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Steven Lim

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Steven Lim
Born (1990-11-10) November 10, 1990 (age 34)
Ohio, USA
Alma materOhio State University
OccupationCEO of Watcher Entertainment
Years active2016-present
Notable workWorth It
SpouseTammy Cho

Steven Lim (born November 10, 1990) is an American Internet personality and co-founder of digital entertainment company, Watcher Entertainment. Lim first rose to prominence after creating and starring in the Buzzfeed food series Worth It.

Early life

[edit]

Lim is Chinese American.[1]

Lim graduated from the Ohio State University in 2012 with a chemical engineering degree. He went on to work as a research and development engineer for the company Procter & Gamble, working on the Tide Laundry Pods.[2][3]

Career

[edit]

YouTube and Buzzfeed (2013 - 2019)

[edit]

Lim started his own YouTube channel in 2013, after realizing engineering was not his calling. Driven by his desire to have more Asian representation in media,[4] he quit his job and began making videos every week.[5] The channel explored Asian-American cultural issues. In 2014, Lim's videos "Asian Parents React to I Love You" and "Things Bilingual People Do" went viral, catching the eye of internet media company Buzzfeed.[6][7]

The company reached out to Lim and offered a job. He served as an Executive Producer, often producing videos on Asian culture or food.[8][9] While working there, Lim came up with the idea of a food series where he and his co-hosts would vist three different restaurants of varying prices and determine which one was most worth it for the given price - this would be the show Worth It. The series was co-hosted by Lim and Andrew Ilnyckyj, with cameraman Adam Bianchi making an appearance in every episode as well. While the idea was initially rejected, the series went viral and became a top viewer for Buzzfeed.[10] Due to its success, NBC Sports commissioned an original episode of Worth It (alongside Hot Ones) to air before the 2018 Super Bowl - featuring Lim and Ilnyckyi eating at different spots in Minneapolis.[11] The series ran from September 18, 2016, to April 8, 2023[12]

Worth It won the 2017 and 2018 Streamy Award for best online food show.[13] As of October 2017, the series had been viewed more than 300 million times for a total of over 2 billion minutes; in 2018 alone, viewers watched 1.5 billion minutes on the show.[14] The show's popularity has led to it being described by BuzzFeed as a Zagat guide for millennials,[15] and has created extreme upticks in patronage for some restaurants featured on the show.[16][17] Lim left the company as full-time employee in 2019, staying on contractually to finish out Worth It.

Watcher Entertainment (2020 - present)

[edit]

In 2019, Lim co-founded a digital production company, Watcher Entertainment, with fellow ex-Buzzfeed employees, Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara. The trio credited their departure to their desire to found a company with more "creative opportunities" and the ability to have "actual ownership of the content" made.[18][19] The channel reached over 300,000 subscribers within the first month of launching in January 2020.[20]

Lim, Bergara, and Madej served as co-CEOs until 2023, when both Bergara and Madej stepped down to focus on the creation of content.[21][22] The channel features a variety of comedy, paranormal, gaming, cooking, and educational shows – typically hosted by Madej and Bergara. The Watcher main channel has over 400 million views and 2.9 million subscribers.[23][24] The company launched their own subscription-based streaming service, WatcherTV, in April 2024.[25]

In 2024, Lim launched a spiritual successor to Worth It with Ilnyckyj and Bia2nchi named Travel Season. It premiered on the WatcherTV.[26] In April 2024, the YouTube channel Andrew, Steven, and Adam was launched with Lim, Ilnyckyj and Bianchi, focusing on food reviews and behind on the scenes on the food's production. Following it's launching, Travel Season was transfered to this channel. The channel amassed 95,000 subscribers within a month of its launch.

Personal life

[edit]

Lim is married to Tammy Cho, CEO of Hate Is A Virus, a non-profit aiming to dismantle hate and racism. The two have openly spoken about their own experiences of racism as Asian-Americans, in hopes to raise awareness.[27] Lim is an active advocate for diverse representation and amplifying AAPI voices in media.[8][28]

“In the end, I realized that representation is not just about talking about your identity and making sure [people] understand who you are,” Lim said. “It’s not like … you’re pounding it down people’s throats. It’s about being a human being and being present in people’s lives. Me being an Asian American host for a food show that’s [mainly] a food show can have just as much impact as me talking about my identity.”[29]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2019 Streamy Awards Best Cinematography Worth It

(Shared with Andrew Ilnyckyj and Adam Bianchi)

Won [30]
2023 UNFO Awards Digital Influencer Award — Won [31]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Huang, Josie (2023-02-01). "Love for Monterey Park Burns Bright After Shooting Tragedy". LAist. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  2. ^ Shields, Mike. "Millions of people are watching Steven Lim, star of the BuzzFeed show 'Worth It,' eat his way across the globe". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  3. ^ Fleshman, Cu (2020-02-25). "Q&A: Checking In With Steven Lim, Ryan Bergara And Shane Madej Of Watcher - Character Media". Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  4. ^ Tran, Natalie. "Event Review: A Conversation with Steven Lim". The UCSD Guardian. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  5. ^ Cronin, Sam (2018-02-23). "BuzzFeed stars talk Asian-American media representation". The Huntington News. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  6. ^ Sieczkowski, Cavan (2014-09-26). "What Happens When Grown-Up Kids Tell Their Parents 'I Love You' For The First Time". HuffPost. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  7. ^ Teng, Soksan. "YouTuber Steven Lim Speaks About Life, AAPI, Future Content Creation at SMU". The Daily Campus. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  8. ^ a b "Steven Lim to Deliver AAPI Heritage Month Lecture | News Center". Georgia Tech. 12 Apr 2023. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  9. ^ Ocampos, Rikki (2016-03-31). "YouTube and BuzzFeed's Steven Lim talks success, diversity at UCF". Sparks Magazine. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  10. ^ Trivedi, Sai (2024-11-15). "Northwestern Chinese Students Association hosts Steven Lim". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  11. ^ Patel, Sahil (2018-01-30). "NBC is airing BuzzFeed and Complex shows before the Super Bowl". Digiday. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  12. ^ Gutelle, Sam (2023-03-10). "BuzzFeed's 'Worth It' is coming to an end. The food show's final season begins March 11". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  13. ^ Chung, Candice (23 Jan 2018). "The YouTube show that's disrupting food criticism". SBS Food. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  14. ^ Willens, Max (2018-08-28). "BuzzFeed dives further into commerce with BuzzFeed Reviews". Digiday. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  15. ^ Main, Sami (2017-10-05). "Why BuzzFeed Is Hosting Real-Life Events to Promote Its Digital Shows". Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  16. ^ Gutelle, Sam (2017-08-02). "For Featured Restaurants, BuzzFeed's 'Worth It' Delivers Invaluable Exposure". Tubefilter. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  17. ^ Shields, Mike. "BuzzFeed's food-fest series 'Worth It' has racked up 280 million views — and cable TV should be worried". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  18. ^ Spangler, Todd (December 9, 2019). "Ex-BuzzFeed Video Staffers Launch Watcher Entertainment Digital Studio (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  19. ^ "Watcher Entertainment Launching January 2020 With Former Buzzfeed Talent At The Helm". www.prnewswire.com. December 9, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Fleshman, Cu (February 25, 2020). "Q&A: Checking In With Steven Lim, Ryan Bergara And Shane Madej Of Watcher – Character Media". Character Media. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  21. ^ "VidCon Anaheim". VidCon Anaheim. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  22. ^ Press 💬, The Publish. "Why This Channel Went from 3 CEOs to 1 🔻". The Publish Press. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  23. ^ "Watcher – YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  24. ^ Jacobs, Kaylee. "Watcher Entertainment". The Howler. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  25. ^ Spangler, Todd (2024-04-19). "Watcher Entertainment Launches Its Own Subscription Streaming Service: 'We're Leaving YouTube'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  26. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (2024-04-19). "Watcher Entertainment Launches New Paid Subscription Service for 'Ghost Files,' 'Mystery Files,' and More". Collider. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  27. ^ "Watcher's Steven Lim: 'Fighting racism is about tackling problems at its root instead of bandaging when things go wrong'". blog.youtube. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  28. ^ Mendez, Rose (2023-03-11). "Steven Lim spotlights Asian American representation in media". Daily Titan. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  29. ^ Bender, Kyle (2019-10-21). "Students go on a (date) night with BuzzFeed producer Steven Lim". The Daily of the University of Washington. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  30. ^ "9th Annual Streamy Nominees". The Streamy Awards. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  31. ^ Malkin, Marc; Thompson, Jaden (2023-12-06). "Simu Liu to Host 21st Annual Unforgettable Gala (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
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