page 14 - MidWeek - Dec 21, 2022

14 MIDWEEK DECEMBER 21, 2022
Making fun YouTube videos is the family business for Ryan Kaji, star of Ryan’s World, and his ‘ohana, who have turned this practice into an entertainment empire.
STORY BY
YU SHING TING
PHOTOS BY
ANTHONY CONSILLIO
It’s Ryan’s World and oodles of children are continually glued to it — nearly 34 million sub- scribers at last count — as they play and learn along the way. The popular YouTube channel features 11-year-old Ryan Kaji, who along with dad Shion, mom Loann, and 6-year-old twin sisters Emma and Kate, have turned simple videos of him unboxing toys into a family-friendly enter- tainment empire. Collective- ly, their efforts have resulted in a production company that manages nine YouTube chan- nels (which garner more than 50 million subscribers and 1 billion views per month com-
bined), as well as a line of toys and consumer products. “Our core principle for our brand is a combination of en- tertainment and education,”
home since April 2021. The family moved from Houston to Honolulu during the pan- demic, seeking sunny skies that allowed them to be out- doors more, especially during a time of remote learning and lockdowns.
“It was hard to do that in Houston. We wanted an envi- ronment where we could have easy access to outside, where we’re not, hey, can we go out- side today? Is it too hot? Is it too cold? Is it rainy? We have a pool at home (in Houston) and we use it for only several months a year versus here. We’ve been here a year and a half, and they’ ve been us- ing it all year-round. It’s just been really nice to be able to do that.”
explains Shion, noting that the target audience is keiki ages 3 to 7. “We used to focus on just entertainment, but we got so inspired by the educa- tional part, too ...
“I felt the teachers were trying their best to do what they could do but it was very hard,” notes Loann, a for- mer high school chemistry teacher. “And because I had the privilege to stay home, I thought it was better for my kids if I just homeschooled. So, during that full year, I homeschooled Ryan and part of the curriculum was that I wanted him to have PE.
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“This is a place where we want kids to come and feel like they’ re on a play date with Ryan. We always look out for the authenticity, and the No. 1 priority is that Ryan is having fun in the videos.”
tially,” adds Shion. “When we first came to Hawai‘i, we felt like it’s got a very wel- coming community, every- body helping to raise kids together and supporting the senior citizens, too.
time and their parents are re- ally nice, too. They’re always like, ‘Oh, Ryan, you can call me Auntie and Uncle.’
These days, the fun takes place right here in Hawai‘i, where the Kajis have called
“Also, Ryan easily gets recognized when he’s in public and before he gets too old, I wanted to find a safe community where everybody could watch over him, essen-
“It’s been great. The kids have been able to find new friends. They hang out all the
“We feel everybody is so much nicer here. I mean ev- erybody in Houston is very nice, but Hawai‘i is on a whole different level.”
SEE PAGE 15
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Houston to Honolulu in 2021 in search of better climate and community.
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