Pop Culturalist Chats with Roi Fabito (aka Guava Juice)

Roi Fabito is currently starring as “The Daredevil” in season three of the hit YouTube Premium series, Escape the Night. It’s a fitting character for the content creator who in real life could be described the same way. He left a successful partnership with Wasabi Productions—which at the time had 4.5 million subscribers and over 2 billion total views—to start his own venture. The result? The Guava Juice empire which includes a main channel with over 10 million subscribers, 4 billion total views, a video game which had over 120,000 downloads in its first week, and an exclusive toy line with Target.

PC: When did you first realize your passion for content creation?
Roi: I realized I love creating content when I took my parents’ video camera in the 7th grade. I grew up in Durham, North Carolina and there was literally nothing to do there. That camera was one of the only things I had to kill time and have fun with. I just became addicted to creating videos ever since that moment.

PC: Has your creative process changed over the years?
Roi: I started doing sketches and skits and then started doing experiments, challenges, and filling my bathtub with random things.

PC: If you had to choose a defining moment in your career, what would it be and why?
Roi: My defining moment was when I left my previous channel, Wassabi Productions, to start Guava Juice. That was the first time ever in my life where I was completely unsure and afraid of how everything would turn out, considering I left a successful channel with 4.5 million subscribers and 2 billion total views at the time. My mindset completely changed when that moment happened, and I have never ever worked so hard in my entire life. I wanted to get back to where I left off, but grow from there exponentially. I knew if I believed in myself and in my work, I could get there in no time.

PC: Were there any moments of self-doubt? How did you overcome them?
Roi: There were so many times during the early stages of Guava Juice where I doubted myself, and second-guessed whether leaving Wassabi Productions was the right choice. I knew practically that it wasn’t the best thing to do, but my happiness and dedication knew it was the best thing to do. I had never gotten so much hate and death threats when I started Guava Juice. I knew if I believed in my passion to make the channel successful, then everyone else watching would believe in me, too. I worked non-stop until my audience believed and enjoyed the content I was creating.

PC: What’s been your formula for success?
Roi: My formula is to always be consistent. You have to upload daily—don’t stop, keep uploading. If your content is crazy, fun, and silly, don’t stop being crazy, fun and silly.

PC: You recently released your own line of toys at Target. How did that come to fruition?
Roi: I wanted a way to share a piece of my personality and the creativity of my videos in real life. I want kids to feel how I feel whenever I make my videos and the perfect way to do this is to bring my personality into their homes with Guava Toys.

PC: You’re starring in season three of Escape the Night. How did you get involved with that series?
Roi: I wanted to be in it ever since I saw season one. Joey Graceffa followed me on Twitter and DM’d me out of nowhere and asked if I wanted to be on season three. I said, YES!

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Roi: Terrace House

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Roi: 500 Days of Summer.

PC: Favorite book?
Roi: The Alchemist

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Roi: Hamilton

PC: Favorite social media platform?
Roi: Instagram

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Roi: Mason Ramsey

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Roi: Westworld

PC: Hidden talent?
Roi: I can crack my big toes an unlimited amount of times.

Make sure to follow Roi on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook, and subscribe to his YouTube channel.