By: Warren Shiu, Staff Writer

For Mills Senior Mark Chan, being a content creator isn’t just a hobby – it’s a way to express himself, connect with others, and unwind. What started as a fun experiment has quickly grown into something that reflects his passion for storytelling and his persistence in chasing his creative goals.

Chan started making videos in 5th grade, driven by curiosity and the dream of becoming a YouTube star. Over the years, he’s explored different types of content, from gaming to music, drawing inspiration from both movies and his own life. Now, as a senior, he continues creating videos, viewing his channel as both a creative outlet and a way to reflect on his growth.

“YouTubers, they get famous. But eventually I started to like doing it more and more. So I just started doing it just as a hobby.”

While the idea of fame initially drove him, Chan’s commitment to video creation has evolved into something much more personal. He uses it as a way to unwind, even when his schedule gets busy.

“It’s kind of like an extracurricular, but with less order to it because I control my own schedule. It is a lot of time, like that I need to put into it, but it’s also a good de-stressor, like when I edit my video it’s calming to me.”

Although hard to perfectly balance all the activities Chan must stay committed to, he not only makes the time to work on his passion, but also in order to soothe himself overall. That sense of calm has led to Chan making more music videos, letting himself work on his ability to integrate the lyrics of songs he loves with his cinematography skills. 

“When I like to make my music videos, I like to try to portray emotion or make the viewer feel a plethora of emotion. I know it’s not really the deepest motivation, but I just want to be able to influence the viewer in a way.”

Chan does not aim for overly deep messages – he simply wants to invoke some sort of emotion in others while watching his work. This focus on emotion is inspired by Mark’s love of movies, especially ones with stunning visuals and meaningful stories. 

“I find inspiration in a lot of movies, and some of them are like Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Oppenheimer. And I just really enjoy those movies’ cinematography and the stories in those movies and how it made me feel. And I just want to try to replicate that.”

These films have left a lasting impact on Chan with its various animation styles/aesthetics and stories. Even though movies inspire his work, Mark knows that YouTube success is unpredictable. He’s learned that what people love most can sometimes come from the most random moments. Still, he acknowledges that finding success on YouTube can be unpredictable.

“I think there is a big difference between ‘greatest success’ and ‘most proud of’ because I think, again, it’s very, very difficult to blow up, and when you do it’s usually the most random stuff.”

After years of streaming and continuing his journey as a content creator, Chan has realized that breaking into the YouTube algorithm takes hundreds of videos, and going viral is almost sometimes entirely spontaneous. Despite the challenges, he remains persistent, understanding that growth takes time and dedication. His passion for creating content keeps him motivated to keep going.

“Persistence. I feel like you’re never gonna get anywhere if you don’t keep on going. Sometimes it’s hard to keep on streaming, because when you don’t see a lot of growth, it’s kind of tough. But then again, I think if you want to stream, you want to have a passion for it too.”

Looking back at his work, Mark says his biggest sense of pride comes from seeing how far he’s come. His videos aren’t just content—they’re pieces of his journey, capturing how much he’s grown and changed over time.

“I’m pretty proud of how I kept on creating videos. While I am making videos about video games and random stuff, I think at the same time I’m documenting my journey in life, and just going back to seeing my old videos is just to me how much I’ve changed, and how much stuff has happened over the years.”

If you want to continue following Chan’s story, follow @nprmalcs on Instagram or Tiktok, and subscribe to “NormalCS” on YouTube or Twitch!