There are creators who find one medium and spend their careers mastering it. Then there are people like Hang Doan, also known onstage as Manatea, who would rather explore everything creativity has to offer.
Film, acting, drag, food, fashion, culture, and digital storytelling all have a place in Hang’s world. Trying to separate those interests into neatly defined categories would almost miss the point. His creative identity is built around curiosity, experimentation, and the belief that you don’t have to choose just one version of yourself to create meaningful work.
As part of our Creators We Like series, we’re introducing an Indiana creator whose journey has already taken plenty of unexpected turns—and who is still very much at the beginning of discovering where they might lead.
From Sketchbooks to the Stage
Hang’s creative story started long before drag or acting entered the picture. Growing up, he was the self-described “weird art kid” constantly doodling in the margins of homework and filling sketchbooks with whatever his imagination could come up with. YouTube became another creative playground, particularly animated storytimes and musical theater animatics, eventually helping point him toward animation.
After graduating high school at 16, Hang went to college for animation before discovering that spending endless hours working at a computer wasn’t quite the creative life he imagined. He switched to film—which, as he jokes, mostly meant spending even more hours in even darker rooms—and graduated college at only 19.
Film ultimately introduced him to another fascination: performance. Working alongside actors made Hang curious about what it meant to temporarily inhabit another person’s world. Acting offered an opportunity to experience stories from perspectives outside his own, something especially compelling for a person endlessly curious about how other people think, live, and create.
Then came drag. A clip of Anetra performing on RuPaul’s Drag Race sent Hang down a rabbit hole and opened his eyes to an art form where seemingly all of his interests could coexist. Makeup, costuming, comedy, dance, theater, and performance could all become part of the same creative universe. Eventually, Manatea began taking shape.
Nineteen No’s Before One Yes
Building a creative career rarely happens as quickly as social media makes it appear. Beginning in August 2025, Hang went through 19 unsuccessful auditions before finally landing his first lead role: Jay in Disney’s Descendants with Carmel Community Players.
That yes carried meaning beyond simply getting a role. Hang had been openly identifying as a genderfluid trans man since he was 16, and playing a male character helped affirm both his transition and his determination to pursue theater professionally.
Now, he’s continuing that journey as part of the ensemble in Indy Drag Theatre’s parody of High School Musical, performing alongside artists he had previously admired from afar. It’s an intimidating step, but also exactly the kind of challenge Hang continues to seek out.
Persistence, more than perfection, has become an important part of his story. Nineteen auditions didn’t tell him to stop. They simply made the twentieth one matter more.
A Creator Who Refuses to Pick One Box
Hang’s social media reflects the same philosophy as his creative career. His content moves between art, food, culture, film, performance, and drag—something he was once advised not to do. A larger creator told him that mixing so many niches would hurt his account and that he should focus instead on whatever trend was currently performing best.
Hang ignored the advice.
Instead, he continued creating the kind of account he would personally want to follow. While his audience may still be smaller than some creators’, that distinctive perspective and persistent approach have opened doors to opportunities alongside people with much larger platforms.
Ultimately, Hang hopes to become known primarily as an actor and drag performer. But being known for one thing doesn’t mean becoming only one thing.
A Mosaic of Inspiration
Hang’s visual influences are just as varied. He points to Studio Ghibli, Wes Anderson, and Wong Kar-Wai as favorites, particularly drawn to warm, vivid colors and dreamy imagery capable of creating nostalgia.
His Vietnamese heritage is another important part of that creative identity. Hang incorporates traditional patterns and pieces into his everyday fashion and has found particular inspiration through Vietnamese Student Associations across the country. Attending VSA conferences exposed him to traditions including lion dancing, silk fan dancing, and rice hat dancing while also showing him how younger Vietnamese Americans are combining those traditions with hip-hop, pop music, and contemporary performance.
Hang describes himself as “a mosaic of everyone I love.” It’s perhaps the best way to understand his creative approach. Every new person, culture, performance, and experience becomes another tool he can carry into whatever he creates next.
Starting Before You Feel Ready
That philosophy is now coming together in one of Hang’s most ambitious projects yet. Alongside a team of local creatives, he spent two months producing, filming, and editing Drag Digest, a YouTube variety series centered on Indianapolis’ drag community.
Each episode combines interviews with local drag performers, food and culture, and a new drag skill that Hang has to learn himself. Importantly, the learning process isn’t hidden. Viewers get the mistakes, awkward moments, vulnerability, and occasional falling-on-his-face that come with trying something new.
That’s intentional.
Hang wants people to laugh, but he also wants them to walk away willing to try something they’ve been afraid to begin. The first episode is now available through the HANGHOAMAI YouTube channel, while his next onstage appearance comes with Indy Drag Theatre’s High School Musical parody.
Finding Indiana’s Hidden Gems
Hang believes anyone who says there’s nothing to do in Indianapolis simply hasn’t looked hard enough. Even as a self-described anxious introvert, he keeps a packed calendar by asking questions, showing up, and taking genuine interest in what other people are creating.
That last part matters.
For Hang, participating in Indiana’s creative community isn’t simply about getting noticed. It’s about noticing other people, too. He believes creators accomplish more when they stop viewing everyone around them solely as competition and recognize the completely different skills each person brings to the table.
He isn’t afraid to be competitive, but he’s equally willing to “give people their flowers,” recommend talented people when opportunities arise, and celebrate work he believes deserves attention.
Indianapolis, in his eyes, is filled with hidden gems—both places and people—often sitting right in plain sight.
Creating With Something to Say
Behind the humor and colorful creativity, Hang also wants his work to carry purpose. He hopes his platform encourages greater compassion for immigrants and marginalized communities and often uses food as an entry point into those conversations.
Food is universal, but the people and cultures behind what we eat are frequently overlooked. Hang wants audiences to think more deeply about that connection—to enjoy culture while also standing up for the communities responsible for creating and preserving it.
Ultimately, that’s what makes Hang Doan and Manatea interesting to watch right now. There isn’t a finished version of this creative story yet. He’s experimenting, learning, performing, failing, trying again, and refusing to narrow himself down simply because someone says that’s what creators are supposed to do.
And sometimes, watching someone figure it all out is the most exciting part.
Where to Find Hang Doan / Manatea
Instagram & TikTok: @hanghoamai
Website & Links: linktr.ee/hanghoamai
YouTube: HANGHOAMAI
Creators We Like is an ongoing WE LIKE INDY series highlighting the artists, makers, musicians, and creative entrepreneurs shaping Indiana’s vibrant creative community. Stay tuned as we continue sharing the stories behind the people making our state a more inspiring place to live, work, and create.
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