Press
Release Summary: Ryan
Higa and Sean Fujiyoshi, two teens from isolated Hilo, HI,
captured the hearts of peers worldwide through their hilarious
videos. In September ‘08, they became the #1 most subscribed
channel on YouTube and now are starring in a feature film, "Ryan
and Sean's NOT SO Excellent Adventure."
Press
Release Body: San Ramon, California (express-press-release.net)
December 17th, 2008 -- YouTube? Your Tube? No, it's their tube!
Ryan Higa and Sean
Fujiyoshi, two teenagers have become so popular on You Tube
that they are now starring in a professionally filmed, full-length
motion picture, “Ryan
and Sean’s NOT SO Excellent Adventure.”
Ryan Higa and Sean
Fujiyoshi, using the title of Nigahiga, reached the heights
of being named the number one most subscribed YouTube channel
for September 2008—that's more than 660,000 subscribers!
Their increasing popularity led to the making of the film, "Ryan
and Sean's NOT SO Excellent Adventure."
Popular
may be an understatement. They have posted 57 videos during the
past two years, which have been viewed more than 175 million times.
These teenage comedic videos soon caught the attention of Derek
Zemrak, the Founder of the California Independent Film Festival,
and thus "Ryan
and Sean's NOT SO Excellent Adventure" was born.
The
film is the real-life story of two young web celebrities who find
themselves brought to Hollywood to audition and screen test for
starring roles in the next big “buddy” film. Sought
out by a producer, (played by Michael
Buckley of YouTube fame) about to be kicked off the studio
lot, Ryan and Sean are put through the grueling process of makeovers,
massages, tanning beds, singing, dancing and action picture auditions.
Higa
and Fujiyoshi bring a genuine and natural comedic performance
to strange and sometimes surreal situations that are packed with
hilarity. This teen comedy has something for everyone. Their current
fans of You Tube will be especially surprised at how their Stars
shine on the big screen. Non-stop fun and that special brand of
humor that is Ryan and Sean can be found in this feature length
film.
Ryan
Higa and Sean Fujiyoshi, Background Higa
and Fujiyoshi started making videos because they were bored after
school and didn't want to go outside in the rain. Higa, who recently
started his freshman year at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas,
said living in Hilo started it all.
"There's
not much to do other than go watch a movie. Pretty much boredom
kicked it off for us, and our parents didn't mind because it kept
us out of trouble."
They
created the videos to share with friends -- nothing more. One
day, when one of those friends couldn't come over and Higa and
Fujiyoshi didn't feel like going out, they posted a lip-sync video
on the Internet. Later, they saw that it received 100 hits.
"How
did it get so many views?"Higa recalls
wondering. "Did that person click on it 100 times?"
Demand for their unique style
grew. It was the ninja video that first earned
1 million views.
With
videos viewed over 160 million times, 18-year-old Ryan Higa’s
wildly popular YouTube channel features Higa's opinions and romps,
as well as interviews with stars like Milo Ventimiglia and online
duos with Will Farrell. One recent video was viewed over 653,000
times in only 1 week, another 201,000 times in 1 day.
Independent
movie producer Derek Zemrak saw the "Ninja"
clip when his 10-year-old son said all his friends in Los Angeles
were talking about it.
"I
immediately saw the raw talent," says Zemrak,
a producer/writer/director with a background in horror films.
Higa
said spending several weeks making the movie in San Francisco
was "very tiring" and "much harder"
than he anticipated. But Zemrak says the young
men were "so natural when they got out here."
Of
their growing fame, however, Higa remains somewhat
ambivalent. "It's kind of surprising," he says
simply. But he expresses a bit more enthusiasm for the movie itself.
"It's kind of unbelievable, especially since we're from
Hilo, and not much big things come from Hilo that I'm aware of."
2022
