Illuminating Asian pop culture with BuzzFeed A*Pop’s Janna Macatangay
“I want Asian Americans who watch our content to feel celebrated, seen and have fun being more connected to their respective cultures. "
– Janna Macatangay
BuzzFeed is a media giant known for easy-to-digest content that’s just about anything and everything. Leading its video production for A*Pop — a platform celebrating Asian pop culture — is Janna Macatangay, who’s behind some of its most entertaining and highly viewed video content.
SPRHDRS learned all about her creative process, what she loves most about what she does and how she draws inspiration from other media makers. And knowing that every job has its ups and downs, we wanted to know the challenges she faces as a video producer for a well-known media company, and the advice she’d give to other creatives trying to land a role in the industry.
We've been introduced to you through BuzzFeed; your videos are so entertaining! How's it like thriving as a BIPOC woman in the company?
Oh my gosh! That makes me so happy. Thank you so much! If I'm going, to be honest, some days it feels like I'm thriving, and then other days I'm wallowing in imposter syndrome and questioning whether I belong here. On one side, I'm grateful to have a full-time job at BuzzFeed with benefits and to have the freedom to make whatever I want, and on the other side, I recognize that there's a lot of work that BuzzFeed needs to do to be more inclusive and prioritize people over profit.
So when looking for inspiration for a project, where do you often find it?
I get a lot of inspiration from Studio Ghibli films because of the storytelling and the beautiful imagery. My color grading for my reels and photos is heavily inspired by Studio Ghibli's rich vibrant colors. I also get a lot of inspiration from YouTube — specifically all the funny BTS compilations (like this one), I think they're hilarious to watch and the editing goes nuts!
My favorite content creators that I keep up with that give me a lot of inspo are Jenn Im, Linh Truong, Kaiti Yoo, Jules Sacree and Maisy Leigh. They each have unique POVs in how they view and document the world, and it inspires me to do the same through my own lens.
When did you transition to focusing on A*pop, and how did that transition happen?
The transition was very slow. Two years ago, I told my manager that I wanted to make more video content on A*Pop, which was a very small Facebook and Instagram account at the time. I rallied a small team of contributors who were interested in growing A*Pop and we met up bi-weekly to share content ideas and social strategies. When TikTok rolled around, I started making TikToks for A*Pop, and our follower count grew immensely by 3,000%! It took another year before BuzzFeed higher-ups saw the value in putting more resources to the brand. Now I'm officially an A*Pop lead producer, where I lead the content strategy on TikTok and YouTube Shorts and make video content.
What made BuzzFeed decide to create video content specifically for Asian Americans; how did A*Pop come to be?
There wasn't really a space on the internet for Asian Americans to celebrate their identity and redefine Asian pop culture. At the time, it was mostly news outlets or only hyper-focused on Asian celebrities in entertainment. We wanted to showcase real Asian Americans showing up as themselves and highlighting important cultural moments while also giving the space to share issues and resources that are important to our community.
Now that you are leading A*Pop, what are your goals with the videos you produce there and for that team of creators?
A*Pop's lighthouse is to empower young Asian Americans to be a voice in the world, embrace their cultural identity and feel connected to the AAPI community. This is the overall mission that I keep in mind when making content and what I remind our team as they make content. We do have some goals that are also set by the higher-ups that we're trying to hit, but at the end of the day, I care about A*Pop being community driven.
Janna on set with BuzzFeed. (Photo courtesy of Janna Macatangay)
How do you want people to feel, or what you like them to learn from watching A*Pop?
I want Asian Americans who watch our content to feel celebrated, seen and have fun being more connected to their respective cultures.
What's your favorite thing about being a media maker?
My favorite thing about being a media maker is the community. I've connected with so many people around the world who have told me my videos have inspired them or bond over shared experiences and interests.
I've learned that for my personal content outside of work, it's never about going viral. Even though going viral can be fun and is like icing on the cake, it's not the most important part of this content creation journey. It's about building and supporting a community.
What's one challenge you can't forget as a producer, and how did you overcome this?
Filming on set during the pandemic is definitely a big challenge since there are so many protocols to keep track of in order to keep everyone safe and healthy — and even then, it's not guaranteed that people will not get COVID.
During one of my projects, I had to plan an extra pick-up day with one of my cast members because she didn't get a COVID test in time for the initial filming day, which was not in my initial plans. During that same project, my PA had been exposed to COVID and a few days later was diagnosed with it. Luckily I was safe, but it goes to show that it's still a risk filming onset during these hard times.
What's your advice to other BIPOC women planning on making a name of their own in your industry?
Rest! As BIPOC women, we're told to grind and hustle and go, go, go. But that will lead to burnout and self-sabotage, so please please take the time to rest and nourish yourself!
Claudine Sta. Ana & Shayne Nuesca contributed to this interview.
