Young YouTuber talks food and travel

It takes time to figure out what we want to do for a living. This is especially true for young people who don’t have much work experience. Pattamaporn Preechawuttidech (San) thought she wanted to be an accountant. But during her third year at Thammasat Business School, she realised that such a boring job wasn’t for her.

San looked for another option. She talked to her best friend Kan Atthakorn who had a popular YouTube channel. He encouraged her to do something similar. So San set up the channel Sunbeary with the aim of making fun videos for kids. She later changed the theme to travel and food, and now has more than two million subscribers.

S Weekly met up with San at her office where the Internet sensation told us about her channel.

How did you come up with the name Sunbeary?

San: Originally it was Sanbeary - a combination of my name, San, and bear because people say I look like one. At first, the channel was targeted at children. I felt that Sanbeary might be hard for kids to pronounce, so I changed it to Sunbeary.

Why did you change the content to food and travel?

San: I didn’t enjoy doing the kids’ stuff. So I decided to do videos about things I was really interested in such as food and travel. Viewers seem to enjoy watching the videos as much as I enjoy making them.

Were you worried about losing subscribers when you changed the content?

San: A little bit. But if I’d kept making videos that I didn’t enjoy, it would have become boring. And eventually, viewers would have noticed that I wasn’t interested in what I was doing. I’m much happier that I changed.

Why do you think your channel gets so many viewers?

San: It makes people happy and it even brings families together. A mother commented that her son started watching my videos and suggested the whole family go out and try food that I recommended. I’m very happy that I can make a difference in peoples’ lives.

What’s the best thing about being a YouTuber?

San: Many people recognise me when I go out. Sometimes if I’m at a market, vendors call me over to try their food.

Are there any negatives?

San: The recognition can be a bad thing. Sometimes, I’m not in the mood to meet fans and would prefer some privacy. But I know that they want to meet me because they like me, so it’s important to always try to be nice.

How do you deal with negative comments?

San: I don’t delete any negative comments online unless they use vulgar language. I read everything and if they make good points, I’ll try to improve.

Can you give an honest review about a sponsor?

San: I have to try their food before I make a video about it. If I don’t like a dish, I’ll tell the sponsor that I won’t review it. If we complain about food at a restaurant on the channel, it means that they weren’t sponsors. We paid ourselves.

What are you most excited about when travelling?

San: My favourite thing is trying the food. It makes me happy. I always put on weight when I go on a trip - especially abroad, because I probably won’t have an opportunity to have those dishes again.

Do you have any advice for people who want to be YouTubers?

San: I think it’s very easy these days. You can record with a simple camera or maybe a phone. The important thing is to know what you enjoy doing and what the purpose of your videos is. If you have a purpose, you can keep doing it for a long time.