The YouTube personality, actress and filmmaker Anna Akana was chosen to follow on the footsteps of American daredevil Nik Wallenda and Grammy Award winning record producer Swizz Beatz, as the new Rebel With A Cause.
Akana, who gave the crowd at VidCon 2016 a sneak peek at what makes her a Rebel With A Cause, is a strong proponent of anti-bullying and suicide prevention. She will be featured in a video dedicated to her own unique cause, debuting in September.
“As someone who loves creating comedic content with a message, I’m excited to be partnering with Canon as their next Rebel With A Cause,” said actress and filmmaker Anna Akana. “The cause I’m advocating is one that hits home for me, and I’m very passionate about creating awareness and effecting change however I can.”
“Canon has been a leader in the industry for years and partnering with a content creator is something that just comes as a natural fit for our ‘Rebel With A Cause’ campaign,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, president and COO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Anna embodies the Canon mentality of creating inspiring content and we’re excited to share that passion with someone who is a positive role model for young creators today.”
Canon will conclude the year-long “Rebel With A Cause” program in October with a consumer Rebel, whose cause will be chosen from the recently closed contest searching for the next great inspiration. In addition to a cash prize, the winner will have the opportunity to bring their cause to life with a documentary production, similar to those of the previous Rebels. All filmed using the EOS Rebel T6i DSLR.
Anna Akana represents a new generation of filmmakers. She started her YouTube channel in 2011, jumpstarting her career as an actress, producer, filmmaker and writer. Now with over 1.5 million subscribers, Anna has produced eight short films in the past two years, along with her weekly online show which tackles meaningful messages shared through a comedic lens.
Aside from her YouTube channel, Anna regularly performs stand-up, co-hosts the podcast “Explain Things to Me” (iTunes Best of 2015) and has several digital and long form projects currently in development. Most recently her digital series, “Miss 2059,” a 12-episode comedy sci-fi adventure series, premiered June 21st on Verizon’s go90 platform.
Akana has also created the clothing company Ghost & Stars, and has a publishing deal with Random House/Ballantine, which will have her first book published in 2017. As a screen actress, Akana’s other credits include: Freeform’s “The Fosters,” and films “Kids vs. Monsters,” “Hello, My Name is Doris” and “Ant-Man.” Upcoming, she can be seen starring alongside Bella Thorne and Halston Sage in Awesomeness Film’s new thriller, “You Get Me,” and Comedy Central’s new original series, “Corporate.”
Anna Akana uses Canon EOS DSLRs on her work, and that’s one of the reason she was present at VidCon 2016. The EOS Rebel DSLR camera has been used by a young generation of videographers and creative consumers to express themselves using Full HD video since the introduction of the EOS Rebel T1i in 2009. But the pedigree of the Rebel goes back to 1990, when the iconic “Image is Everything” campaign introduced the Canon EOS Rebel, an SLR camera born with a cause — to put the power of pro photography into the hands of the public and level the playing field forever.
Canon announced the first ever EOS Rebel SLR camera 25 years ago in August 1990, changing the game in the SLR camera category. At the time it was Canon’s smallest and lightest 35mm autofocus single-lens reflex (SLR) camera in the EOS line of autofocus SLRs. The EOS Rebel line has been continuously known to pack advanced features and imaging technologies into affordable high-quality consumer-level camera bodies. Through its first 14 years, Canon introduced 13 EOS Rebel film SLR models and in 2003, the Canon EOS Rebel DSLR was born, marking the beginning of the modern-day EOS Rebel DSLR camera.
From 2003 to 2015, there have been 15 models in the EOS Rebel DSLR camera line including the latest models introduced, featuring built-in Wi-Fi and NFC capability — the EOS Rebel T6i and T6s DSLR cameras.
Twenty-five years later, Canon launched “Rebel With A Cause,” embarking on a journey to follow modern day rebels who challenge convention in their own unique way, capturing their causes through the eye of a Canon EOS Rebel T6i DSLR camera. “Rebel With A Cause” invites people into their worlds to celebrate the imagery that makes their causes shine and motivate others to join their movements.
Rebel With a Cause has also been a good marketing tool for Canon, as the behind the scenes videos promoting the campaign show how the same cameras the general public can buy are used to produce professional work. Visit the URL to learn more about “Rebel With A Cause”, which was shot entirely on the EOS Rebel T6i DSLR camera.