Meet Michael and Drew of Never Clicked, Asia’s Viral Model Content Creators

Michał Kołkowski and Andrew Royce are Hong Kong’s hottest influencers at the moment. They represent the brains and beauty behind Never Clicked, their platform for sharing the lives previously in Seoul, Hong Kong and now Shanghai, sampling Asian culture, food, and society with open eyes!

Releasing long-form experiential vlogs on YouTube, and daily observations and street interviews on TikTok and Instagram, Michał and Drew have run Never Clicked since December 2022, when the pair moved to Seoul working in the modelling industry.

Arriving to Hong Kong to work with model agency PRIMO, before venturing to Shanghai in July 2023, the pair have reached thousands of eager fans in Asia to feel the pulse of their experience living here. Catch The Beat Asia's chat with the pair about their lives and content creation below.  

Where and when did you two meet?

Drew: We had been travelling for a few years before we met in South Korea three years ago before the pandemic.

We were modelling in a summer trip before school started. The pandemic hit, and we both decided to cram school online and graduate early, model full-time and go travel.

Michael: I was finishing high school and began studying at university whilst travelling?

What inspired you two to become models?

D: I was scouted on holiday in Los Angeles, so I later studied in LA and worked there too, as my parents would only let me do modelling if I studied at the same time.

M: I was scouted on Instagram when I was 16, even though my parents didn’t allow me to sign any contract. I waited until I had summer break and got my first contract in Guangzhou at 18.

What is it like being models from Poland and the U.S. in Asia?

D: At first, it was fun when we were younger, as none of our friends were earning anything. You feel like a king. Now, we have gotten way more into content creation because it’s more fulflling

We’re using the platform more as a way to travel and make content, rather than trying to become a model because I have enough photos already.

When was Never Clicked created, and how did it take off?

D: We were in Poland in early 2022 and figuring out how modelling was in the country. We begged our agency to move, almost wanting to not do modelling anymore. We began to create content in Poland, and within a few months, people were obsessed with us.

At one point, I wanted to leave Poland and explore elsewhere. In December 2022, we both returned to Korea. Never Clicked began because we couldn’t get a contract in Seoul because we had retired from modelling and no one would take us. We said, forget all of them, and let’s show them why we are the best.

We began our YouTube vlog channel and TikTok and Instagram with zero followers, and managed to get over 600,000 followers on TikTok. We began with skits and comedy in Korea, did the same in Hong Kong and want to continue in Shanghai!

What does Never Clicked mean?

M: Firstly, you’ve never clicked on our videos, so you should check it out and see what it’s about. Second, in Poland, we tried modelling, but we never clicked with it, and it didn’t work out.

D: If you never click our account, you’ll never know what you’re gonna (sic) expect. Street interviews, try bubble tea, or just hanging out in our apartment normally.

What are the best things about modelling?

D: In Hong Kong, we have met some great photographers and cool and local creatives through modelling.

What is the content direction for Never Clicked going to be now, next week, and in the future?

M: Our focus is to build the YouTube with longer form content about our lives and careers.

D: I want to become a full-time content creator, because it is something that makes me happy. We want to put our efforts to develop our YouTube channel to produce longer-form content to keep the momentum going.