A Facebook user by the name of Matthew Zachary Liu, has came out vouch for Night Owl Cinematics’ Ryan’s integrity and character.
He shared a post on how Ryan had actually helped him in his journey of wanting to become a youtuber, and also how Ryan really cares for people.
Affectionately known as ‘Xi Guay Ong’ to fans, Ryan has recently got caught inside the saga as well when screenshots of Whatsapp messages appeared online, allegedly showing him being involved in wanting to “K*ll off two talents”.
Here is the post by Liu
“By now, most people would know about the ongoing NOC drama.
I’m not trying to ride this trend and Ryan definitely doesn’t need me speaking up for him but with him being dragged further through the mud, I thought i’d personally and publicly vouch for him.
I first knew Ryan back in 2013. About the time he started Night Owl Cinematics from scratch. Back then, people only knew of his online persona “xi guay ong” or “the watermelon helmet guy who only knows how to cry”.
Thing is, even then, Ryan never wanted fame or the limelight. He simply loved creating, bringing imagination to life on film. He never really wanted to be in any of it.
“xi guay ong” was probably his “must show face” character but behind the scenes was where he truly shone; his work ethics and drive was extremely admirable (he was doing pretty much everything on his own with one or two other crew assisting in shoots).
We became acquainted after working on a film project and when that ended, he got in touch wanting to continue working together.
His whole YouTube trajectory was on an up while my media dream at that time was almost over and I was transitioning into working with schools instead.. still, he said, “join me, let’s build something together”.
And suddenly, I was seated at the table with the likes of Jinnyboy, Jianhao, Jared and Marianne, Wahbanana.. these were like “Youtube famous” people who were only just getting started. I remember thinking, “wtf am I doing here.. I’m not even part of or in the league of these guys”.
I felt extremely unworthy and out of place but Ryan would still insist on me joining them for meals and he’d always go out of his way to make me feel comfortable with everyone else. No hidden agenda or anything, really just wanting people, regardless of “social media status”, to feel accepted and comfortable with each other. And at the end of almost every meal, he’d always foot the bill.
To me, it really spoke volumes of his character because people saw him online as ““the watermelon helmet guy who only knows how to cry” but behind the scenes, he was a workaholic perfectionist and off camera, he was a really generous guy who cared for the people around him.
I decided not to go down the YouTube influencer route and set out on my own journey to work with youths instead but Ryan still showed up massively in my life from time to time.
He knew I loved writing. And one random night, he was like, “hey, let’s film a love story.. you write, I’ll film,”.
You know how sometimes when you’re in sync with someone creatively.. everything just flows perfectly? We bounced ideas till 4am and even discussed it further the next few weeks. It rekindled this creative passion in me which had long been extinguished and although this film never eventually happened because I just couldn’t write the ending to it (my bad).. to have someone of his calibre and status believe in me and wanting to work on a film together – it really meant a lot especially after being ignored and rejected by mainstream media countless of times. But Ryan gets it. Because he went through the same. And he wanted to change things. He wanted to give chances to others and help build them up.
But the one particular thing that he did 5 years ago that really struck and stuck with me till this day was when I decided to leave my parents place and had nowhere to go initially.. he reached out and offered his place for me to crash. We weren’t even communicating much anymore and he was already “Youtube famous” by then.. but he offered to help in one of my darkest hours.
That’s the kind of person Ryan was and is.
He is passionate about his work. He values loyalty and cares deeply for the people he cherishes. He always goes beyond to help others in ways that he can without the need for public validation.
He probably never even wanted this whole youtube success, let alone what it has now led to. Some people are having a popcorn buffet of their internet lives judging him based on their own assumptions or for their own satisfaction.
Sure, he’s made mistakes and may have been bitchy in certain ways.. honestly, I think we all are. I still am sometimes. None of us are saints. We probably have our own sins and secrets that we’re all guilty of. Unfortunately for Ryan, he has to face a trial by internet because of his public position.
But he’s doing what he can and I believe he’s going to continue to make things right.
You’ll get through this, Ryan Tan. While there may be those who’ll continue to hate, you’ve also got the ones who believe in you.”
Image source: Facebook Matthew Zachary Liu, @ryanxgo Instagram