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Inclusive Media Initiative Creator Q&A: Marissa Hill

Theresa Go
Theresa Go
January 28, 2025

Pixability’s Inclusive Media Initiative amplifies the voices of diverse creators, fostering representation and connection across digital media. By showcasing YouTube creators from varied backgrounds and identities, we aim to challenge stereotypes and celebrate inclusivity.

I am thrilled to introduce Marissa, a remarkable content creator and an integral part of Pixability’s Inclusive Media Initiative. Her journey as a sneaker enthusiast and YouTuber is nothing short of inspiring, showcasing how her Asian heritage and personal experiences have influenced her work and brought her closer to her community.

Speaking with Marissa has been a joy—not just because of her dedication to championing AAPI creators or her incredible knowledge of the sneaker world, but also because we share something delightfully unique: a deep love for shoes! It’s not every day you meet a fellow woman who truly understands the magic and stories that a great pair of sneakers can hold.

Let’s dive into her story, her heritage, and her impact as a creator.


Theresa: Can you tell us a little about your background and how your Asian heritage influences your work as a content creator?

Marissa: I am of mixed descent, one of my core foundations was my Filipino heritage because I lived with my grandmother until age 10. The home I grew up in was filled with furniture and unique items from the Philippines. When I think back to my childhood, the stories I remember most were the stories she told me of the Philippines. The house they had built, the playhouses, the fruits and gardens from around their home. My grandma was a beauty queen, I was always so proud of that fact. She was so stunning. She even handed down some of her handmade dresses made from the Philippines. I always aspired to be like her. Cooking all the food with Grandma, being her right hand girl. She was my everything for my early years of life.

Theresa: How did you get your start on YouTube?

Marissa: The reason I created a sneaker channel is thatI had found out my mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer during the pandemic. They didn’t want me to fly there and expose her to germs.. I wanted to give my mom something to watch so I started my channel. There were no women talking about sneakers. This was a perfect opportunity.

Theresa: Are there specific cultural values or traditions from your background that you try to integrate into your content?

Marissa: The foundations of my channel had unexpected coincidences of incorporating AAPI elements in my channel.  My channel is product-based and I incorporate AAPI community content into my channel as well. 

I reached out early on in my career to the largest sneaker collector in the Philippines, Big Boy Cheng. He has a famous vault showcasing all of his pieces and we have become good friends. Jeff Staple who is of Chinese descent and had the infamous “Staple Pigeon Dunk” – a launch that was shut down by the NYPD – is also a friend., We shot a documentary on him which is posted on my channel.  Diving into his story was so influential to me. I had less than 5k subs when I reached out. 

In general, I am a creator champion – YouTube chose a small, select group of creators from across the US to come up with ideas for impactful events that bring creators together. Talking about the creator economy to non-creators can be difficult. I’ve met some of my best friends through these Creator Collective events. I love connecting creators to one another. I’ve attended the yearly YouTube AAPI gala and hosted over 10 events, include an AAPI-specific event at Vidcon. I’m close with a lot of not only large YouTubers but also YouTube employees, like Thomas Kim, the Head of Creator Monetization who has helped make us AAPI creators feel comfortable in our own skin. I like that about YouTube, we are all about helping each other. These relationships are so memorable.

Theresa: How do you navigate representing your heritage while appealing to a broader audience?

Marissa: Jeff Staple and DJ Big Boy – I have to thank them for paving the way. That Staple interview really opened up a lot of doors for me.  As a woman in this space, you really have to earn your way to the table. There is a lot of hate and people trying to take you down in this space. But Jeff made people sit and listen, he provided me that validation into the community I need to get my foot in the door.

Theresa: What does the Lunar New Year mean to you personally, and how do you typically celebrate it?

Marissa: My first experience with the Lunar New Year, I was a Brownie in the Girl Scouts and one of the Scout’s moms was big into the Lunar New Year and I remember being so excited about being a Tiger in the zodiac. I loved the red envelopes! That Lunar New Year patch was one of my first Brownie patches. Since then I have been celebrating it. My grandma knew I loved it so much she started celebrating it at home. Now I do this with my adult friends too, it is really second nature. 

For Sneakers, the Lunar New Year is HUGE in our community. Nike started celebrating with Lunar New Year with their AirForce 1 launch with the inspired zodiac signs. Other brands have joined in now too. I like to educate my community about the Lunar New Year releases by brand, for instance, New Balance will be launching. Adidas with Edison Chen (hands down fave), has been bringing in more launches and fashion capsules. He talks about the year of the snake and how he brought that into the sneaker design this year. Kobe team with his Mamba influence and python prints, Protro 5 and 9 will also be integrated with the snake being the symbol. 2024 favorite KOBES. Nike is doing 2 different silhouettes that include or reference snake print on each of the pairs that will be released. We get the Lunar New Year updates in early January and then we secure the product closer to launch. And then start to drop hints and content. 

Theresa: Do you share Lunar New Year-related content with your audience? If so, what kind of response have you received?

Marissa: One of my most recent videos was my top 10 sneakers for 2024. I had a significant amount of AAPI collabs last year. They really dominate but don’t get as much respect. For that reason alone my list was very different from others in the sneaker communities. AAPI creators don’t get as much respect in this space as they deserve. For me it is what is the story and the packaging for the sneaker. Did they have to restructure it for a collab? And lots of other factors will impact what gets on my list. A lot of Asian creators are really coming to the top. These iconic silhouettes and fashion capsules – are the ways they are redefining fashion, showing personality and heritage to show their culture.

Theresa: Can you tell us more about your YouTube Shop Star and recent accolades?

Marissa: Your YouTube channel and niche you select is important – a lot of my content is product-driven. It used to be really hard to redirect viewers to the products I featured and describe where the links are aside from “Links in Description.”. It was hard to buy and people would have to click away fromthe channel. I think the new shopping additions,user experience and shelving are so much better. You can even go back to older videos and add in the shopping elements later. When viewers are searching for a specific item, I want my videos to come up in Google search. I will help the viewer seal the deal with that purchase. Shorts content has been night and day. I want to tailor myself to both audiences, long and short form content. A lot of viewers want to spend just 30 seconds to a 1 minute in my Shorts. Even the Shorts shopping element has been very helpful. Back in the day I would have to go back and research and find affiliate partners. Even though I am working directly with Nike and Adidas can take years to find the right point of contact at the brand. It took me 3-4 years to find Nike’s affiliate contact. Once I met them, I worked out the highest payout for an affiliate. A lot of creators don’t know what they should be getting paid out and don’t know what % they should negotiate. 

Platforms like “Like to Know it” – give you a higher payout. But now that YouTube has taken this on it’s so much better for creators – no more hunting for affiliates and negotiations. We’ve started off with all long-form content. Shorts are so much easier to produce and to grow faster. But again, your community is harder to grow with Shorts. Every day when I am walking out on the street – people recognize me from my long-form content on YouTube. I have a very loyal community that trusts what I have to say about products. The brands trusting me shows that I am worthy of that. The long form content has helped build loyalty and trust. I might have a long form video with 1k views but two viewers who spent $2k in sales off of those videos. We’ve built a library of content nobody else has covered. New Balance used to be the old man’s shoe! But now people are flooding to some of the legacy New Balance long form videos in our library.  I have Shorts that sell more than the long-form version of it because of the shopping elements. Being a hybrid content creator is essential, in my view. 

When I got 5k subscribers I was signed by Octagon, a Top 3 sports agency. The first brand I partnered with was K-Swiss who I met on Clubhouse when that was a thing. All these brands jumped on and I had to prove myself. K-Swiss is still working with me after all of these year., I have proven myself and brought the community I have promised. I was known as the K-Swiss girl of our channel. I liked it, it was an affordable, accessible brand and I had a natural connection with them. 

With brands, you need to communicate that you believe in yourself and the brand.

Theresa: How can brands, media companies, and platforms better support AAPI creators and communities?

Marissa: From my personal experience, I have been very proactive in finding brands I want to work with. You might be the perfect fit, but they are not going to stumble upon you. How do we make it easier for brands to find us, the perfect creators to partner with? I don’t want a one off partnership, I want a meaningful partnership that will grow. I will just reach out on LinkedIn and keep trying until I have the right contact at the brand. You really only have 30 min to sell yourself when you get in front of the right person at the brand. 

From YouTube’s point of view, integrating that connection is important for partnerships and deals. I think for a creator like me, I want to be able to submit myself to more brands. From the creator’s perspective, learning about a strong media kit and rate card – always need to be at the top tier of my media kits game. Learn when is the right time to bring in an agency. Contracts and legality are really important, making sure you get paid. Watch out for these 3rd party agencies that lie to creators about the client not paying. It’s important to have direct connections with the brand itself.

To learn more about Pixability’s Inclusive Media Initiative, or to sign up, see below.