Meet Reuben, the man behind Uncle Ah Lim—a charming, witty online persona that has captured hearts with his old-school humour and relatable content. While he convincingly plays the role of a cheeky uncle, the real person behind the character is a 25-year-old Gen Z content creator who brings a fresh twist to nostalgic storytelling.

Blending modern-day humour with a classic uncle vibe, he uses his platform to entertain, connect across generations, and showcase his unique brand of digital creativity that’s anything but ordinary.

What inspired you to create the online persona Uncle Ah Lim and how did it evolve over time?

For me, I just tried out different personas over time. I started my content creation journey back in late 2023. I did one where I was just myself, and after that, I tried a persona based on a secondary school student.

Then I did a few “Boomer Dad” series. Basically, I tried these two here and there, along with some where I was just being myself—Rueben. I felt that the one that really worked out was Uncle Ah Lim. How he came about was one day I was in Pattaya, and I just randomly decided to try the video title “Uncle Ah Lim Goes to Pattaya.”

It was very spontaneous and unexpected. I definitely didn’t plan for this to become my key online persona, but the audience really liked it and responded quite well. As for the name Ah Lim, I know a few uncles in real life called Ah Lim, and they’re actually very funny people.

It’s fun to hang around them, and they always have a lot of uncle jokes. So I thought the name Ah Lim would be a very fun and fitting name to use.

How do you come up with the content ideas for Uncle Ah Lim and what type of content resonates most with your audience?

My content is actually inspired by how the uncles around me act every day—the jokes they tell and how they behave. I find it quite funny. It inspired me to do this kind of content because in Singapore, nobody else is really specialising in uncle comedy.

I felt I could fill this gap in the content creation industry. I would even say it’s a kind of history recording, because all these kinds of jokes may not be around in 20 or 30 years. So I’m specialising in relatable uncle comedy, which currently resonates the most with my audience.

Many content creators face challenges with engagement and growth. What strategies have worked best for you in building your audience?

Actually, the best strategy is to figure out how to improve yourself every step along the way. It could be improving your video quality—maybe don’t shoot with green screen—or trying to put characters into your videos to help build your story. If you can cast the right talents in your story, that helps a lot.

I think it’s also important to focus on what’s next. You shouldn’t dwell too much on your past numbers because every video has a different form of engagement. The likes, comments, and shares will all be different, and so will the reactions.

So I think it’s better to focus on creating better content rather than harping on what worked last year. Audiences come and go. You can’t keep them forever, but you can try to create content that relates to them as much as possible.

It’s really up to you to create your own content, so you should always try your best to create the best content based on what’s on your mind at that moment.

Being a content creator isn’t as simple as thinking, “I want to do this,” and then suddenly becoming successful. You might need a bit of luck to see what kind of content suits you and your audience.

How similar or different are you from Uncle Ah Lim in real life?

I’m actually very different in real life. The way I talk to you now is nothing like Uncle Ah Lim. Uncle Ah Lim is a fictional character that I act out, based on how uncles usually behave. I just take inspiration from them and act it out based on what I imagine.

In real life, I’m just 25 years old, so I’m Gen Z. I feel that nobody is really doing SG uncle content, so I felt like that was a gap I could fill. That’s why I created this character. So yeah, I’m very different from Uncle Ah Lim in real life.

Have you encountered any memorable moments or unexpected reactions from your followers that have shaped your content direction?

I would say figuring out what content works for my followers is mostly based on my own effort. Followers don’t usually shape your content direction directly, but their comments can help you understand which content relates to them most. Especially my boomer content—that’s the one they relate to the most.

I do get DMs from followers telling me they really like certain content because it reminds them so much of their dad. But in terms of memorable moments, not really. I do get feedback, though, about which content they enjoy the most.

Beyond Uncle Ah Lim, do you have plans to expand your content or explore new creative avenues?

As time goes on, I’ll definitely need to expand my content. I can stick with this persona for as long as I can, but no persona lasts forever. For example, Liang Popo lasted about 10 to 20 years before needing to evolve. People can’t keep watching the same character forever.

For me, I think Uncle Ah Lim’s lifespan will probably be about five to ten years—just based on my gut feeling. After that, I’ll start to explore and create new content in other avenues.

What advice would you give to aspiring content creators who want to develop a strong and engaging online persona?

I don’t have specific advice for everyone because what works for me might not work for others. Being a content creator isn’t as simple as thinking, “I want to do this,” and then suddenly becoming successful. You might need a bit of luck to see what kind of content suits you and your audience.

And honestly, it might take 100 videos to find that out. Some people get TikTok famous after 10 videos, while others may do hundreds and still remain relatively unknown. Branding is also very important. Once you do around 100 videos, you’ll start to understand what truly engages your audience. So my advice would be—do 100 videos, then you’ll find out what works.

Where do you see yourself and what’s your vision for Singapore in the next five years?

In five years, I think the content creation industry will still be on the rise, so I’ll still be here. I see myself expanding more in this industry. So yes, it’s an in-demand and growing industry, and I’ll still be around in the next five years.

As for Singapore, I believe more people in Singapore will want to become content creators—especially after seeing how early adopters have become very successful. However, it takes a lot of hard work, and as I said before, you need some luck too.

Connect with Reuben: TikTok and Instagram.