By: Elena Mart

In an era where content is fast and fleeting, Cathy (Huiyun) Cao is crafting a legacy through it. What began as an influencer presence on Chinese social platforms has blossomed into a career in the U.S. that connects creators, brands, and artists across continents.

Now based in New York, Cao leads content creation and serves as the on-camera host at Symphonic Distribution, a leading independent music company, including its 64K+ follower Instagram account, @Symphonicdistro. She produces and stars in the company’s signature educational video series, Quick Music Industry Tips for Independent Artists, which has already amassed over 87,500 views across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube since her start in late March 2025. With a casual yet confident delivery, she breaks down complex music industry concepts and career strategies for emerging independent artists, helping them navigate marketing, playlist pitching, monetization, and more.

She’s also brought a refreshing human angle to Symphonic’s social storytelling – conceptualizing a vlog series that brings audiences behind the scenes of company culture to engage the Gen Z audience. The first two episodes alone have surpassed 11,000 views.

“Relatability isn’t just a buzzword,” she says. “It’s the bridge to trust.”

Beyond her U.S.-facing content, Cao has also played a key role in Symphonic’s recent expansion into Asia, launching fresh content and managing the company’s dedicated social channels for the region. She produces localized content tailored to Asian artists and audiences, including the Symphonic Asia Artist Spotlight series – most notably collaborating with Canadian-Filipino star Mikey Bustos (617K+ followers across platforms) and creating tailored content for SherryZ, a Best New Artist nominee at the Golden Melody Awards (often referred to as the Grammys of the Chinese-speaking world).

“There’s so much talent in Asia that deserves global visibility,” Cao says. “Promoting these artists – and, vice versa, providing educational content for independent creators in those regions – as well as building awareness of Symphonic in the Asian market, not just literally but stylistically, really excites me. It’s incredibly meaningful to be able to leverage my firsthand experience and cultural background, and bring my understanding of Asian media trends into my daily work. It pushes me to think more creatively.” For her, the region isn’t just a new market – it’s a creative frontier rich with untapped artistry.

Before Symphonic, she co-led the production of the New York series for Homegrown Music Garden, a digital platform often called the “Chinese Tiny Desk Concert,” which spotlights rising artists around the world. She co-directed and filmed standout episodes featuring underground Asian-heritage artists like cyber-metal band P.H.0. (52K+ views on Instagram), and FiFi Zhang, an electronic musician who performed at 88rising’s Head in the Clouds NY Festival. With its dual-language voice and transnational aesthetic, the series has become a rare gem for music fans craving cross-cultural content. The platform now reaches over 125,000 followers across Weibo, Bilibili, Instagram, YouTube, and RedNote.

Cao also served as an influencer host and producer for select episodes of Condé Nast Traveler China’s editorial short film series CNT VLOG, which featured prominent local celebrities, surpassing 560K views on Weibo alone. For example, in Chasing the Summer Breeze in Qingdao, starring actor You Zhou, a 2024 Cannes Film Festival nominee, she brought warmth and a relatable tone to luxury travel media. Other notable episodes include ones with acclaimed actress Xiaotong Mao and pop icon Haoming Yu, each showcasing Cathy’s ability to connect personal storytelling with visually elevated production.

“What makes the content captivating,” she reflects, “isn’t just how polished it is – it’s how the story is told. The authenticity and pace are what stand out. There can be a lot of pressure on set, especially when working with a well-known global media company like Conde Nast, and high-profile artists. It really takes intuition, flexibility, and a clear creative vision to adapt to the unexpected, especially when filming outdoors, where something almost always comes up.”

From Weibo to Instagram, Beijing to NYC, Cathy (Huiyun) Cao is redefining what it means to be a content artist in a globalized media age – one video, one episode, one story at a time.