Simeon Fiapule aka Uce Gang has been creating content online since he was 12 years old. Now it’s his full-time job and it’s also helping to change his life.
Uce Gang has gone viral online thanks to his hilarious skits like ‘When the music video doesn’t match the song’, or ‘When Sāmoans…’ and recently in his own ‘Travel Vlog’ already viewed by millions on TikTok and Instagram.
“It’s my passion basically to make people laugh. It’s what I love to do and yeah, just to do content and create it,” he says.
The South Auckland-based Sāmoan has been creating comedic content from his point of view since 2013 and as his followers grew so did the opportunities that came with it.
“Life is good right now. I’d say I’m doing something which I never thought I’ll be doing like travelling. That’s the biggest, probably travelling,” he says.
“As a kid, the most I’ll go to is probably back home in Sā (Samoa) but now I get to travel to different places and it’s awesome. I’m loving it and blessed.”
Life hasn’t always been like this. Before he was a social media star, he was heading down a different path.
“There [was] a point and time where I was just, I didn’t care, I’ll eat so much and I was like, if I have a heart attack, I don’t care. This is… that was how bad it got.”
Now 23 years old he’s moving in a different direction. He has given himself a goal to lose weight in 100 weeks.
“I find peace coming to the gym; clears the mind and I feel way better when I walk out aye, so that’s why I am still on the journey. A few habits come back in but I always make sure at least I come back.”
Now nearing the end of the challenge he’s also been documenting his journey to inspire others.
“I don’t want to go back to struggling to breathe or like struggling to walk,” he says.
“I’m happy now that I can freely walk and tie my shoes but the goal is to keep going until we get to that dream body. We are going to get there.”
He may have a huge online fan base but it’s the ones closest to him that he’s a fan of.
“That’s all a kid’s dream is, aye, is to make their parents proud. Make their dad and mum and brothers proud, that’s the goal, just to make them proud aye.
“And one day, you know, do something for them. That’s the honest goal; it’s all for family aye.”
He’s not content just to stay on small screens. Perhaps the next time you see him will be on the big screen.
“One day get into those big spaces you know, trying to make a movie or a tv show or something.
“Just want to get the name out there or even act in something, that’s one of the goals and hope to have something out there, yeah.”
