Anna Akana

It was a painful and unexpected event that led actor and comedian Anna Akana to pursue a career in entertainment. Born in 1989 into a military family, Akana had traveled with her family to a new state or even a new country every few years for much of her upbringing. The process helped her pick up Japanese and Spanish, but it wasn't until tragedy struck in 2007 that Akana began to seriously take stock of her life's direction. Her sister Kristina, who was just 13 years old, committed suicide. It was only after several months of grief that a Margaret Cho stand-up comedy special prompted Akana to laugh out loud for the first time since her sister's death. The moment of clarity was overwhelming-comedy was something that could truly help people.

By 19, Akana was performing in the Los Angeles stand-up scene, though persistent anxiety led her to channel her comedic efforts into a YouTube channel in 2011. Her video shorts tackling everything from mental illness to her mixed Asian-American and European-American heritage struck a chord with viewers, and she soon wracked up over 1.5 million subscribers. She would produce and direct several short films in addition to her regular videos, eventually creating and co-starring in "Miss 2059" (Verizon go90, 2016-) and appearing regularly on "Single by 30" (Youtube Red, 2016-). She also published the book Surviving Suicide in 2013.