When you are tuned in to the keynote address to the YourStory Creators Inc conference 2022, and the gigantic leaps being taken by the creator economy, you perhaps don’t expect a Shah Rukh Khan anecdote, especially one that is played out before that symbol of self-made success and pride called Mannat — the actor’s iconic mansion in Mumbai.
But Bimal Kartheek Rebba, Co-founder and CEO of Trell — during his keynote address at YourStory’s Creators Inc conference 2022 — taps into the power of storytelling to highlight the boom in India’s creator economy and how the country’s growing crop of content creators are redefining the very rules of content creation and audience engagement in fields ranging from entertainment, education, and entrepreneurship to gaming, fashion, and business.
“A year back, I was in Mumbai with one of the creators, who will be speaking at this Creators Inc conference. We happened to be outside Mannat... It was the first time that the creator was in Mumbai, and we decided to go to Mannat because it was always his dream to shoot there,” recalls Bimal.
On reaching Mannat, the duo was surprised to see a crowd waiting outside and naturally assumed that Shah Rukh Khan was expected to come out and that he was the reason why so many people had gathered there.
“But soon, I realised that the crowd had actually come to meet this creator! There was so much chaos outside that Shah Rukh Khan himself came out to understand what was happening in front of his house. I asked the creator what was happening, and he said, in one simple statement: ‘I’m the Shah Rukh Khan of this (field),” adds Bimal.
Indeed, what better way to spotlight the rising power and potential of India’s digital generation, and the impact of the creator economy — something that YourStory’s Creators Inc initiative, brought to you in partnership with homegrown social commerce platform Trell, seeks to do through India’s very first creator economy focused summit aimed at celebrating and enabling creators who’re ushering in a new wave of entrepreneurship and building the creator economy.
Why Creators Inc is a significant milestone
“It is a very important milestone for the creator economy because it's the first time that we are doing a pan-India event where we have invited the foremost creators of the Indian creator ecosystem to come together, share the stage and talk about the creator economy at large, the opportunities creators would have in the future, and most importantly, how to become a great creator in an ecosystem. We at Trell completely believe in this vision,” says Bimal.
In fact, one of the key vision statements at Trell is to ensure that the platform empowers close to 50 million creators from the Indian creator ecosystem, enabling them to come in front of the camera, and use their content to educate users about different and varied lifestyle interests, and also help them imagine different products and services that they can buy.
“We believe that this is the right opportunity for us to partner with YourStory and present this summit,” highlights Bimal.
The impact of creators
Today, creators are not only inspiring millions of other people to come in front of the camera, but they are household names.
From launching their own brands, to their own music videos and web series, becoming brand ambassadors for international brands coming to India and also becoming the face of the brand internationally, it seems like creators are the poster boys and girls of new-age marketing.
“We are absolutely confident that this is only going to amplify in the future and India is going to be the hub of the global creator ecosystem,” stresses Bimal.
The creator cheat sheet
It is, however, crucial to understand that while the creator economy is only waiting to explode further with millions waiting to join the bandwagon, several still don’t have the answers to the questions: What does it take to become a creator? What is the roadmap to becoming a creator to be able to earn the fame and money that comes with it? What is the process?
Here’s a look at some of the key learnings that Bimal imparted:
- To become a great creator, it’s important to understand what you are good at and to have great subject matter expertise.
- Gone are the days when content creation was a part-time stint where you would come back from your office or from the school and start creating content. Today, content creation is a primary profession. We already are able to see that most of the content creators have adopted this as their primary profession, earning more money than what they could have earned through their previous careers or the careers that they are still continuing.
- Dedication to this art is of utmost importance and so is understanding your key areas or rights in the market, identifying those niches and staying true to it.
- Most of the creators who have been invited to Creators Inc. are authentic and differentiated in terms of the content that they produce.
The way forward
“I think a lot of you who are attending Creators Inc will obviously have questions around monetisation: Can I earn money by becoming a creator? The answer is a resounding yes. Can I become a popular household name? The answer is a resounding yes,” shares Bimal.
But the real question is: How do we do this? What are the areas we should be focusing upon?
For this and more, stay tuned to the exciting line-up of episodes at Creators Inc. This would not only make for some great watching in terms of the stories but the real icing on the cake would be the key learnings from their journeys. Do tune in to the live or post-event Q&A sessions with the speakers.
“India is the world’s largest creator economy with more than 40 percent of young Indians coming online, wanting to choose content creation as a primary profession. So, a lot of opportunities, a lot of platforms await you. Platforms like Trell are also providing you with creator tools not only to help you create content, but also help you monetise it and work closely with the brands. It's going to be a very interesting year for all of us as the creator ecosystem is only going to be 10x more of what it was before. And with this in mind, welcome to Creators Inc,” signs off Bimal.
Catch YourStory's Creators Inc conference here.
For more on other key initiatives as part of the conference, visit our Creators Inc. website here.
Recognising the burgeoning creator ecosystem and the new wave of entrepreneurship that comes with it, YourStory is celebrating the works of both established and emerging influencers in an initiative aimed at identifying, celebrating and accelerating the journey of digital creators who make extraordinary, unique and engaging content. We've partnered with Trell to bring you the Top 100 Creators challenge, which you can apply for here.
Edited by Tenzin Pema