Nicola Foti and Kennen Navarro

Nicola Foti and Kennen Navarro invite hundreds of thousands of faithful YouTube subscribers on the escapades of their daily lives. Their content stretches across four different channels that at any given point can include product sampling, cooking, and sketch comedy. Their daily vlogs capture trips to the dog park, and their love of exotic foods, as well as British humor. Before Typhoon Haiyan, Nick and Ken intended to visit some of Ken's relatives in the Philippines next Spring. After the recent storm disaster, they endeavored to help as many people as they could, by holding a 12-hour fundraiser, live via YouTube. Thousands of people watched as Nick and Ken, along with the aid of many of their YouTube friends, raised $12,732, far surpassing their goal of $2,500.

Nick and Ken pledged to send the money so that some of Ken's extended family members could organize and execute relief efforts in severely affected areas. They also documented the difficulty that came with transferring the funds. Ultimately, their efforts were successful, and Ken's relatives not only received the necessary money to help their neighbors, but they also produced a vlog on their own to share with Nick and Ken's viewers. Nick and Ken's entrepreneurial and humanitarian spirit should serve as an inspiration to anyone even remotely interested in blazing their own trail. Their videos detail their daily lives and their passions; and their relationships with friends have led to some of YouTube's most-watched content. Nick and Ken's online subscribers regularly applaud them, not only as happy, positive examples for the LGBT community, but as all-around fine folk.

I reached out to the couple to let them know that their accomplishments, and their immense online following, were exceptional reasons for being dubbed "heroes." In our conversation, Nick and Ken chronicle their relationship, their career of online content creating, and when they knew they had made an impact on their audience.

1. When, during the course of making your YouTube videos, did you become aware that people saw you as an inspiration?

Ken and I have our own YouTube channels, RuleOfYum and soundlyawake respectively, but I think people really connect with stillsoundlyawake, our vlog channel together, because it's all real life. We never intended to inspire, only to document our day-to-day lives, but it's so amazing receiving messages and letters from people who say we've helped them in some way just by posting our videos. It's like a (really awesome) bonus.

 2. What YouTube content creators are heroes to you, and why?

Natalie Tran (communitychannel) has been my inspiration since I started making videos. She's so brilliant, and so funny, and so relatable. I just kinda threw Ken into this whole YouTube world so he mostly just watches our friends and whatever else I make him watch!

 3. What is the biggest reward from your career?

There's no feeling like the feeling you get when someone enjoys something that you've created. And enjoys it enough to share it with their friends. And if it reaches them on some deeper level, and makes them feel better or at least forget about something that's not so great in their lives--even if it's just (to us) a simple vlog--then we couldn't be happier.