What was it like to host the Korus Festival?
Amos: It was wonderful! It was my second time going into the festival and the first time I went was 8 or 9 years ago and I was a little boy then and I was like, “Hey guys, one day I’m going to be the host.” And all my friends were like, “No, you can’t do it. You’re too shy.” Now, nine years later, BOOM! I’m the host. My face is on the poster and everything. So yeah, it was awesome. I loved it.
What inspires you to make your videos?
Amos: The truth is, I’ve actually been doing YouTube since the beginning. Back then, I used to have a partner and we used to go by the channel name “Babo Guapos”, which means “stupid handsome” guys and we talked about the same things we talked about now, except I had a partner and I was much younger. Even back then, I did pretty well. I had a lot of female viewers and I never know why I never have male viewers. It’s always female. (laughs) But we ended up breaking off ‘cuz we were embarrassed of what our friends were saying about us. Like our close friends. So we broke it off, so I kept on continuing with it by myself solo. So it’s kinda like a kpop group that disbands and the solo member has a successful solo career. So I guess that’s what happened.
How did you get your name? Is it from the cookies?
Amos: No. It’s not from the cookies. Basically, everyone has been calling me that since I was two or three years old. Then I found out there was cookies called “Famous Amos” in middle school. So I was like, “Okay, cool!” Coincidence.
You said earlier you wanted to change your name? Or you might change it?
Amos: Umm. No, I don’t remember that. (laughs) Sometimes I feel like my name, since it’s “Famous Amos”, it’s like me being cocky or a jerk. So sometimes I feel like I should change it to something not pretentious. So maybe I’ll just go by my kpop name which is “F. Amos” and if you say it fast it’s just “Famous” kinda like K. Will. I don’t know. Maybe. One day I will. Cuz Famous Amos. I don’t know. I don’t want to sound like a jerk.
How did you come up with your slogan “Smiling is Contagious”?
Amos: In college, I was a psychology major and we learned that emotions tend to run off on one another right? So emotions… what if the world had more smiles? This is cheesy by the way. But what if we were a little bit more kinder or nicer to each other? The world will be a better place, right? And I found out through my guy friends that were like, “Dude you have a cute smile.” And I was like, “Do I?” And we found out that emotions are contagious, so “Smiling is Contagious.” It’s pretty catchy and then I’m just stuck with it.
What is your ideal type?
Amos: There is three things: She has to have a kind heart, nice. Let’s be honest, could you picture me with a girl who’s kinda mean or a negative nancy? I can’t either. Second, she needs to have a sense of humor. ‘Cuz no matter what I’m always joking around and poking around at things. So if she doesn’t have a sense of humor then I don’t know if we can get along. And three, the last criteria I look for is good hair. I don’t care if it’s a wig, weave, or afro; as long as she has good hair. See I’m the kind of guy who’d stroke the hair. Run the fingers on the hair and massage it. I love hair. Not eyebrows. But just hair.
What was it like to live in Korea for three months?
Amos: It was life changing because it was my first time going there. Everything, 99% culturally, was different from America. I picked up everything there. When I came back, I took with me aegyo, so I’m kind of nervous how that’s going to go. So far it’s going well. They like the new aegyo.
What was your most memorable memory there?
Amos: So my most memorable memory. Here’s a little back story. So for college, I went to military school. Very strict, disciplined, structured, mostly guys. So when I went to Korea, I was actually, for the first time in awhile, a normal guy. And when the World Cup happened, I actually went to Sinchon, which is home to three universities, and I went there to watch the game and I was like, “Oh my gosh. This is what I’ve been missing out on.” Like being a normal kid, a normal college student. So that was the most memorable moment. Just being normal and having fun.
What is your most popular video?
Amos: It would be “How to be happy after divorce after your balding pt. 3”... No! Just kidding! My most successful video is “Date a Korean Man”. And it’s just me pleeing with the girls out there to give us a chance. And low and behold, it ended up being popular. But here’s the thing, when I make videos, I don’t make videos that I want to go viral. I make videos that I want to make. So for a video to become a hit like that, I was like “Whoa! That’s cool.” It was something I wanted to talked about.
What is your favorite video filming so far?
Amos: It’s several because I’ve been doing collab videos now with other YouTubers and I have to say that’s my favorite. ‘Cuz I’ve done collab videos with ChoNunMiGookSaram, ItsJRE, MisterPopo, Crazy Korean Cooking; and I just love working with other YouTubers because we’re such a small community and we’re all kind of weird in a way. Trust me, we’re all just a little bit weird.
So what can we look forward from you in the future?
Amos: Well, a long term goal I have is to be in a Korean drama. I know I can’t be a male lead because I don’t have that kind of looks but if I get a second male lead part or the guy who works at the cash register, I’ll be happy. So that’s the long term dream. Hopefully, I’ll be in a Korean drama in three to five years.
Is there any YouTuber you want to collab with?
Amos: I guess WongFu Productions. I’ve been watching them since the beginning.
Follow Amos on Social Media:
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/amosyoutube
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/famousamos
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/soondubujiggae
