For better or for worse, gone are the days of Coach Kabir Khan urf Shahrukh Khan's "sattar minute" (70 minutes), the "zindagi ke sab see khaas sattar minute". Fame is capricious today, and not just in the sense that it's ever-fleeting, but also because it's for such a small moment in time - 30 seconds to a minute on Instagram - that it's almost transient in the bigger scheme of things.
So how do you create a lasting impression? How do you, for that small, evanescent moment in time, make an impression on a bored someone, doomscrolling at 2 am, big enough for them to do a doubletake and come back for more? In a world filled with a billion video cameras and even more videos and photos, how do you stand out, command a loyal audience and build a community?
And finally, how do you not only play the content creation game, but also ace it?
That's the essence of what we, at YourStory, have tried to get at in our very first edition of Creators Inc event - a flagship conference that brings together the multiple facets of content creation, right from people that enable the creation of content, to people that finally create the content.
We flag off Day 1 of the event tomorrow, February 11, and apart from being able to catch your favourite Creator in no-holds-barred, freewheeling conversations, there's a world of learnings to be garnered from some of India most beloved content creators.
First on the docket is an important keynote address by Bimal Kartheek Rebba, Co-founder and COO of homegrown social commerce startup Trell, around the business of content creation and the impact the platform has had on content creators in Bharat.
Also among the opening keynote fireside chats is an unfiltered conversation between YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma and Ashish Chanchlani, who started his career as a Creator on YouTube before he became a sensational hit on Instagram for his homemade videos. There's no one who can play the quintessential Indian mother and fling a "chappal" with as much panache and accuracy as he does (other than Indian mothers, of course), including the over-the-top slamming of cupboard doors designed to wake those asleep, up.
In a conversation with YourStory, he offers us a sliver of glimpse into the world of Ashish Chanchlani, the actor, comedian, and content creator, sheds light on how his brain samples the Indian way of life with bucketloads of hilarity, and how, when the camera stops rolling, he deals with insecurity and rejection.
Next we sit down for a tete-a-tete with Shruti Haasan, a Bollywood all-rounder if there ever was one. A Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language film actress and playback singer, Shruti has been quite vocal about her mental health struggles, and time and again advocated talk therapy as means of coping. Expect a journey into the world of mainstream cinema, music and what it means to be an actor in the times of OTT platforms, in an exclusive conversation with the maverick.
If Shruti's conversation leaves you hungry for more, come find satiation with Chef Ranveer Brar, whose life's aim is to help people feed themselves.
For anyone who has ever wanted to cook up some tasty Indian treats to impress someone else - or their own taste buds - Ranveer's YouTube channel is the ultimate destination. Food is a very complex, nuanced subject matter, mostly because it's a very experiential endeavour, and the end result is something you can only judge by tasting.
But the genius of Ranveer lies in the fact that he inspires the chef in you, and presents food in a way that makes you feel like you can almost taste it. Join YourStory's Manasi Phadnis as she grills him in a bid to unearth the genius behind Chef Ranveer Brar's tasty content strategy.
From kitchen to comedy queen, we next meet Mallika Dua, better known as her online personalities Tinder aunty, Shagun Di, Make-up Didi and the girl who always gets caught between Vagayenti, Clitika and Geeta and Boobita - for those in the know.
Cutting it as a comedienne in a club that's largely made up of men is not only hard, but also scary as one navigates its various ups and downs - but Mallika has done it, and how! Catch her with Manasi again as she talks about creating "woke" comedy, navigating the crowded world of online content creation, and what's next for her.
We have a whole day of more such conversations lined up for you - from talking gaming content, and breaking stereotypes in the world of fashion, to making machines more humane and creating memes that everyone in India can laugh at, together.
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