Alan Chikin Chow


Alan Chikin Chow is an American actor, digital creator, producer, writer, and influencer. He is the highest-ranking YouTube shorts creator with over 110 million subscribers and the creator of the YouTube series Alan's Universe. As of May 2025, he has the 17th most subscribed channel on YouTube. Chow's channel ranks in the top 50 most-subscribed YouTube channels and most viewed YouTube channels in the world. Chow has appeared in TV series and films that include Grey's Anatomy, Mean Girls, I Didn't Do It, and Into the Dark.

Early life

Alan was born and raised in Plano, Texas. His father is an engineer at NASA and his mother is the owner of a preschool. His brother Alvan Chow is an investor and a cast-member of the Netflix documentary Eat the Rich.
Alan earned his Bachelors Degree from USC studying screenwriting and business administration. His career in content creation also started during his time at the USC as a way to make his family laugh.

Career

Chow began as a model for JC Penney, then booked acting roles on I Didn’t Do It, Grey’s Anatomy, and Into the Dark. He also voiced characters in anime series including One Piece.
He started uploading YouTube videos, quickly becoming the most-watched Shorts creator in the United States.
Chow launched Alan’s Universe, a high-school drama about love and friendship, which has over 1 billion views and has been featured on Good Morning America and CBS News.
In 2024, his channel entered YouTube’s global Top 50. He signed with CAA and opened a 10,000 square-foot production studio in Burbank, California, which was attended by YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. Alan’s Universe was also made available on Roku TV, Amazon Prime Video and Tubi.
In 2025, he announced a joint venture with HYBE Corporation to create and star in a new pop group and streaming series. Alan serves as executive producer and star for HYBE AMERICA x AU alongside Scooter Braun and James Shin.
Bloomberg has described Alan’s content as having the “DNA in classic American tween series such as Boy Meets World, a coming-of-age ’90s sitcom the South Korean high school drama Boys Over Flowers” and compares it to the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon of the new age.
In 2026, Netflix picked up Alan and HYBE America’s scripted k-pop TV series. Jingu Jang, former Vice President of BIGHIT Music, joined the project as an executive producer. The series is described to follow a misfit crew of aspiring pop idols enrolled in an arts academy who come together to form a co-ed band.
Alan has been ranked in multiple top creator lists, including Forbes Top Creators, Forbes 30 Under 30, and TIME100 Creators. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan has referred to his impact as a “powerful symbol of the broader shift happening in the entertainment industry”.

Filmography

Feature films and television

YearTitleRole
2014I Didn't Do ItDeeJay
2014One PieceOrenami
2014Soul Eater NotVoice
2014Ping Pong the AnimationKong "Chine" Wenge
2015Absolute DuoEthnarch
2016Internet FamousPrank-A-Lank
2017Tales of TitansPissbaby
2018Grey's AnatomyHenry
201813 Reasons WhyMikey Chan
2018Mr. Student Body PresidentBrandon Wu
2018Millenial MafiaSal Dang
2018The Thinning: New World OrderRyland
2020Into the DarkTrevor
2022Home EconomicsMale Host
2022The CasagrandesHan
2024Mean GirlsSocial Media Friend
2024AfraidHimself

Philanthropy

He works with Act to Change, a non-profit against bullying for AAPI youth. He donated to the organization during TikTok's #GivingSzn.