The rags-to-riches tale of a local mechanic in Kasegeran, Indonesia, inspired others in the village and now 30 odd 'YouTube stars' churn out clips ranging from simple fix-it videos to hunting for graveyard ghosts
Siswanto was a down-on-his-luck mechanic until his improbable pivot to internet videos turned his neighbours into stars and vaulted his poor farming community into the limelight as Indonesia's "YouTube Village".
Image: Arbi Anugerah / AFP
Siswanto was a down-on-his-luck mechanic until his improbable pivot to internet videos turned his neighbours into stars and vaulted his poor farming community into the limelight as Indonesia's "YouTube Village".
The rags-to-riches tale begins four years ago as he struggled to keep his auto shop business afloat in Kasegeran—a remote town in Java that most Indonesians would struggle to find on a map.
He was cash-strapped and desperate for extra income to feed his growing family, but side jobs scavenging junk and soybean farming were not earning enough to pay the bills.
Siswanto eventually tried publishing short comedy routines over Kasegeran's glacial Internet connection after watching a TV show about an Indonesian influencer who made big money through online videos.