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We’ve all heard stories around - The sudden rise of a creator or what is the secret behind their success. From Taha Shah Badussha skyrocketing in Heeramandi and his recent song Zeher Mohabbat to Karan Kundra being a sensation in the entertainment industry . Finding new talents before the rest of the world and helping them grow and giving them what they really deserve in the best way possible is in itself a game changer. 

But how do you identify this undiscovered talent and help them in being the best version of themselves? Of Course it's not easy picking out diamonds from the rough when you have a huge bag of gems in the making. The entertainment market is huge and has a lot of potential up and comers vying for attention. 

An integral aspect of the entertainment industry is uncovering hidden talent in individuals who may not realise their own capabilities. While picking out these individuals we look for a burning passion that is unstoppable, creativity that pushes boundaries and deep desire to get better by the passing day. Through careful evaluation of content quality, audience engagement, and the most important ‘It’ factor we seek out creators who have the potential to collaborate & create phenomenal content effectively not just for brands but for themselves. However, this process is not without its challenges. Many talented individuals underestimate their abilities and worry about their appeal to brands. As mentors, we instil confidence in them and help them recognize their true potential throughout their journey.

Adapting to the constantly changing landscape of social media is a challenge tougher than what it might seem. What works today may not work tomorrow. To stay ahead, we have to remain committed to continuous learning and experiments. We not only observe but also learn a lot from our creators, helping each other navigate the dynamic digital environment with agility and relevance.

Facilitating partnerships between creators and brands requires a thoughtful approach. We prioritise alignment between the values and authenticity of our creators and those of the brands we engage with, ensuring harmony in content creation and fostering trust among audiences. Making sure there is a balance between brand endorsements and creator authenticity throughout not only enhances the impact of collaborations but also reinforces the credibility of both creators and brands alike.

We strongly believe that education plays a crucial role in helping creators succeed in the influencer world, and that education or learning is not limited to textbooks or notes. That's why we offer d one-on-one sessions to help creators know how to improve their skills and discover more opportunities to expand their business. We always have our doors open for everything from content planning to negotiating deals with brands to just having someone to talk to.

Instagram remains an important & viable platform for influencers because it's easy to use and one of the most trending social media applications. For instance, if one of our makeup influencers aims to increase their visibility on Instagram, we offer opportunities for them to build their portfolios, connecting them to some of the top makeup brands for partnerships to help get their name out there. 

When nurturing new talent, we recognize the importance of giving them opportunities to develop their skills, exposure to be discovered, and the support and encouragement to keep pushing forward. 

In a competitive market like this, identifying and supporting emerging talent requires time and strategic thinking and a whole lot of dedication. With every passing day we’re committed to helping creators excel and establish meaningful and relevant partnerships with brands. Our ultimate goal is to foster mutually beneficial relationships, address challenges, and facilitate growth for everyone involved.

While we may get a number of inquiries a day, only a selected few will turn out to be the next phenom. But having an eye for recognizing true talent in its earliest stage - and being willing to foster it - can allow anyone to play a hand in launching the careers of these up-and-comers before the rest of the world is aware of their brilliance.

The article is written by Om Singh, Co-Founder, Dot Media Base. Views expressed are personal.

Identifying and nurturing an emerging talent in crowded market place

Recently 1% Club came out with a brand film featuring Finance with Sharan and Viraj Ghelani who depicted the country's working population. People are often stuck in jobs they dislike because financial obligations like EMIs and lifestyle expenses dictate their choices and, in a way, let money control them. They find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle, working for money that ultimately fails to liberate them, instead entangling them further due to their lack of financial knowledge. The only way out is to understand how money works. 1% Club’s “The Great Escape” showcased Sharan and Viraj in a familiar corporate office filled with unfamiliar comic twists. The duo play harrowed colleagues who unlock the secret of an exclusive club. What is this club’? How do we get in?

In an exclusive chat with Storyboard18, entrepreneur and financial content creator Sharan Hegde breaks down the rationale behind the campaign, transitioning into entrepreneurship, the finfluencers versus SEBI saga and more.

Sharan, can you take us through the genesis of this campaign?

The genesis of the campaign is very simple. Once the company reaches a very mature state, it becomes our responsibility to educate the audience. There is no other company which has a business model like ours. We educate our audience first and then we propose the right financial services to them. We feel that the biggest problem in financial services today is that companies are selling financial products to their customers without really educating them about what it is.

A very prevalent problem in today's country is that the youth feels like they are trapped in their jobs. Even though they have studied for so many years, they are not able to live a life that they envisioned in their twenties or thirties.

They still feel like they are trapped and we wanted to enunciate that feeling. A very similar kind of experience faced by students when they are preparing for competitive exams, you know, preparing for their exams and that sort of environment has now sort of percolated into our adult life as well because, you know, companies are taking unfair advantage.

Indian work culture is one of the worst in the world. We wanted to personify that and show that to the audience. There is one thing that is definitely in your control that is your hard earned money that you are making by toiling nine, twelve hours in your office. But unfortunately you've not been taught how to manage it, how to leverage it and how to make that money work for you.

As a company, we are coming up with solutions for you to manage the money that you're earning instead of letting it waste in your savings account or your FDs.

Do you aspire to transition into entrepreneurship following the footsteps of many creators who have also ventured into businesses?

We just opened an office, a five thousand square feet office and we have 100 employees. We have also raised money from Nikhil Kamath to the tune of 10 crores. Since last year, we were valued at 100 crores and since then we have quadrupled our revenues. We're thinking of opening another office space in another city.

The future entrepreneurs of the country will be creators first, because the only other way to be an entrepreneur otherwise is to be a deep tech person; either you come from a computer science background or from a product management background.

But that is no longer enough today because it's very easy to build an app and a product. There are so many white label solutions available for you to build your own digital product. How do you stand out when you start a business today?

Being a content creator really helps you to stand apart from the crowd and gives you a lot of unfair advantages in today's country. Within two years, we are at a state where most companies take 10 years. It's all possible because of the distribution, social media and content creation.

As a creator, how do you currently monetize your content and what strategies have been most effective for you in generating revenues?

As a content creator, you are essentially a media house. The additional media houses, newspaper channels - they are the original influencers; they're run by a team of writers. They have been making money by selling ad spaces in newspapers.

Fast forward to today, the new media houses are influencers like me who are creating content and educating the audience on the new age platforms like Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. Finance with Sharan as a media house reaches up to 60 lakh people.We have probably reached about 2-3 crore people in the last three years. When you're reaching so many people, companies come to you with a proposition to collaborate as they feel the brand's product resonates with the kind of influencer's content and the kind of audience that's following them, which is affluent people in metro cities. 

The whole concept of brand deals is nothing new. It is just a reimagined version of how a newspaper made money from posting ads on their pages.

Now, an influencer is making money by talking about a product in an honest manner to their audience who is trusting them because of the content that they are producing. Now we go into a bifurcation; take the example of an education content creator; for them the natural progression is to create an education program because audiences follow you for learning.

I'm a finance content creator, therefore I'll be creating finance programmes. We have personal finance, stock market, credit card, insurance planning, tax planning, swing trading, the whole gamut. On the other hand, if you're an entertainment content creator, the natural progression is to get into Bollywood, maybe do advertisements, get into TV shows and get into movies.

Do you believe that earning through content creation is a sustainable trend or do you see it as a momentary high involving the digital landscape?

Yes and no. Being a content creator today is no longer a good-to-have thing, it's a must-have thing. When you think of a content creator, you're probably thinking about a person dancing on Instagram. However, I look at content creation as a way to market your own self.

Regardless of whether you make brand deals or not, content creation is going to help you in your own time. Why are CEOs today creating content? Why would a billionaire spend hours and hours creating content on YouTube? It is because it helps their own brand value, which in turn helps their business.

If someone is going to tell me that they are not from IIT, it is no longer an excuse. Today, it is very easy for a person who comes from a tier three or tier four college to create content on a topic that he or she likes and disrupt the competition.

It is not about how much money I can make through brand deals. It is about how much you can stand apart from the crowd in your chosen line of profession.

What are your future plans and aspirations in terms of expanding your brand and presence in the digital space?

Content creation is one such profession where it's always zero to one. Whatever is working right now will not work later on. There is nothing like a future plan where I'm building on top of something. It's always reinventing and reimagining what you are. Like, for example, when I started creating content, I was creating comedy skits.

Today, I ventured into podcasts. It’s all about reinventing yourself and reimagining yourself and resonating with the audience. Content creators are the ones who will probably be the best marketers going forward because nobody understands the consumer mindset as much as a content creator.

How do you view regulations? Do you think there are roadblocks to creative freedom or do they help the industry in any way?

In the last one year, the entire finfluencer versus SEBI saga has been blown out of proportion, thanks to the media who likes making mountains out of a mole hill. The regulators are on the side of content creators. If you talk to people in the industry or even the SEBI chairman, he clearly said that people who are creating content for the purpose of education and are looking to further financial literacy in the country are welcomed.

If you see the number of Demat accounts that have risen in the last two or three years, right, it has actually tripled in the last three or four years. This is very closely correlated to the number of finance content creators which has come up.

Thus democratization of financial literacy and awareness has happened purely because of content creators. Regulators are definitely on the side of content creators because without that, the country is going nowhere because our traditional education system has let down billions of people.

It's clearly evident that even a person who is very educated as per conventional standards doesn't know what to do with the money because 90 percent of the money is lying in the bank account.

Sharan Hegde: Democratization of financial literacy  has happened purely because of content creators

International Creators Day celebrated on April 23rd each year, honours individuals who create art, literature, technology, and facets of human ende through their creativity. Today, creators are shaping the world around us; these custodians of culture bring their unique insights into our lives in more ways th.

Shreemani Tripathi is one such female tech YouTube making waves in the creator community traditionally dominated by men. Tripathi talks about her plans to
transition into entrepreneurship, strategies which have helped her to generate revenue, and more.

Do you aspire to transition into entrepreneurship, following the footsteps of many creators who have ventured into business?

Yes Definitely. I will start a business. Either use my experience to start a content creation school or start an agency to provide creative services in the content space. It is necessary to create multiple sources of income and not depend on just one platform. However, I always plan to keep creating content because I love doing it.

How do you currently monetize your content, and what strategies have been most effective for you in generating revenue?

Right now my primary source of income is through YouTube shorts’ adsense revenue and my secondary source of income comes from the brands that I work with such as Samsung, Oppo and Vivo among others. Collaborating with brands has been the most effective way of generating revenue.

Do you believe that earning through content creation is a sustainable trend, or do you see it as a momentary high in the evolving digital landscape?

Yes, I do believe earning through content creation is quite sustainable. And, it will keep on growing. There is still a lot of scope in India.

How has been your YouTube journey?

I started my journey on YouTube and I have received immense support from it. I was also part of YouTube Fanfest 2023. It is a great platform to reach a large audience and earn a sustainable income by providing good and valuable content. It is quite easy to post on YouTube and build a loyal audience. People use YouTube as a search engine and the platform offers a great avenue to
sell your products through the YouTube shopping feature which can be an additional source on income.

One piece of advice you would like to give to the budding creators?

My advice to budding creators would be to start creating content based on what they are knowledgeable and enjoy doing the research process. Because in the long run, your passion and patience will help you grow and sustain. Also, there is no need to worry if you don't know what you are passionate about. Just start making content. Eventually, you will figure out what works for you. You just need to start. Another personal piece of advice is to manage your
timetable and look after your health. Along with your content, the creation journey is a must.

Tech YouTuber Shreemani Tripathi on how passion and patience will help creators grow

19 years ago, the first video was uploaded to YouTube. Since then, YouTube has become a place where everyday people with passions can turn their creativity into thriving careers. India's most successful creators, across genres, regions and languages, have proven this time and again. 

In light of April 23, a day celebrated by some part of the creator community as International Creator Day, some of India’s creators shared their thoughts on their blueprint to harnessing the digital video potential.

In the ever-changing world of video content, success means continuously evolving to stay in tune with your audience. Take Mithilesh Patankar aka Mythpat – whose content on YouTube has evolved from gameplay, into an engaging combination of comedy, storytelling and narration. His "GTA in Real Life", one of 2023’s top Gaming Videos, was a hit because he had his finger on the pulse of his audience.

“I really like making unique videos. I've been playing GTA for the past six years now and it is my favourite game. I’d already made a lot of content on it and had always dreamed of recreating GTA in real life. So when the opportunity knocked on my door, I embraced it. Many creators had already made videos recreating GTA in real life. But I wanted to do something different. I reached out to one of the three main characters in the game to shoot a video with me and the video turned out to be great. My idea was to merge the worlds of gaming and entertainment," says Mythpat.

Creators like Chef Sanjyot Keer of Your Food Lab keeps things fresh, adapting to new formats while always maintaining the quality that his viewers have come to expect. “I produced 83 videos ready before I went live with my YouTube channel. I was really scared about how people would react and I was quite determined to prove myself. When I had about 80 videos I knew I had content to consistently upload for three months and there was no looking back! Luckily, the third video got about a million views and in the first month itself it garnered about a lakh followers," says Sanjyot Keer.

YouTube has also helped creators engage new audiences beyond boundaries. Creators like BhaDiPa have shown that regional content can find fans far beyond language boundaries. BhaDiPa’s success with Marathi programming exemplifies maintaining a unique cultural identity while appealing to audiences across the country.

“We've even experimented with YouTube’s multi-language audio tool which we’ve used to dub some of our content in Hindi and English. We found that our premium web series like B.E. Rojgaar had a lot of non-Marathi audience. We want to now dub that show, especially in South languages, and see how that can help us. That will be fun to explore!, says Paula McGlynn, CEO, BhaDiPa

Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/special-coverage/international-creators-day-slayypoints-gautami-kawale-on-how-passion-and-patience-will-help-aspiring-creators-29721.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">International Creators Day: SlayyPoint's Gautami Kawale on how YouTube helped her to discover latent skills</a>

Read More:<a href="http://storyboard18.com/interviews/international-creators-day-payel-gaming-on-the-scarcity-of-female-role-models-in-gaming-industry-29711.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">International Creators Day: Payal Gaming on the scarcity of female role models in gaming industry</a>

Mythpat aka Mithilesh Patankar and Sanjyot Keer share views on harnessing digital video potential

International Creators Day celebrated on April 23rd each year, honours individuals who create art, literature, technology, and facets of human endeavor through their creativity. Today, creators are shaping the world around us; these custodians of culture bring their unique insights into our lives in more ways than one.

Gautami Kawale, who was part of YouTube Fanfest 2023 is one of the creators behind the YouTube channel Slayy Point. A simple reaction video about subscribers’ comments mentioning ‘Binod’ unexpectedly went viral in 2020 and became a turning point in Kawale's YouTube journey. The video became a sensation, attracting a massive audience and boosting their subscriber count.

Storyboard18 caught up with Kawale to discuss her chances of transitioning to entrepreneurship, YouTube journey and more.

Do you aspire to transition into entrepreneurship, following the footsteps of many creators who have ventured into business?

Yes, entrepreneurship is something we’re looking forward to. However, we don't aspire to do it like other creators. We wish to approach it like a true business person. We don't aim to merely ride on the coattails of our existing ventures. Instead, we aspire to establish something with enduring sustainability, capable of evolving into a multi-million dollar enterprise.

How do you currently monetize your content, and what strategies have been most effective for you in generating revenue?

Currently, we monetize our content through YouTube adsense and brand partnerships across various platforms. The most effective strategies vary across platforms, but the primary focus remains cultivating an engaged audience. On YouTube, for instance, crafting longer videos proves effective in maintaining audience engagement.

Do you believe that earning through content creation is a sustainable trend, or do you see it as a momentary high in the evolving digital landscape?

I definitely see content creation as a sustainable trend that is here to stay. I believe that the market will self-correct; there might be certain people who are achieving good numbers and not charging well enough and on the other hand there would be people who are not doing good enough but charging heavily. All of it will self-correct. The competition is going to increase and even the brands will get smarter about ROI and how much to spend on a creator.
As long as you know how to tap into your audience and make good revenue out of it, things are going to be fabulous for you.

What are your future plans and aspirations in terms of expanding your brand and presence in the digital space?

My future plans to expand will always be about connecting more with my audience through various options like QnA, polls, meet and greets, live streaming, and maybe even a podcast. I believe this is very important for any content creator.

How has YouTube helped her in her growth journey?

YouTube has played a pivotal role in our growth journey. It offered us a platform not only to exhibit our talents but also to uncover latent skills we were unaware of, all on a global scale. Through YouTube, we had the opportunity to engage in various international programs and forge connections with creators who share similar passions. Additionally, it has been the catalyst for our most viral moments across the nation. It has made us mentally very resilient. All our stage fright and anxiety have vanished over years of practice and hard work because video creation always pushes you to innovate and experiment.

We have learned business and writing skills which helps us in creating amazing campaigns for brand collaborations.


Read More:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/interviews/international-creators-day-payel-gaming-on-the-scarcity-of-female-role-models-in-gaming-industry-29711.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">International Creators Day: Payal Gaming on the scarcity of female role models in gaming industry</a>

International Creators Day: SlayyPoint's Gautami Kawale on how YouTube helped her to discover latent skills

CREATOR ECONOMY