Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Wesley Ee @chipster_wes

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

My name is Wesley, Final Year (Senior) undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, pursuing a degree in Real Estate. I am currently on an internship stint with a well-known international real estate consultancy to gain hands-on experience in the industry. My passion however, is driven by inspiring and helping people to make positive changes in their lives, especially those who are currently in the same predicament as I used to be. I was a fat kid growing up, and it did not help that puberty hit me pretty harsh; imagine a fat kid with oily skin and boils on his faces. Self-esteem and confidence was at an all-time low, which spurred me to one day get off my ass and dedicate myself to changing my life one step at a time.

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

My topics of interests are of fitness and food. I post a lot of food and I love to travel for good food, hunting down the best of the best to appease my taste-buds. Being diet-conscious, I do not believe in wasting calories on lousy food. On the flip-side, I also post a lot on fitness tips such as planning your meals to revolve around your lifestyle instead of the ‘old-school’ mentality of eating ‘bro-foods’ like chicken breast and broccoli all the time. #iifym #ifitfitsyourmacros #flexibledieting
Oh yeah, and topless selfies (Beware).

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

My insta-handle was originally my in-game name. I used to play a lot of computer games (which also stereotyped me towards the fat, nerdy gamer-type) such as Maplestory, Defence of the Ancients and Left 4 Dead. I also played console games such as Soul Calibur, Tekken, Street Fighter, Halo, Fifa and many more. It was during the DotA period where I used to play under the name of Fish&Chips™ until I met another guy who was also using the same name. I then decide to personalize and shorten my IGN to Chipster_wes and it has stuck ever since.

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

I mostly use Instagram’s in-built filters. Adding Lux, Structure and Contrast usually brings out the most from my physique(yeah, I post plenty of topless selfies LOL) but I have since tone down on the filters as I am starting to find those excessively exaggerated. I have been fiddling around with VSCOcam a little but I never seem to be able to get it right.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

One of my idols whom I follow is this guy named Kane Sumabat (@timbahwolf). His life story provided the crux for me to get off my ass in the first place. Ever since I read the first interview of him by Simplyshredded.com, I was inspired. This guy is 49 years old, shredded to the bone and eats cotton candy and poptarts for breakfasts. He is also nearly always baked.

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

As an avid fitness fanatic, I can safely say that many people have a diet lacking in Omega-3s. Supplementation is not neccessary but if you ever do considering supplementation, fish oil should be the first thing you should supplement. Aside from aiding inflammation, studies have also suggest that fish oil might have the ability to burn stubborn body fat away. Music to my ears.

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

When people(some of whom I have never spoken to in real life) come up to me to tell me that I was the one who inspired them to make a positive change in their lives. I feel the sense of accomplishment which money cannot buy and it makes my entire day.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

Do not pressure you influencers to bend towards what you want to promote. You approached them for a reason, hence you should not interfere in the content they post. Such interference limits and staves off creativity. Just leave the influencers to express in whichever way they want to showcase the authenticity of their charisma and personalities.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

Quality and original content are what brings you organic followers and likes. Why try to be someone else when their spots have already been taken?

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

I like the experience and platforms provided by brands to get my main intentions across, which is to live healthily, make positive changes and to not give up even if life deals you a bad hand. Of course, working with brands with the same views, goals and passion as myself makes the journey highly enjoyable. I have also made plenty of friends whom I would not have the opportunity to meet had it not been for them.