Just as New Yorkers and others away from the Bay Area check in on the Castro via the 24/7 live-streaming Castro Street Cam, San Francisco residents and more get a taste of the Big Apple, and Brooklyn, by watching the videos of Fernando Camino. He is the host and creator of the SuperFriends NYC YouTube channel.
The San Francisco Bay Times recently caught up with Camino between video shoots.
San Francisco Bay Times: Please tell us about yourself, including where you are from and how you came to live in Brooklyn. How often do you visit your family, including your mom and also your sibling who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area? What’s your day job?
Fernando Camino: I’ve been a Brooklyn resident since 2007. In the beginning of 2002, when I was living in Alphabet City (Lower East Side of Manhattan), I met my bf (partner) Patrick. In 2007, I moved in with him in Brooklyn. I return to the Philippines to see my family every year. Sometimes, we also have family reunions, which is usually the only time I can see my sister and her family who live in Sacramento, California. I work as a Front Desk Agent/Concierge for a hotel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
San Francisco Bay Times: How did you develop the concept for the SuperFriends YouTube channel? What is its purpose? How did you get the idea for it, and how has the concept for the live videos evolved and changed since it began? How long has it been operating? Who helps you with the livecasts and what do they do?
Fernando Camino: It all started with my love for cooking. Whenever I needed fun ideas for recipes, I’d go to YouTube. Eventually, I decided to create my own channel! One day I got together with my friend, Mini-me, also Filipino, and told him about my idea. It was in December 2019 that he started filming me shopping at a fruit stand on the Upper West Side. And the rest is history!
I never really got to make the cooking video with my friend, but we’d get together once a week to do an indoor live video of us telling stories or just being funny. However, since we both had full-time jobs and didn’t live near each other, meeting up became difficult. And that’s when I decided to go live alone.
I began frequenting Times Square and other parts of NYC at least once a week. When I realized that SuperFriends were responding well to my interactions with random people in Times Square, I began to have a regular Saturday night live show there.
San Francisco Bay Times: Viewers and bystanders alike love to see you in Times Square. What is it like to be there every week and are there people you have met whom you see repeatedly? Any favorites?
Fernando Camino: On weekends, when Times Square is at its busiest, the unbelievable energy is palpable! I love seeing the excitement on everyone’s faces! The noise of New York, the people, the chaos … it’s awesome!
Over the years, I have met and befriended people who work in Times Square. My favorite is Edwar Amean and his family (Instagram-EdwarNYC, more than 500K followers). He’s very charming, very friendly, and is a famous photographer.
San Francisco Bay Times: What is the Midnight Moment in Times Square and when can we expect to see it live on your channel? How do you select the other events and locations that you include for your livecasts? We have enjoyed watching you live from other cities both in the U.S. and beyond. Where have you been and where would you like to go in the future when SuperFriends goes on the road?
Fernando Camino: Midnight Moment is a digital art installation synchronized on more than 90 billboards in Times Square every day from 11:57 pm–Midnight. There’s a different installation/artist every month.
I select events like parades, and street festivals with lots of people. For each parade or event, I wear a huge hat inspired by the event.
I have taken my show on the road like Fremont Street in Las Vegas. I went to the Philippines in January 2023 to cover the biggest parade in the Philippines. In the future, if I get enough funding, I would like to take my show to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Disneyworld in Orlando, New Orleans, Brazil, and Japan.
San Francisco Bay Times: Do you have any favorite moments you would like to tell us about, when something special happened? Have you met any celebrities or other interesting people in leadership roles?
Fernando Camino: Always my favorite is meeting SuperFriends (subscribers) in person. I can’t believe they would go out of their way to meet me in. Most of them know where to find me, Times Square on a Saturday night.
I have met a couple of South American superstars like Leslie Shaw from Peru (IG: LeslieShaw) and Mike Bahia from Colombia (IG: MikaBahia). I met them in Times Square, both were very fun to talk to, and indulged us by singing a few lines of their hit songs. [As for someone in a] leadership role, Jason Morsette from MHA Nation, New Town North Dakota. He has a great story about his tribe. Then there’s my Boogie Bob, my friend, a YouTube (@Boogie Bob Live) live streamer from Manhattan. He is hilarious, inspirational, informative, and kind. He also helps the needy, homeless.
San Francisco Bay Times: How do you maintain your “diplomatic” role when people you interview respond in unexpected ways? How have you learned to use humor as a tool in your interactions?
Fernando Camino: If someone is offended by my questions, I apologize sincerely immediately. Sometimes they are just simply mean, in which case, I leave them alone. If they are rude or rowdy, I use humor to make the best of the situation.
San Francisco Bay Times: Tell us about your visits to LGBT events and settings around Time Square and other parts of NYC. How does one meet the entertainers who often are part of the livecasts from sidewalks or inside venues?
Fernando Camino: My viewers tend to like my visits to LGBT events. It’s always very entertaining and spontaneous. Although I get some unfriendly comments when I cover these events, that doesn’t stop me from doing what is comfortable and enjoyable for me. I consider myself a good ambassador of the LGBT community.
They can find the entertainers or regular guests you see on my shows in Times Square.
San Francisco Bay Times: Do you have any plans for the future of the SuperFriends channel that you would like us to know about?
Fernando Camino: For now, I’d like to continue to grow my channel by coming up with a consistent schedule for my live shows and by discovering interesting events that my subscribers would find very entertaining.
San Francisco Bay Times: Are there ways that you think SuperFriends can promote understanding, awareness, and appreciation of diversity and expressing kindness toward others?
Fernando Camino: On my show, I welcome diversity! I tend to gravitate toward people who are different from me. I know they have a wonderful story to share. Some have happy stories; others have sad ones to share. Some are more interesting than others but they are all valid stories. By talking to them, I show my subscribers that it’s ok to be different, and in the process, I show them kindness without ever mentioning the word “kindness.” Also, on my show, I talk about the things or people who inspire me or make me happy.
San Francisco Bay Times: How can readers of the San Francisco Bay Times find you? Do you have a website or Facebook page or other platform in addition to the YouTube channel?
Fernando Camino: Readers of the San Francisco Bay Times can check out my Instagram: SuperFriendsNYC. I usually post clips from my live shows on my IG.
San Francisco Bay Times: When do you think you may come to visit us here in San Francisco, and where in our area would you like to do a SuperFriends livecast?
Fernando Camino: I haven’t spoken with my boyfriend/partner about this, but I think I’d like to visit San Francisco next year for Pride. I’d like to do a livecast in the Castro area and other interesting parts of San Francisco like Fisherman’s Wharf, the Bay Bridge, and more.
Thank you so much for your interest in my story! If your readers are interested, they can find my exciting live broadcast every Saturday night in Times Square, people watching, talking to people, laughing, and singing with them or just being in the middle of this world-renowned square absorbing and enjoying the positive vibes.
Super Friends NYC
Published on June 22, 2023
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