David So
So in 2016
Personal information
Born (1987-03-30) March 30, 1987 (age 37)
Seoul, South Korea
OriginSacramento, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
PartnerMariel Song (Wife)
YouTube information
Channels
Years active2011–present
GenreComedy
Subscribers1.46 million (David So)
144 thousand (DavidSoMusic)
Total views316.5 million (David So)
35.9 thousand (DavidSoMusic)
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers? (David So)
2011 (DavidSoMusic)
1,000,000 subscribers? (David So)
Last updated: July 6, 2020

David So (born March 30, 1987) is an American comedian, YouTuber, actor, entrepreneur, podcast host and musician. He is known for his comedy videos on YouTube.[1] As of January 2020, his main channel David So (formerly DavidSoComedy) has amassed over 1.45 million subscribers and over 310 million views.

Early life

So was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Sacramento, California. He grew up working at his parents' African American beauty supply store in Sacramento.[2][3]

So briefly enrolled at the University of California, Riverside before transferring to community college and subsequently California State University, Sacramento.[4] So later dropped out to pursue comedy after his “Vlog #4: Asians in the Library” went viral.[5]

Entertainment career

Stand-up

So began his career at age 16 working as a stand-up comedian performing throughout northern California. He performed at various stand-up comedy clubs during the three years he was in college.[citation needed]

YouTube

So began uploading content onto YouTube as a means of pursuing comedy while working and studying at Sacramento State.[1]

After spending three years as a college student and a working stand-up comedian, So decided to leave school and pursue a career in comedy by migrating his stand-up content to YouTube, where he wrote and produced much of his original work on his first YouTube channel known as DavidSoComedy, which has amassed over 1.45 million subscribers and over 310 million views. In 2011, his video response mocking the video "UCLA Asians in the Library" by Alexandra Wallace, which used derogatory terms against Asians, went viral and, as of March 2015, garnered over 5.5 million views[6] In January 2019, he launched the Genius Brain podcast on his main channel and on other podcasting platforms.[7] The account was briefly renamed Genius Brain to reflect his shift away from skits and vlogs.[8] Episodes are uploaded biweekly on Sundays and Thursdays.

He was a re-occurring cast member of the online series Just Kidding News. So left the show as a recurring cast member in order to focus on other projects in 2019.[citation needed]

He hosted and wrote Vevo's first original scripted series called The Comment Show.

He co-hosts the food show Send Foodz with fellow YouTuber Tim Chantarangsu. The show was picked up by Thrillist shortly after its initial debut on Chantarangsu's channel and airs every other Thursday.[9]

Film and television

So co-produced and starred in Justin Chon's 2017 film Gook. The film tells the story of two Korean-American brothers, played by So and Chon, running their father's shoe store, and their unlikely friendship with a neighborhood 11-year-old black girl, during the first day of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The film was released on August 18, 2017, by Samuel Goldwyn Films. It premiered in January 2017 at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT Audience Award.[3][4]

He was featured on actor and comedian Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud (LOL) network in 2017.[10][11][12]

So was a judge on the 2020 Netflix cooking competition show Best Leftovers Ever! alongside Rosemary Shrager and Jackie Tohn.[13]

Business ventures

Apparel

Go For Broke was an apparel company co-founded by So and some other business partners.[14] The brand motto was originally used by the 442nd Infantry Regiment in World War II.[15] In 2015, the YouTube channel JustKiddingFilms (JKFilms) came on as a business partner when they sought to expand their own apparel line. JKFilms cofounders, Bart Kwan and Joe Jitsukawa, helped with the company's operations and worked on its rebranding.[14][15] In 2017, they donated the company to the non-profit, Go For Broke National Education Center, in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles.[16] The Center manages the Go for Broke Monument and educates the public about the history of Japanese-American service in World War II.[17]

In 2017, So helped develop the clothing company, Scrt Society, and released a capsule collection with them through his DavidSoComedy brand.[18]

Food establishments

Drips and Swirls

So owns Drips & Swirls, a soft serve ice cream and coffee shop in Koreatown, Los Angeles.[19] So started it with three other people and it opened to the public on August 25, 2016.[20]

Junbi Matcha & Tea

June Quan, Dan Tran, Anna Wang, and Jeremy Tu cofounded Young Bud, a matcha-centric snack and dessert shop, in Smorgasburg LA in 2017.[21] Joe Jitsukawa of JKFilms and So later came on as partners prior the business being rebranded as Sip Matcha in January 2018.[22][23] A physical location opened in Westwood, Los Angeles in February 2018.[24] And a second physical location opened in Rowland Heights, California in June 2018.[21]

The business was rebranded as Junbi Matcha & Tea in January 2020 due to copyright disputes over the name Sip Matcha.[25]

Personal life

So lives in Los Angeles, California. He announced his engagement to longtime partner, Mariel Song, in August 2019.[26]

So's father is a pastor.[4] So has an older brother.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b "David So | YouTube Comedian | New Media Rockstars". newmediarockstars.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  2. ^ Kim, Victoria (April 27, 2017). "They were kids during the L.A. riots. Now two Korean Americans tell their community's overlooked story". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Ting, Christian (September 28, 2017). "An Interview with David So". Hyphen. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "GOOK: Justin Chon x David So". Issue Magazine. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  5. ^ Baldino, Alex (February 24, 2020). "Korean Student Association hosts viral YouTuber". The Signal. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020.
  6. ^ "YouTube funnyman David So talks comedy – The Korea Times". Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  7. ^ Surviving R.Kelly and Loving Mr. Rogers - Ep 1 - GeniusBrain w/ David So & Ed-two, archived from the original on December 16, 2020, retrieved January 12, 2020
  8. ^ DavidSoComedy to GeniusBrain explained!, archived from the original on September 12, 2022, retrieved January 17, 2020
  9. ^ Spangler, Todd (February 11, 2019). "Thrillist Makes First Content Acquisition With Food Show From YouTube's Timothy DeLaGhetto, David So". Variety. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  10. ^ McNary, Dave (July 11, 2017). "Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Streaming Platform Gets Launch Date". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (July 11, 2017). "Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Streaming Service Sets August Launch Date; Unveils Slate". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  12. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (July 11, 2017). "Kevin Hart's Digital Network to Launch With King Bach Sitcom, 'Def Comedy Jam' Reruns". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  13. ^ Kennedy, Mark (December 29, 2020). "Leftovers are the stars in Netflix's new food-based reality game show". Chicago Sun Times. Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  14. ^ a b How We Met: Go For Broke, archived from the original on November 22, 2020, retrieved January 12, 2020
  15. ^ a b Lee, Caroline (September 12, 2016). "The Daily Californian talks to YouTube comedian Joe Jo on clothing line Go for Broke". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  16. ^ WE ARE DONATING 'GO FOR BROKE', archived from the original on November 13, 2018, retrieved January 12, 2020
  17. ^ "Go For Broke National Education Center - Preserving the Legacy of the Japanese American Veterans of World War II". www.goforbroke.org. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  18. ^ Scrt Society - Chapter 213 "Strange Times" Fashion Look Book, archived from the original on September 12, 2022, retrieved January 12, 2020
  19. ^ Yamato, Jen (August 17, 2017). "Justin Chon aims for cross-cultural understanding with 1992 L.A. riots drama 'Gook'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  20. ^ Lee, Rachel (April 10, 2018). "Freeze Your Brain with Drips & Swirls". Daily Nexus. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  21. ^ a b Holmes, Mona (June 1, 2018). "Smorgasburg Heavyweights Open Matcha Shop in Rowland Heights". Eater LA. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  22. ^ "June Quan, Esq. on Instagram: "#WATCHJUNEEAT 🍵ANNOUNCEMENT🍵We've officially changed our name from Young Bud to Sip and our new IG handle is @wearesip!! I always want to…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  23. ^ STARTING A NEW BUSINESS!, archived from the original on November 20, 2020, retrieved January 25, 2020
  24. ^ Gupta, Kavya (February 13, 2018). "New Westwood boba shop serves matcha-themed drinks, desserts". Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  25. ^ "Restaurant review: Sip Matcha's rebranding as Junbi brings comfort, options to Westwood". dailybruin.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  26. ^ The Proposal, archived from the original on August 13, 2019, retrieved January 17, 2020
  27. ^ David So and the Language of Love | TigerBelly 62, archived from the original on July 10, 2020, retrieved January 17, 2020

External links