Anna Kay Napualani Akana (born August 18, 1989) is an American actress, filmmaker, musician, and
YouTuber
A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006.
Influence
Influent ...
. She has appeared in TV series, films, and music videos that include ''
Awkward
Awkward may refer to:
* Awkwardness or embarrassment, an emotional state of intense discomfort with people
* ''Awkward'' (TV series), an American teen comedy series
* ''Awkward'' (album), a 2001 album by Ty
* ''Awkward'', a 1999 graphic novel by ...
'' (2011), ''
Ant-Man
Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Ant-Man's first appearance was in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) but first appeared in costum ...
'' (2015), ''
Hello, My Name is Doris
''Hello, My Name Is Doris'' is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-w ...
'' (2016), and ''Dirty'' (2020).
In 2015, she launched a clothing line Ghost & Stars. She is the author of ''So Much I Want to Tell You: Letters to My Little Sister'' (2017), in which she describes her struggles and experiences.
Early and personal life
Akana's father was an officer in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
, including during her childhood. Her father moved every few years to a new state or country.
In a 2020 interview, she said that she loved ''
Sailor Moon
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...
'', ''
Inuyasha
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...
'' and ''
Ranma ½
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from August 1987 to March 1996, with the chapters collected into 38 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shogakukan. The st ...
'', expressing her surprise that her dad would make them watch ''
Tenchi Muyo!
is a Japanese anime, light novel and manga franchise. The original series began with a six-episode OVA called created by Masaki Kajishima and directed by Hiroki Hayashi, and released in Japan on September 25, 1992. The series was relea ...
'' with him because of its "
perverted
Perversion is a form of human behavior which deviates from what is considered to be orthodox or normal. Although the term ''perversion'' can refer to a variety of forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are co ...
" nature. Her father stated that he loved shows like ''
The Powerpuff Girls
''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Televi ...
'', animation in general, and anime, the latter especially because he spent "four years growing up in Japan".
On Valentine's Day 2007, Akana's 13-year-old younger sister, Kristina, died by suicide.
Several months after her sister's death, Akana watched
Margaret Cho
Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American comedian, actress, LGBT social activist, and musician. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and se ...
perform on a
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
special and laughed for the first time since the suicide. She began to see laughter as a means of trying to move on with her life and decided to seriously pursue comedy.
Akana has been vocal about her sister's suicide and is a strong advocate for
suicide prevention
Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preventable, and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level. Suicide is a serious public health ...
. In 2013, Akana uploaded a YouTube video, "please don't kill yourself", in which she explains how it felt for her to have a family member die by suicide. In that same year, she released a book ''Surviving Suicide'' which contains her journal entries from the two years after her sister's death.
In October 2018, she came out as
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
.
In 2019, she stated in a post to her Instagram that she had undergone an abortion when she was 20 and felt it was one of the best decisions she'd ever made. She mentioned this fact in one of her books and later created a dramatized movie uploaded on YouTube, which presented her story.
Akana is of Japanese descent from her father and Filipino descent from her mother.
Career
Akana first started performing comedy at age 19 but switched to YouTube video performances in 2011 after experiencing
panic attacks
Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...
and anxiety before going on stage.
She later resumed performing stand-up onstage.
YouTube
In 2014, Akana formed a comedy music duo, Cat Benatar, with fellow comedian and writer Megan Rosati. (The duo's name is wordplay for the pop singer
Pat Benatar
Patricia Mae Giraldo (''née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum alb ...
.)
Akana creates both comedy and documentary YouTube videos. In 2014, Akana was listed on
New Media Rockstars
''NewMediaRockstars'' (''NMR'') is an online magazine which was launched in December 2011 and primarily covers YouTube performers, entrepreneurs, and artists with videos and interviews. In 2013, ''NewMediaRockstars'' closed because of lack of fund ...
Top 100 Channels, ranked at #72. In that same year, Akana decided to focus more on her skills as a director and attempted to make one short film a month. While she did not reach her goal of twelve short films, she did make six short films which were received well by her YouTube audience. Akana starred in all of her short films and has starred in various other short films, and she has since continued to create short films.
One of her short films, ''Miss Earth'', was partially financed by
Brian Grazer
Brian Thomas Grazer (born July 12, 1951) is an American film and television producer and writer. He founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. The films they produced have grossed over $15 billion. Grazer was personally nominated f ...
and
Ron Howard
Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...
's production company, New Form Digital. It was part of the 2014 Incubator, a series to showcase and produce original stories by YouTube Creators and filmmakers. ''Miss Earth'' was later adapted into a web series, ''Miss 2059'', and released on
Verizon's go90 app in June 2016, with a second season released in late 2017.
Akana executive produced and starred as the lead role in the original comedy-drama web television series ''
Youth & Consequences
''Youth & Consequences'' is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jason Ubaldi and starring Anna Akana, Sean Grandillo, and Piper Curda. It premiered on March 7, 2018, on YouTube Red. Executive producers included Ubald ...
'', created by Jason Ubaldi and released in March 2018 on
YouTube Red
YouTube Premium (formerly Music Key and YouTube Red) is a subscription service offered by the video platform YouTube. The service provides ad-free access to content across the service, as well as access to premium YouTube Originals programming ...
. She is also the host of the web series
Crash Course Business: Entrepreneurship beginning in August 2019.
On October 10, 2019 she was featured in a 30 minute YouTube documentary created by SoulPancake in collaboration with Funny or Die wherein a variety of comedians discuss
mental health
Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
called ''Laughing Matters.''
Film and television
In 2011, Akana appeared in the TV series
''Awkward.'' In that same year, she also appeared as an extra in
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
's "
Last Friday Night" music video.
In 2015, she appeared in the films ''
Ant-Man
Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, Ant-Man's first appearance was in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962) but first appeared in costum ...
'' and ''
Kids vs Monsters
''Kids vs Monsters'' is a 2015 American fantasy comedy film that was directed by Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki and is his directorial debut. The film was released on video on demand on September 29, 2015.
Synopsis
The film centers around six children th ...
''.
Akana starred in ''Snapper Hero'', a scripted video series distributed via
Snapchat
Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before the ...
.
The series was sponsored by
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
.
In 2016, Akana appeared alongside
Sally Field
Sally Margaret Field (born November 6, 1946) is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film F ...
in the indie comedy film ''
Hello, My Name Is Doris
''Hello, My Name Is Doris'' is a 2015 American coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Showalter from a screenplay by Laura Terruso and Showalter, about a woman in her 60s who tries to act on her attraction to a younger co-w ...
'', written by
Michael Showalter
Michael Showalter (born June 17, 1970) is an American comedian, actor, director, writer, and producer. He first came to recognition as a cast member on MTV's ''The State'', which aired from 1993 to 1995. He and David Wain created the ''Wet Hot ...
.
That same year, she also appeared in a short ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
''
fan film
A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the more ...
, ''Hoshino'' as well as the comedy film ''
Dirty 30''.
She has a recurring role in the
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
show ''
Corporate
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and re ...
''.
She also has supporting roles as Gloria Sato in the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
show ''
Big City Greens
''Big City Greens'' is an American animated comedy adventure television series created by The Houghton Brothers that premiered on Disney Channel on June 18, 2018. The series features the voices of Chris Houghton, Marieve Herington, Bob Joles, and ...
'' and Sasha Waybright in ''
Amphibia
Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...
''.
In 2019, she announced on
Ryan Higa
Ryan Higa (born June 6, 1990), also known as nigahiga ( ), is an American Internet personality. Best known for his comedy videos on YouTube, Higa began making YouTube videos in 2006 and was one of the most popular creators on the platform in it ...
's ''Off the Pill'' podcast to be part of the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
original ''
Jupiter's Legacy''.
Akana also hosts the podcast ''Explain Things to Me'' with fellow comedian Brad Gage where the two interview experts in various fields about their work.
In 2021, Akana was announced as starring alongside
Emma Roberts
Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror film, horror and thriller (genre), thriller genres, she has received List of awar ...
in the romantic comedy ''
About Fate''.
Other ventures
In 2015, Akana released a clothing line, Ghost & Stars, which features several cat-themed designs as well as formal dresses,
leggings
Leggings are several types of leg attire that have varied through the years. Modern usage from the 1960s onwards has come to refer to elastic close-fitting high-rise garments worn over the legs typically by women, such as leg warmers or tights ...
, and a variety of T-shirts.
In 2017, Akana's book ''So Much I Want to Tell You: Letters to My Little Sister'' was published. The book describes Akana's struggles and experiences growing up and offers advice to her late sister.
In 2019, Akana transitioned from comedy into music, and upon so, released her debut single, "Intervention". Its music video was directed by Auden Bui. She has since released two more music videos, one for "Pretty Girls Don't Cry" in July 2019 and "Not My Proudest Moment" in August. She continued to release music videos for songs named "Alone Together", "Disappointment" and "Let Me Go". Her debut album ''Casualty'' came out in October 2019. Her follow up project came out early 2021 called ''No Longer Yours''.
Critical reception
In reviewing her video, "Why Guys Like Asian Girls" (which references "Yellow Fever", a term for an
Asian fetish
An Asian fetish is a strong sexual preference for people of Asian descent or heritage. The term generally refers to people of East or Southeast Asian descent, though this may also include those of South Asian descent.
The derogatory term ''yell ...
) Cate Matthews of ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' wrote: "A step-by-step takedown of 'yellow fever' or the desire to date Asian women often accompanied by bizarre, offensive attempts to do so, could start the healing. Luckily for us, YouTuber Anna Akana was more than up to the video-making task."
In reviewing her video, "How to Deal with a Breakup",
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
wrote: "In this sketch, comedian Anna Akana envisions the flurry of activity inside the cranial command center of a newly single dumpee."
''
Deadline
Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to:
* Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished
Arts, entertainment, and media Comics
* Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain
* ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...
'' referred to Akana as "a prolific online creator whose channel boasts 60 million views and 900,000 subscribers, and last year wrote and starred in her own narrative feature ''Riley Rewind'', scoring a none-too-shabby 20M views online."
Filmography
Feature films
Television
Web series
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
As featuring artist
Promotional singles
Other appearances
Music videos
Guest appearances
Awards
References
External links
*
*
ghostandstars.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akana, Anna
1989 births
American actresses
American filmmakers
American people of English descent
American people of French descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of Spanish descent
American women podcasters
American podcasters
American YouTubers
Bisexual actresses
Comedy YouTubers
American female YouTubers
Bisexual comedians
LGBT YouTubers
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
YouTube filmmakers
YouTube vloggers
Women video bloggers
YouTube channels launched in 2010
American actresses of Filipino descent
American musicians of Filipino descent
American actresses of Japanese descent
American women musicians of Japanese descent
Music YouTubers
People from Monterey County, California
American comedians of Asian descent
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people
LGBT American people of Asian descent
LGBT singers from the United States
Bisexual musicians
American bisexual actors
21st-century American women
LGBT people from California