Kai Leaves DigitalRev, The #1 Photography YouTube Channel
Kai Man Wong, better known by viewers solely as Kai, announced a few days ago that he will be leaving as host of DigitalRev. DigitalRev is of course the most subscribed to photography channel on YouTube, with currently over 1.7 million people signed up. It is run by the Hong Kong based photography retailer of the same name, and has been a staple of entertainment in the online photography community since 2009.
The channel actually started back in 2007, but Kai didn't become the main presenter until 2009, and from there is when things began to take off for them. He teamed up with his cameraman Lok Cheung and the two of them began building a large following, known for their tongue-in-cheek and humorous style of videos. These videos mostly consist of reviewing and testing out new gear, while usually trying to be funny with a lack seriousness at the same time.
I personally loved the show, and enjoyed it for what it was: pure entertainment with the occasional inappropriate joke thrown in. Rarely did I actually learn anything useful from them, but that wasn't the point of the program. For about 10 minutes a week I was treated with an easygoing video with a few laughs mixed in, revolving around my passion of photography. DigitalRev was completely different from everything else out there on the web when it first started. The videos were also a hit not only for Kai and Lok's personalities, but also because of the quality of the videos, in terms of their concepts, editing, and the fun factor it gave.
However, things changed back in the beginning of 2015 when, unfortunately for us viewers, Kai returned to his home in the U.K., and began filming his segments from there. Lok then made his own separate videos for the channel from Hong Kong. For me it never really was the same after that, and I personally went from making sure I caught each episode every week, to just checking it out every once in awhile. Kai and Lok played great off each other. They were perfect co-hosts, and it really became less interesting after Kai went back to the U.K.
It was fun while it lasted, a good seven year run, but things change and people evolve. However this will not be the last of Kai or DigitalRev. So for the viewers out there that need there dose of Kai, he has started his own channel, and already has released a few videos. While DigitalRev will also still march on, Kai is no longer there, but they still have Lok, along with a few new personalities and faces on the team.
