Influencers Archives - Exhibit Tech

Best Creators to Follow in 2024

Writer’s note: Content creators are one of the leading sources of entertainment and their main selling point is relatable comedy. The influencers were chosen for our April issue to align with the theme of hilarity and fun. These people have magnificent followings and distinct personalities that no one else could replicate. Some have even made history. You are guaranteed to find every one of them to be charming and their sketches will have you scrolling their pages like no tomorrow.

Nirmal Pillai (@mahlyf_mahrulez)

The Chennai-based Malayali stand-up comedian takes his craft seriously. Nirmal Pillai is a multi-faceted 25-year-old internet personality whose comedy and wit took social media by storm. His fame landed him a world tour, including countries like the United Kingdom, Singapore and more. On top of his relatable skits on pop culture, Pillai has an entertaining series on his YouTube channel called ‘The Parotta Act,’ where he explains the weird history of various topics, mostly relating to India, and other pop culture phenomena. Overall, his content never has a single boring moment while also being informative.

Follower count: 747K

Aishwarya Mohanraj (@aishwaryamrj)

Aishwarya Mohanraj is the Mumbai-based Malayali rising star of the stand-up world. YouTube and Instagram are her main platforms where she showcases her ability to switch between comedy genres. Her captivating presence and honed talents in stand-up stem from her days performing in smaller clubs and open mics. Her rise to fame began after she appeared as a participant on Amazon Prime’s ‘Comicstaan.’ She has then gone on to write for shows like Son of Abish, One Mic Stand, On Air with AIB, Comicstaan 2022, and more.

Follower count: 730K

RJ Abhinav (@rjabhinavv)

Abhinav Chand, known as RJ Abhinav to fans, is a Delhi-based comedy content creator whose aura and eclectic nature draws in his audience. Starting as a radio jockey, Abhinav’s story-telling prowess only enhanced his comedic skills. He translated his experience from radio to Instagram reels and YouTube where his career could only go up. Growing up with parents who wanted a more traditional path, Abhinav was given 6 months to pursue his comedy career and fortunately for everyone, his career took off. He has perfected the art of narrating his experiences and never has a dull moment to tell.

Follower count: 4.2M

Krutika Singh (@themermaidscales)

Krutika Singh is an icon amongst influencers, with an incredible climb in fame due to her niche online persona and hard work. While most of her persona revolves around fashion and her love for anime cosplay, her comedy skits will leave you gasping for air. Her expressive personality and hilarious sketches show a whole other side of her and encourage others to showcase their diverse interests. She was not always all glam and glitter but now shows off an impressive portfolio of extraordinary outfits. Spending time on her page will make you begin considering neon eyeliner.

Follower count: 8M

Zakir Khan (@zakirkhan_208)

With a background in music and poetry, Zakir Khan’s rise to fame is one for the ages. On 8th October 2023, the comedian marked history by becoming the first Asian comedian in the world to perform at the Royal Albert Hall, in London. His observational comedy insights a different kind of mirth from his audience, with his strong story-telling skills making him shine. He rose to fame after winning the Comedy Central competition, ‘India’s Best Stand-Up Comedian’, all the way back in 2012. Now he is set to perform around the world, including Madison Square Garden, in New York, on 17th March.

Follower count: 6M

PAYAL GAMING – Gamer Of The Year (Female)

Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
It’s been 3 years now since I started streaming and creating gaming content. From the early days of my career to becoming the first-ever girl gamer in India to surpass millions of subscribers, It’s been a wonderful journey. At the start, it was very challenging for me to grow and survive in the community with all the ups and downs, but eventually, I picked the pace that tracked my performance smoothly.

Ex : What is your most viral reel/short? How did the idea come, and how long did it take to shoot?
I did crate opening on live stream & it was luckiest as I got Goku at the first attempt.

Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite.
Alexa, My Gaming PC and my PS5.

Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
I know that Instagram is a popular platform, but I also believe there are other great platforms out there. I’m excited to explore these other platforms and see what they have to offer.

Ex : Do you have an industry mentor?
My father is my mentor, and from the Industry, Goldy Bhai (Lokesh Jain) has guided me through all thick and thin.

Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you.
#payalgaming #payalop #payalarmy #girlgamer #contentcreator

Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
In 10 years, the YouTube creator landscape will be more diverse than ever before. Creators from all backgrounds and with all kinds of interests will be able to find an audience on YouTube. The platform will also be more interactive, with creators and viewers able to engage in real-time conversations and experiences via live streams & short videos where AI will be involved in video creation.

Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
I am active on Instagram and YouTube. I use each of them for a purpose, so whenever I stream games or gamingrelated content, I share it on YouTube, and regarding my personal life, I decide to share it on Instagram by posting photos, videos, or stories.

Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
I am currently working on a series of videos on new and upcoming games. I will also be creating videos that explore the latest trends in gaming. I am excited to share these videos with my audience, and I hope that they will enjoy them.

Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
It’s important to be consistent with your content creation. Upload new videos on a regular schedule, even if it’s just once a week. This will help to build a following and keep your viewers coming back for more.

10 Body Positivity Influencers to Follow in 2022

Imagine scrolling through the gram to finally end up feeling at ease in your own skin. The body positivity movement is, by far, the most radically beautiful thing on social media. While there is no dearth of photoshopped images portraying perfect bodies and impeccable skin, thankfully, there is a steady rise of representation for all skin types, body sizes, and genders.

A while ago, I discovered the art of curating my social media feed to inspire and empower myself: to be in charge of what I see and react to on the internet. Now, every time I pick up my phone, it brings me joy to see powerful men and women embracing themselves as they are, and that is the energy I think we need more of.

Stretch marks, blemishes, scars, acne: Everything that scares and embarrasses us is everything that these body positivity influencers welcome and accept with compassion. If you have suffered the dark side of social media, be sure to catch some light and love that exude in abundance on the pages of these influencers.

@Mikzazon

Mik Zazon writes personal captions and creates content to inspire body positivity amongst her followers. The hashtag she swears by #normalizenormalbodies.

@Ashleygraham

She doesn’t need an introduction, but here is one anyway: World famous supermodel, Ashley Graham, exudes an infectious energy that is certainly bound to inspire you to love yourself. There is positivity oozing from her social media presence, and we’d hate for you to miss out!

@Stylemeupwithsakshi

A style influencer promoting a healthy body image is an absolute win-win. What we love about Sakshi Sindwani the most is the confidence with which she carries herself and makes you believe that you can do it too.

@Zachmiko

Do we want more men on this list? Absolutely, yes. It is heartening to see Zach Miko, a model and a writer, embrace himself and encourage other men to do the same. More power to him!

@Mypaleskinblog

Em Ford is single-handedly helming the skin positivity movement, and that too, with such elegance. Her page will make you believe in all things imperfectly perfect.

@Alokvmenon

Internationally acclaimed writer, speaker, and artist, Alok V Menon, is gender non-conforming and goes by the pronouns they/them. Their page is a beacon of hope, a place to educate ourselves, and a place to accept each other as we are.

@Nehaparulkar

‘Plus & Proud’ and why shouldn’t she be? A speaker and influencer who aims to normalise imperfection with her joyful persona blessing our feeds!

@Rupikaur

We wouldn’t believe you if you said that you haven’t at least once come across one of Rupi Kaur’s soulful poems or illustrations. If you have known her work, and even if you haven’t, her personal story is sure to move and inspire you to embrace your own.

@Dollysingh

One of the most popular influencers in the country, Dolly Singh, has had her share of ups and downs, but she uses her setbacks to create uplifting content, and we are indeed grateful!

@Taneshaawasthi

Tanesha Awasthi, founder and CCO of the ‘Girl with Curves Collection’ is here to inspire confidence, and she does that with so much style! Stop by on her page to be swept away with all her goodness.

Shanice Shrestha | Lifestyle | Influncex’20

Ex: Tell us about a change you’ve seen in the digital blogging space since you started out your journey? How has this space evolved?

Shanice: There are so many opportunities now, all the newcomers can just start and have so many brands approach them and have a set audience accepting their genre of work, already set by the others who have been here a long time. It wasn’t always like this when I started so that makes me happy. It’s now an established field to set a career in!

Ex: What would be your calling in a parallel universe? (Alternate career options)

Shanice: I think I would definitely be an interior designer. I just really love to do that. Or an actor.

Ex: If you were stranded on an island, what are the 3 gadgets you’d take along?

Shanice: My camera, my laptop and phone. That has to sort me out. Make memories and build content until you’re back to the areas with a network hahah!

Ex: Social Media is known to expose vulnerabilities, with influencers being at the epicenter. How do you deal with the dark side that comes with the medium?

Shanice: This part was so difficult to get accustomed to initially. If you ever want to be a blogger, vlogger, social media influencer, the first thing you need to understand is that not everyone’s gonna like you and that’s okay. Hate coming from others never reflects who you are! This is something I tell myself. I have learnt to ignore and sometimes I just give back when people cross their boundaries because I think it’s our responsibility as influencers to make social media a safe place.

Ex: What does success mean to you?

Shanice: Well, this meaning has changed so many times upto this stage. To me, now it means to be at a place in life where you want to be, doing something that u love to do and being able to fulfill your dreams through that.

Ex: How do you choose the brands that you want to work with?

Shanice: Strictly on the basis of trial testing and reviews and research on the brand. Remember to be true to your audience! I live by that rule. If some brand is paying you a bomb but you know it’s not something I’m personally ever gonna use or buy with my hard-earned money. I turn it down.

Ex: What according to you will be the next big trend in the Lifestyle blogging industry?

Shanice: Get raw, get personal. Not so much of a trend. But get your audience hooked on to your life and everything around it. It makes you grow and gives you a loyal set of audience. It’s an unseen trend that is yet to be more dominant in the coming years and is going to stay. I promise you!

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