Ike Do: From TubeBuddy to the Kan Do Creators

Welcome to another Creator Spotlight series from the KDCC team. This time, it's for Ike Do, the co-founder of Kan Do Creators Community!

Tell us who you are.

My name is Ike Do and I'm one part of the Kan Do Creators Community.

Before the KDCC, I worked at TubeBuddy where I grew their Discord to 15,000+ creators while helping the TubeBuddy forums reach 100,000+ members.

On the side, I run multiple channels focused on anime and yuri, both of which are monetized. Whether it's reaction videos or discussion videos, I just like making videos on series I enjoy.

What's your background in the YouTube space? How did you get started?

I got into YouTube back in 2008 watching the beginning of Let's Plays. Back in the days when you could only post up to 10 minutes, in a 4:9 ratio, and a crispy 244p.

One of my favorite let's play was the Golden Sun series from a channel that I've long forgotten.

I never got into doing let's play myself until 2014, and never truly finished a series until 2025. What I did do in 2008 was post really badly edited AMVs and how to cheat on AdventureQuest (and it's various spin-offs).

The time I started my yuri channel in 2013 is when I got into YouTube forums like Freedom. Around then is the time when I met Andrew Kan and eventually moved onto the TubeBuddy forum.

After everything you've learned about YouTube, what do most creators get wrong early on?

A lot of beginners tend to compare themselves to the top 1%... mainly because these creators are often who they see and perhaps even the creators who inspire them.

Here are three problems when it comes to the death of comparison:

1. You assume the same results as channels with over 1M subscribers, even though your channel's just starting out. The same goes for channels with 100k subscribers or even 10k subscribers.
2. You see other channels growing faster than you, making your own progress feel minimal (when it should be BIG).
3. Because you compare, you see other channels are competitors instead of a source of learning and networking

Here's something you need to remember, channels that have over 10k subscribers are the top 4.9% (based on the numbers from the YPP and Social Blade). That's right, just 10k. There are billions of channels out there that don't even reach 1k subs or even 100 subs.

So when you get that first subscriber or that first view, celebrate it. These are real people who chose to click on your video. Don't discount them because someone else got more than you.

What's one strategy or mindset shift that changed everything for your growth on YouTube?

There was a point in my life where I was recording and uploading videos daily, all by myself. It was great for growth, but I was burning out. Even when I cut back on how many content I do a day, I finally hit a wall in December 2024... and I just stopped making videos for the whole year of 2025.

Coming back to YouTube in 2026, I've learned to pace myself.

Consistency is needed on YouTube, but that doesn't mean 5 - 6 videos a week. You don't even need to post 3 - 4 videos a week.

Consistency can mean 1 video a month, or every three month.

Because guess what? With Shorts, you can fill in the spots where you're not posting long-form content. You can keep your channel alive and relevant with community posts. There are many ways to stay active, even when you're not uploading weekly.

What's something about the YouTube ecosystem that most people don't understand?

Your long-form, your shorts, and your community posts should work in tandem with one another.

These are the mistakes I see people not doing:

1. Their long-form and shorts content don't match with one another, thus creating a fractured audience.
2. They don't create meaningful/engaging community posts, instead opting only to advertise when their latest video is up or not posting anything at all.
3. They refuse to create shorts because "that doesn't fit in with their content" or "they don't like shorts."

It's okay if you don't like shorts, but that doesn't mean you should shut yourself out of an opportunity. The same goes for community posts.

How did you find the Kan Do Creators Community?

I had some good years at TubeBuddy, along with becoming friends with Andrew Kan. We built a good community together, one that was well-loved.

However, after it was acquired by BENlabs, the feeling of community started to go away in turn for profit. I didn't like that, so I quit.

I spent a year doing YouTube before Andrew proposed the idea one day, something that we both were joking about. I took his YouTube mantra of 'If I Kan, you Kan too!" and said, "Well, people often mistake my last name as 'do', so why not the Kan Do Creator Community? KDCC!"

It had a nice ringer to it.

Next thing you know, here we are. I'm happy with the progress that we've done, and quite glad knowing that it's something that we own and not own by another company.

What's something you've learned or experienced inside KDCC that you wouldn't have figured out on your own?

Surprisingly, that people really enjoy my writing.

Writing is my long-life passion, even since I was still a kid trying to learn English, but I've always focused it on creative writing. Sure, I've written a few support articles for TubeBuddy and the likes, but I've never really thought too much of it.

With the KDCC, I started getting into writing weekly news blasts on Discord, writing newsletters, and even blogs now.

I've always beaten myself over the fact that maybe I'll never publish a book, but then I look at myself now compared to how I was years ago... it's not all that bad.

Best piece of YouTube advice you've ever received?

Go into your YouTube advanced analytics for your audience retention and select the chart type "compared to other videos."

This will show how your video does when compared to every other videos with the same length. Then take the moments that are above average and turn those into shorts.

Finish this sentence: "I Kan Do it because..."

I Kan Do it because I have people who believe in me, even when I don't believe in myself.

YouTube can be soul-sucking. Motivation and passion can only get you so far. But why do it alone? Having a community who support you throughout your journey, who can keep you accountable, can go a long way.

Where can people find Ike Do?

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IkesYuriStash
Other YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IkesAlternative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ikesfoodandbug/
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ikesfoodandbug
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikedough/

KDCC Blog: https://blog.kdcc.social