Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Samuel Choe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Samuel , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

Now that I’m older, I really appreciate the tough love/ reality my parents have given me. My parents immigrated from South Korea to Saint Louis, Missouri and I’m their American Dream. They taught me customer service at 8 years old. They installed in me that being Korean…I unfortunately will experience racism, discrimination, stereotypes, etc. and will have to work twice as hard. And sometimes all that hard work will be for nothing. But it was important to never give up and play the corporate game differently. I literally will shrug off rejection and be like “whelp…on to the next. I know my worth”.

Samuel , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! The name is Sam Choe. Born and raised from the 314 aka Saint Louis. I’m a Korean American who works in retails for a tech company and on the side I do TikToks, Reels, etc.

I’m the creator of TikTok commentary page @watchwithsamjaychoe. I do commentary on reality shows like Real Housewives, Love & Hip Hop. Anything you’re probably thinking, I’m going to say it. On my page I post videos of concerts I attend to from Chris Brown, Beyoncé, to K-Pop concerts, outfit of the day/ get ready with me, unboxing of my shopping hauls. Pretty much what I want to do, I’ll post it. Oh! I’m also a huge Disney adult. I try to make my content for everybody.

I got into the TikTok space pretty late. I had a musical.ly account and thought it was perfect to go viral. It didn’t lol. I posted a clip of Missouri Congress Woman Cori Bush saying she was going to defend her staff. And overnight it blew up. It got over 100K views. From there I continued with the momentum by posting Law & Order SVU commentary and then the reality show space. To date I currently have 75.3K followers and still goinging.

I started to get more followers, views, and engagement after I did an internship with the Fan Engagement Team with Warner Records. They taught me a lot about not just the music industry, but social media activations, coming with a campaign with artists. The most work I’m proud of is Warner Records signing their first ever K-Pop Girl Group Aespa and coming with a marketing plan which they loved.

I want my TikTok to help open doors for brands and to create a space for everybody. You don’t see a lot of Asian Americans in spaces like reality shows or media in general. I want to help shatter that glass ceiling and support other POCs. Also, it’s kinda cool to be in these huge social media events to network, build relationships. I met and befriended two of Beyoncé’s backup dancers through influencer marketing. But the biggest goal is to make sure that I help my family be comfortable and be the one to share my success with.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, it was knowing I can entertain people and get the conversation going. I have a unique laugh, throw really good shade, witty comebacks, and I’m an open book when I do my reality show commentaries. When I see a comment on my TikTok; I read it a couple of times, then write my response. I make it a mission to make sure I engage with EVERY, SINGLE, ONE OF MY COMMENTS. But to know I can put a smile to somebody to make their day; that’s the biggest reward. Also to see my clips go viral is the best for me.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The biggest goal is to secure my bag. As cliche as it sound, I really want people that look like me to be represented in media. And I’m glad that I’m slowly gaining the following I need to create this space for Asian Americans that can be part of these huge fandoms. Plus I really want to share my success with friends and family. Like for example: my mom has been wanting a Dyson hair dryer so bad. I want to use my TikTok to secure a brand deal or partnership with Dyson or secure a check to make it happen.

So there are selfish reasons, but also the need for representation, diversity, and inclusion for this to happen. Oh and side note working in social media for a record label is my dream career. And maybe be asked for music award shows to get things behind the scene!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjhyeon1995_/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-choe-b3674a111/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@watchwithsamjaychoe?_t=8WlCguifPWE&_r=1