Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
– I was a Radio Jockey before, and that’s what I wanted to do. But I wasn’t very good at it, and then Sudeep Lahiri met me, and he said that maybe I should start making content, and that’s how it started.
Ex : What is your most viral reel/short? How did the idea come, and how long did it take to shoot?
– My most viral thing was my YouTube video from 2015 called “Hilarious words Delhite use,” and it took an hour because when I was shooting it, I wasn’t taking it very seriously. I just shot it because I didn’t want to miss a Thursday.
Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite?
I live with my iPad. I take it everywhere. It has all my ideas. I do all my writing there, and it is very useful.
Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
Nothing. What can I do if it’s shutting down in 24 hours? I’ll just sit, and I’ll accept the idea.
Ex : Do you have an industry mentor?
Yeah, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of people who have taught me a lot of things, but Sudeep Lahiri, Gurpreet Singh Bhasin, and Saurabh from One Digital Entertainment have to be my mentors. Akarsh Khurana, who is my first director, is also a mentor. I have learned a lot from him, and I continue to learn a lot. And from a lot of other people that I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
There are two, actually. The song I did in 2016 called “Shameless”, and I honestly was very surprised that I could write something like that and perform it and have the audacity to actually release it. I continue to be very proud of myself for that. And also another short film I did on my YouTube channel called “Khayali Pulao”. These 2 things mean a lot to me because I didn’t realise it then, but I really was pushing out of my comfort zone, and it had great benefits.
Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you
#mostlysane
Ex : Can you describe a BTS / blooper that happened during a shoot but didn’t make it into the final content piece?
Given that I’ve done more than 3000 videos at this point, I really don’t remember, but I was shooting this one video with Ashish where I was dressed in a silver bodysuit, and I had a star around my head. And that was a lot of fun.
Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
I think that’s the beauty of it. Nobody knows. I know it’s going upward and onward, but I don’t think I will ever know what this will look like because it always takes a shape of its own. All I know is that it’s a wave. You either surf or you swim.
Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
YouTube, Instagram and at times Twitter.
Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
I think the one thing that I can talk about is Mismatched Season 3. We got renewed for a third season, so I’m very excited about that.
Ex : What is your dream project?
I’m working on it. The book that I’m working on right now could actually be called my dream project.
Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
Just start now. Don’t wait for a better time. Don’t wait for better equipment. Don’t wait for better ideas. They will only come when you start. So start now. There’s never a better time to be a creator than right now.
Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
Yaar dekho, aisa koi waqt nahi tha ki jisse mein kahu ki bhai journey kick hogayi, bas college mein kuch friends ke saath start kiya tha aise hi aur allah ka karam hai ki mere jo fans hai unko mera content start se pasand aa raha hai aur ab tak aa raha hai, kyunki mashallah woh log bahot pasand karte hai jo bhi meine kiya yaa kar raha hu.
Ex : Any 4 creators you want to collaborate with in the future.
Waise koi aisa list toh nahi hai mere paas, bas itna hai ki almost saare influencers ke saath meine collab kar diya hai aur agar koi reh gaya hai, aur woh interested hai toh why not! Mein hamesha open hu to collaborate naye logo ke saath.
Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite.
I think Smartwatch, kyunki agar phone naa bhi ho toh aap smartwatch ki wajah se hamesha up to date rehte ho, fitness ko leker aur notification bhi cover ho jate hai. Smartwatch technology aur style ka perfect combination hai, toh mere hisaab se mein kahungaa ki smartwatch.
Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
YouTube pe aajao, aap log mere dil mein toh ho hi yaar. Kyuki mein mere fans ke bina nahi reh sakta yaar… toh mein unko bolunga ki aa jao live aur phir YouTube pe yaa koi bhi social media pe jahan mein unse connected hu reh saku.
Ex : Do you have an industry mentor?
Dekho, jo industry mein hum sab hai waha har koi ek ideal hai… sab se kuch naa kuch seekhne milta hai… but agar koi ek bolu toh I think mein kahunga SRK sir. I think woh global superstar hai.
Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
Aise toh mashallah sab se mein bahot proud hu, lekin mein kahunga Jhalak yaa Khatron Ke Khiladi mere liye sabse zyada proud moment hai, jab meri ammi aur abbu proudly mujhe television pe perform karte huye dekh rahe the.
Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
Dekho future toh bhai khuda ke alawa koi nahi bata sakta hai, but mujhe lagta hai creators ka future aaj se thoda better hoga, kyuki aap dekh sakte ho ki covid ke baad se logo ko apne khali waqt pe reels scroll karna hai zyada pasand hai as compared to watching something on television.
Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
Mein toh almost sab platforms pe rehta hoon apne fans ke liye, lekin mostly mein Instagram aur YouTube pe hota hu, kyunki yeh do sab se zyada use honewale platforms hai. Aur dekho mera naa simple funda hai ki, agar content short hai toh who Instagram pe jaayega aur YouTube pe mujhe thoda long aur interesting concept karna padta hai jo logo ko Instagram pe nahi milta.
Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
Abhi toh allah ki meherbaani se mera khudka ek new vlog podcast aa raha hai.. well, toh abhi toh uspe focus hai uske baad dekhte hai, jo khuda ne likha hoga mere liye woh khud-bakhud aa jaayega meri thaali mein.
Ex : What is your dream project?
Ummm… dekho aise toh mera dream project hai ki mujhe flims mein kaam karna hai lekin… dekho offers bhi aaye hai, aisa nahi ki sirf khayal hai lekin meine haa nahi kaha hai kyunki mein sure nahi hu ki, abhi mein utne bade kaam ke liye ready hu lekin jab ready ho jaaunga toh sabse pehle aap sab se share karunga.
Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
Dekho advice toh yahi hogi ki himmat karte raho, meine bhi jab start kiya tha mujhe pata nahi tha ki mashallah itni badi fanbase ho jaayegi meri. Toh himmat karte raho, koshish karte raho, kuch naya aur interesting karte raho. Bass yaar khuda ke ghar mein derr hai andher nahi toh jab hoga aapko khud pata chal jaayega, bass yeh yaad rakhna ki hardwork kabhi lose nahi karna.
Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
I started my journey as a teacher in 2018. I used to teach in colleges/schools/institutes for a couple of years, and side by side was posting videos on YouTube. Then, lockdown happened, I lost my job, and as a result, I started treating it as a mainstream regular thing by posting 10-15 videos on YouTube monthly.
Ex : What is your most viral reel/short? How did the idea come, and how long did it take to shoot?
The Supra reel got around 40 to 50 million views; the idea was to import a car in India that is not available in the country.
Ex : Any 4 creators you want to collaborate with in the future.
I want to collaborate with Irfan Junejo and Hamza Ibrahim.
Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite?
Sony Alpha A73
Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
I’ll look for the next best platform, which is going to take over Instagram, and I’ll have a live stream for my followers, asking them to follow me on the new platform.
Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
When I gifted an e-rickshaw to a woman who approached me for financial help. So, now she’s earning a good amount of money by having a food stall, taking care of her family and making her family proud.
Ex : What’s the first-ever trend that you hopped on?
YouTube vs TikTok
Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
YouTube will be off the charts in the next 10 years, and the majority of the content creators and audience will shift towards short-form content.
Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
I have a dream of doing a movie, and I’m looking forward to it.
Ex : What is your dream project?
As I said, I want to be in movies so my parents will brag about my success, like from where I began and reached.
Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
Be consistent and stay parallel with the platform, irrespective of the views and likes you receive on your content.
Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
Let’s take a tour down memory lane. Little Karishma used to wear her mom’s saree and makeup, would lock the door, stand in front of the mirror and imitate one of the grey characters of a daily soap, ‘Komolika’. That’s how RJ Karishma – the content creator, was born. As I grew up, radio happened, which was a huge learning curve for me. However, with time, I realised that the actor in me couldn’t go faceless any longer, and from there, thanks to Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, it was all about lights, camera, and action!
Ex : What is your most viral reel/short? How did the idea come, and how long did it take to shoot?
We all know how difficult it can be to come up with creative or new ideas, but this one suddenly popped into my head. I decided to take that idea and run with it.
Ex : Any 4 creators you want to collaborate with in the future.
Indian creators would be Bhuvan Bam and Ashish Chanchalani. I admire what they’ve done for the creator industry. Internationally, I’d love to work with Lilly Singh and maybe Mr. Beast someday.
Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite.
My iPad and I are inseparable. I write my content scripts, Facetime my favourite people and binge shows on it. In fact I can’t get on a flight without it anymore.
Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
If it does shut down, I will immediately start posting stories on Insta asking people to subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I will keep sharing content! So that I can keep the community alive.
Ex : Do you have an industry mentor?
Nisha Narayanan – CEO of RedFM has inspired me by her own success story. She has helped me make a better version of myself and take on challenges I wouldn’t normally attempt.
Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
The ICC World Cup last year in Australia was definitely memorable. I flew to the country, collaborated with over 10 international cricketers and even supported India in that victory over Pakistan!
Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you.
#Creative #Relatable
Ex : What’s the first-ever trend that you hopped on?
I don’t follow trends. I make my own.
Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
In a decade from now, you will see creators do the craziest things. You will see some as entrepreneurs, some as Bollywood actors, some writing their own shows and more. It’s a future I can’t wait for!
Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
I’m active on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. Instead of diversifying my content as per the platform, I focus on making long and short-format content and then publishing it on the relevant platforms.
Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
I can’t reveal much yet, but it’s big and something I’ve wanted to do for a while. Watch this space for more!
Ex : What is your dream project?
My dream project and the current project I’m working on are a little intertwined. You’ll hear from me soon!
Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
Find a way to be unique and stay consistent! These are by far the two most important things for any creator, budding or established.
Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
After creating the No. 1 Tech TV show, the No. 1 Tech Radio show and the most-read Tech Column in the country, my social media journey must have a different reason to exist. It just couldn’t be the same content regurgitated on a digital platform. Thus, I strategised and worked on what was missing in the World of Tech and started my new content creation journey.
Ex : What is your most viral reel/short? How did the idea come, and how long did it take to shoot?
That would be how a lift or elevator can kill you. It went viral and was picked up globally; I gave interviews on that topic to at least 30 media houses and news channels and was even invited to multiple forums to talk about it. Ironically, it took me less than 5 minutes to script and shoot it. Good content is about value and knowledge, not the hours it takes to create it.
Ex : Any 4 creators you want to collaborate with in the future.
MKBHD, MrwhosetheBoss, Mr Beast and Bhuvan Bham.
Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite.
Bit of a shocking answer here. It’s a CAR.
Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
Breathe!
Ex : Do you have an industry mentor?
Dr Prannoy Roy of NDTV.
Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
When we created the multiple award-winning Tech Quiz Show’ Tech GrandMasters’. It was a small team that created a world-class show. It’s now being revived in a digital avatar.
Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you.
#Uninfluencer
Ex : Can you describe a BTS / blooper that happened during a shoot but didn’t make it into the final content piece?
Because I tell people more about what not to buy, what’s gimmicky, what’s just hype, and just marketing, my firm belief is that no one should ever buy the wrong gadget and that I should be responsible for ensuring that
Ex : What’s the first-ever trend that you hopped on?
As a proud #Uninfluencer, I never follow trends. In fact, I firmly believe that if you chase trends, it’s because you’re not confident in your ability to create kick-ass stuff. Don’t follow a trend; become one!
Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
AI will dominate every part of the content creation process, from ideation, scripting, production, editing and the final product. If you don’t adapt, you will be out and forgotten. Second, credibility will be key. Almost all content creators endorse anything and everything, thus creating a trust problem globally. And these two predictions are not for the next 10 years but for the next three years.
Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
TV, Radio, Instagram, YouTube.
Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
A massive Global Tech Platform that will change the world of tech. Watch this space.
Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
If you cannot create content that makes your audience go, “Wow, I didn’t know that “or “Wow, that’s changed my life” – then you have no business being a content creator. Too many people are doing the same thing, and all of them will be redundant soon. You’ve got to be ‘that’ content creator who stands above, the one that will change the world. Anything less, and you will be redundant too.
Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
My content creation journey started with a passion for creating content and helping people.
Ex : Any 4 creators you want to collaborate with in the future.
I’ve shot a video with Mr. Beast, but I would like to collaborate with him again to shoot something funny. Besides him, I would like to collaborate with Manish, Jiya and my brother Nischay.
Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite?
AI is quite fascinating.
Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
I will go on vacation with my family, or maybe I will spend time in my room sleeping.
Ex : Do you have an industry mentor?
I look up to many people but don’t have a specific person as a mentor.
Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
I’m proud of every project I’ve been part of because every project needs hard work, and I’ve tried to give my best.
Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you
#fukrahun
Ex : What’s the first-ever trend that you hopped on?
I’ve hopped on many trends during the lockdown phase.
Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
I think in 10 years, other industries like Bollywood or maybe Hollywood would admire the works of content creators.
Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
A lot of things are in the pipeline, but due to certain reasons, I would prefer to keep them as a riddle, but exciting things are coming soon.
Ex : What is your dream project?
I have a lot of things on my mind; I’ve just started the journey and have many dreams to accomplish.
Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
People will always judge you and your choices, but you should learn to ignore them and work hard.
Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
It was in 2013. I was writing codes for my college. So I thought, why not just make videos of those codes, as they were not available anywhere. I thought making a video of them would be of a bit of help. So that is how I started making videos.
Ex : What is your most viral reel/short? How did the idea come, and how long did it take to shoot?
My most viral short is the one I made with my manager, Anushka. It was a parody of all the TikTok videos.
Ex : Any 4 creators you want to collaborate with in the future.
I would love to collaborate with Ashish Chanchlani and Bhuvan Bam. Internationally, I would love to collaborate with the Sidemen KSI and LazarBeam.
Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite.
I think my favourite piece of tech is my PC and mic.
Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
I wouldn’t be worried, as most of my Instagram followers are YouTube subscribers. I love Instagram, but still, I’ll not be very concerned.
Ex : Do you have an industry mentor?
I don’t have any, but I have friends who work in this field, and I talk to them for advice. Besides them, my manager, Ankit, is also very helpful; he has a lot of industry experience.
Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
I love all the videos from the series of Chaggan Vlogger and Bhool Bhulaiya that I have made. I’ve also done a few sketches for Hotstar that I’m proud of.
Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you
#nohashtag #lassan
Ex : Can you describe a BTS / blooper that happened during a shoot but didn’t make it into the final content piece?
Yeah. So, the videos that we made with the DJ Mrunal, Dhinchak Pooja and Puneet Superstar I wanted to put in the video, but we couldn’t because of possible chances of controversy.
Ex : What’s the first-ever trend that you hopped on?
Dhinchak Pooja was trending at the time when I started making videos, and it was the first trend I hopped in.
Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
In the next few years, we’ll have many creators, and the audience will be shared, and as a result, they’ll be the king.
Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. I don’t have any specific preference, but I do use Instagram for more personal stuff.
Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
I am planning a big show, and there’ll probably be a web series.
Ex : What is your dream project?
I do not have any dream project as of now, but the project I talked about earlier is going to be huge, and I’m very excited about it.
Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
Try to make something unique, as everybody is making content. Don’t worry about the view count; keep making content because you only need one viral video.
Ex: You wear multiple hats as an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and social media influencer. How do these different roles intersect in your life, and how do you balance them? Raj: I think my job everywhere is same honestly, if you look closely my job is to be the Chief Support Officer, as an entrepreneur I support my team so that we can achieve our vision, as a speaker and as an influencer I support my audience/listeners by brining best knowledge from the top leaders of the world so that they can achieve their Indian Dream. So balancing gets easy if your why as an individual is aligned, and my why is to take India forward by creating more leaders.
Ex: What inspired you to become an entrepreneur, and what challenges did you face in starting your own business? How did you overcome them? Raj: The best thing that happened to me was I saw my father losing his factory in fire and then he started from nothing to building a small business to provide a very comfortable life for his family and building his non profit for thousands of underprivileged kids, so I saw what power of entrepreneurship can do, and how it can change lives of people around you. So that inspired me to definitely be the entrepreneur and second was because I applied to work in 70 different consumer goods companies and none of them hired me so I was young and still wanted to work and out of lack of options I started my own business early 😂 The biggest challenge I faced was hiring good people, because when you are starting out you don’t have a brand, you don’t have a great track record and you don’t even have money. So convincing great people to join you becomes the biggest challenge. That’s why I ask everybody to build their personal brand because that makes things easier comparatively.
Ex: As a motivational speaker, what topics do you typically focus on, and what is your approach to inspiring and motivating others? Raj: I believe this the once in a decades kind of opportunity for India, but India will only thrive if we build more world class brands and world class leaders from our country. and that’s why:
I talk about brands & leadership,
1. how to build your brand to achieve leadership in the market,
2. how to build your personal brand as a leader
3. how to create content to become a leader in the market so that you get a competitive advantage over others.
Ex: As one of the youngest Indians to represent India at the United Nations, can you tell us about your journey and how you became involved in international diplomacy at such a young age? Raj: I didn’t know about international diplomacy at that age honestly, all I knew was united nations has goals to make humanity better and i wanted to contribute in that, so out of 13 goals i tried my luck into social entrepreneurship and then UN took me in for that and asked me to prepare projects and give speeches at UNs vienna Headquarters. and anybody can apply by going to united nations career page on their website. its just i got lucky to be in the selected few.
Ex: Social media has become a powerful platform for communication and influence. How have you leveraged social media to spread your message and connect with your audience? Any tips for aspiring social media influencers? Raj: I really believe if you want to create an impact at large you need either access to capital or access to distribution. for a lot of people like me who come from no background, getting access to capital is very difficult. thats why i believe social media is the best place to start building your distribution for free. I believe gone are the days of Amecian Dream, it’s time to for ‘The Indian Dream’ and that’s what I want people to believe in and go for it. So I am trying to achieve my Indian dream by hustling every day and creating more leaders at work and I show that through my social media which ends up helping me in building distribution. The tip I have for young content creators is ‘
Ex: What has been the most rewarding experience of your career so far, either as an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, or UN representative? Can you share a memorable moment? Raj: The most rewarding moment of my life till now has not been the professional one but a personal one that happened 2 years back where I gifted a credit card to my mom and told her to never look at shopping bill ever again and spend at whatever she wants to. First time in life this happened as since childhood I would always ask money from my mom and she would say don’t tell dad. this time it was me telling her ‘spend as much as you want, and don’t tell dad’ shh 🤫
Ex: Balancing personal and professional life can be challenging, especially with such a demanding schedule. How do you manage to find time for yourself and maintain a healthy work-life balance? Raj: I am very bad at it, I don’t have a balanced life. I go with the notion that if you have really bug dreams then you need be obsessed, so I barely find time for balance in life. I need to learn better to maintain a balance life but I think my excuse is I am young and I can afford to be obsessed right now 😛 And with all due respect I am not asking anyone else to follow what I do, they should try to find what works for them. This way of life works for me till now 🙂 Maybe I will change in the future, maybe not. 😉
Ex: Can you share some of the key lessons you have learned throughout your entrepreneurial journey and how they have shaped your approach to business? Raj: No.1 lesson I have learnt is that no one is above and no one is below, at the start of our careers we feel that others are bigger than us maybe a boss, maybe a unicorn startup founder, maybe someone famous. But reality is they are exactly like us just in different time of their journey but all people are same, no need to feel inferior infront of anyone.
Another lesson I have learnt is that: India is not a price sensitive market, everybody says in India people are price conscious but I don’t think so, I believe Indian consumer is value conscious not price conscious, if they get value for their money they are ready to pay for a premium product and premium brand. I don’t think Indians leave a good quality product just because of price.
One more lesson I learnt in Indian business is, people say India is a trust deficit country, people don’t trust new products easily or other people easily. I believe that is not true, in India infact almost everything works on trust, business works on trust(because lack of understanding of legal paperwork), customer buys on trust (because lack of education on products), a lot of peer to peer funding works on trust (because lack of proper credit/financing options), so when everything works on trust in our country. how can we talk about being a trust deficit country. It’s just once we lose trust it’s difficult to get it back, but I think overall people put in the trust forward and are accepting of new things. 🙂
Ex: Many young people look up to you as a role model. What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs, speakers, and individuals who aspire to make a difference in the world? Raj: A lot of young people in India are worried about their reputation when in reality they don’t have any, they have just gotten it from probably the family they come from, or the school they went to or the money they inherited. As an individual probably people don’t have much reputation but they are scared of losing reputation and that’s why they don’t take risk. so if you are willing to take risk and forget about where you come from and ready to build your reputation from scratch by exploring and experimenting new things then you will grow really really fast and will have an edge over other people. and the other advice I wanna give is no matter what you do just be consistent, if you are consistent for couple of years you will end up winning regardless of talent, competition, time, money etc.
Ex: What are your future goals and aspirations? Where do you see yourself in the next five to ten years? Raj: Everytime I give an interview, I pray to god that please this question should not come haha because honestly I dont know. I never put any timelines, I have a dream and I want to achieve that dream, whether it will be 5 years, 10 years or 50 I don’t know. I am more of a journey person, I love the journey. My dream is to make a really global consumer brand out of India – that’s what I am trying to build through House of X and help others become leader by showing them my journey of failures and success as I try to build a global brand.
Ex: Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience or any upcoming projects or initiatives you are currently working on that we should know about? Raj: In my new startup House of X, I am working on three brands from scratch those are very close to my heart, I am building a perfume brand with my favorite popstar, building a kitchen appliances brand with my favorite chef and building a beauty brand with my favorite beauty & fashion creator. Apart from that, like a good content creator I would say that: if you want to know more about my next moves, you need to Subscribe & follow me @rajshamani on your favorite social media platform hahaha
