Key Points
- Social media creator ‘Chambo’ is an Australian icon in South Korea.
- He switched careers from chartered accountant to social media creator in 2020.
- Chambo claims he learned Korean to fit in and avoid being bullied while at high school.
Australian accountant turned social video creator Chris Hambarsoomian, who goes by the name “Chambo” on social media, has soared to widespread popularity.
Renowned for his humorous and creative short videos, Chambo has become a sensation among young Korean audiences, earning the affectionate title of "president of children”.
Towering at over 190cm in height, wherever he goes, he is surrounded by adoring youngsters who affectionately refer to him as "hyung" or big brother in Korean.
Short videos attracting young audiences
With over 910,000 followers on TikTok and 430,000 subscribers on YouTube, Chambo's signature series, "Gumeasy”, is by far the most watched. Meaning “piece of cake” in Korean, the series sees Chambo fulfil viewer requests or challenges such as eating four boiled eggs in a minute.
Chambo told SBS Korean the boiled egg challenge formed the basis of his very first TikTok video.
“I actually didn't have anything to eat in my fridge that day,” he said.
“Then, I just did it. It suddenly started working so well, so I kept doing it.”
He said sometimes the requests were extreme such as consuming nothing but mint chocolates for an entire day, restricting his diet to solely pink-coloured foods, managing three meals on a budget of less than $12, donning the iconic attire of Santa Claus for a day, participating in a blood donation, and even undergoing the rigorous task of completely removing all body hair, including shaving his head.
Beyond these comedic stunts, Chambo's linguistic skills have also captivated audiences worldwide.
His viral series demonstrating pronunciation of everyday foods such as ice-cream, milk and cheese in multiple languages, including Korean, English, Chinese, Italian, French, and Russian, has attracted over 80 million views.
From accountant to social media creator
Chambo said he embarked on his journey as a social media creator in 2014, but it wasn't until 2020 that he took a significant leap, transitioning to a full-time producer in South Korea.
Prior to this pivotal move, Chambo pursued a career as a certified public accountant in Asia including China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Despite the comfort and stability of his corporate life, Chambo said it had never resonated with his true aspirations.
“I thought that if I were to die tomorrow and be asked if I lived a life without regrets, I would undoubtedly have regrets,” he said.
“Making videos had always been a hobby of mine, and now I'm happy that I can turn it into a profitable venture.”
He said the most rewarding aspect of his new venture was the feedback from his fans.
“Some of them mentioned that they had been struggling with depression, but thanks to my videos, they were able to hold on and overcome it,” he said.
“Others said that they were inspired by my videos to study harder, and it worked out well for them.”
The social media influencer Chambo recently visited the studio of the SBS Korean program. Source: SBS / Martin Kovacic
High school bullying led to learning Korean
Chambo produces all his social media videos in Korean with English subtitles.
He speaks a trendy version of the language, contributing to his appeal among young audiences.
Although he speaks four different languages fluently - English, Korean, Chinese and Armenian - he said Korean held a special place in his heart, as it was the language he learned to overcome his feelings of inferiority.
This journey can be traced back to his time at a top selective school in Sydney.
“Around 80 per cent of the students had Chinese or Korean backgrounds and I was of Armenian descent, and for six years, I faced a lot of racism and bullying,” he claimed.
He said learning Korean and immersing himself in K-Pop was the gateway to forging meaningful friendships with his peers.
“At that time, I thought, I could just continue to hate them or, if I learned their language and culture, I might become closer to them,” he said.
This transformative journey fuelled his passion for language learning, leading him to study Korean and Chinese alongside finance at the University of New South Wales.
He said his experience as an exchange student in South Korea for 11 months in 2013 further ignited his fascination with the country and its warm-hearted people, and he had been longing to go back since then.
Chambo has captured a young audience of over 910,000 followers on TikTok. Source: Supplied / Chambo
Learning language connects people
Surprising audiences with their fluency in Korean and seamless adaptation to the culture, a handful of Australians have established themselves in South Korea's competitive entertainment industry.
Take Melbourne-based Sam Hammington, 46, for instance. After appearing on a television stand-up comedy show in 2005 alongside local comedians, he's become a familiar face on various television programs, K-dramas and K-movies.
His sons with Korean wife Yoo-mi Jeong, William, 7, and Bentley, 6, have also garnered followings of their own.
Alongside Hammington, Blair Williams, 32, from Queensland, and Danial Snoeks, 29, from Melbourne, both gained popularity through their participation on television channel JTBC's "Abnormal Summit”, a platform where non-Koreans fluent in Korean discuss cultural topics.
Chambo said he believed language was a powerful tool in terms of being able to connect with others.
Some people say, ‘Is it really necessary to go through all this trouble to learn a different language?’ But I felt that my dream was to connect people, and I think a language really (does that).Chris "Chambo" Hambarsoomian
Video creation was another language but of the digital age.
“I felt that if I invested this time through video, I could reach this many people,” he said.
“The video that got 82 million views took two hours to make, but 82 million people watched it, so I think it was effective.”
‘Go for it’
Social media creators are considered one of the most popular career choices for the younger generation.
Chambo said his only advice for those who share his dream was to go for it.
“You’ve probably seen my success stories over the past few years, but I was actually creating content for 10 years before that,” he said.
“I think of it as learning, not failure. So, if you want something, just do it.”
