InfluencEx Awards Archives

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.

Somya Gupta | Top 100 | 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?

Somya: Back then it wasn’t, even so, commercialized there weren’t as many brands and influencers as well. So yes I think it’s become more of a profession now and not just one’s passion.

Ex: Can you give us an insight into social media platforms that only an Influencer can know?

Somya: One thing which I think they might not realise from the outside is that it’s not roses all the way. It’s really difficult to shoot, edit and churn out content daily and it takes a lot of commitment.

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

Somya: If not this then I would have tried my hands on acting.

Ex: What’s been your favorite encounter with a fan so far? (DMs included!)

Somya: All of them have been super special to me, because all of them are so sweet, I can’t choose one.

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?

Somya: To be honest, I have been really lucky that I haven’t had to go through a phase like that, I hardly get negative comments, also I have learnt to ignore those. Also, my family and especially my mom always tell me to stay chill and not let things affect me.

Ex: What does success mean to you?

Somya: I have always believed in being happy and spreading happiness and that’s what it is for me. I just want to keep creating content and make my audience happy.

Ex: When was the first time you bought your dream makeup product and which one was it?

Somya: When I started, I wasn’t into makeup at all. Later when I started going for photoshoots and stuff is when I discovered makeup so I didn’t really have a dream product.

Ex: What would you tell young girls when it comes to ideals of beauty that our society has set up?

Somya: Keep your head high, work hard, be kind and rest will follow, also remember to keep smiling.

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Shehrezade Shroff | Top 100 | 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?

Shehrezade: I started out about 8- 9 years ago when there were very few creators in the country. Now, we’ve grown drastically and there’s content for everyone. Now it’s an actual career option for people which I think is amazing.

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

Shehrezade: I think it would have to be law. I’ve studied law, I’m a B.A LLB.

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

Shehrezade: I would take my iPad, my vlog camera to document it all, and amazon echo for entertainment.

Ex: A technology you wished you’d invented?

Shehrezade: Anything that’s Apple. I feel like I am a complete Apple geek!

Ex: What’s been your favorite encounter with a fan so far? (DMs included!)

Shehrezade: One which I will always remember and cherish is my relationship with Ruchi who is a subscriber that I met at my very first meet and greet at the first YouTube fanfest and she was a cancer survivor then. She told me that she watched my videos through chemo and a couple of years later she also won a makeover contest on my channel and I got to spend the day with her and give her a makeover which is amazing!

Ex: Social media trolling is seeing an upward rise. Do you think this only increases with the popularity of an Influencer? How does one tackle this situation?

Shehrezade: So I think that my approach with trolling is pretty similar. I usually respond to any kind of trolling. I never let it slide. I always tell them that this is not cool, that there’s always a polite way of putting a point forward.

Ex: What does success mean to you?

Shehrezade: I think success means to me being happy you of doing what I do and being good at my job.

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

Shehrezade: It’s hard to say, but I feel like after Covid you will be seeing a lot more in terms of content creation. I feel like there will definitely be a boon and a surge in the industry once things start to open up.

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Mayank Bhattacharya | Top 100 | 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?

Mayank: It’s a profession now. I mean irrespective of the popular belief, being a full-time blogger or a content creator is an actual job description now. Kids look up to Tanmay Bhat and Felix. People aspire to become a full-time YouTuber or influencer and this wasn’t the case when I was starting out in 2012.

Ex: Can you give us an insight into social media platforms that only an Influencer can know?

Mayank: YouTube builds communities, Instagram is quite personal. Twitter is a great conversation starter. So, don’t let the numbers get to you.

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

Mayank: A fighter pilot in the Indian AirForce.

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

Mayank: My pocket-knife, the beloved Seiko SKX 007 and an electronic lighter to light it up!

Ex: A technology you wished you’d invented?

Mayank: Camera, Maybe

Ex: What does success mean to you?

Mayank: Living in the moment, being balanced and genuinely enjoying the process. Also, did I mention happiness? Happiness is a big principle for me now. Success is happiness.

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

Mayank: Self-improvement. Real, truthful self-improvement. It has always been a major element of a balanced Lifestyle and I think it will only get bigger and better in the future. Because lifestyle is a way in which a person lives. And living for me, has slowly and steadily transpired a lot into being one’s best self, being balanced and being happy. So I feel charting the path of self-improvement and seeking happiness along with balance will become an evident part of the industry.

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Siddhi Karwa | Top 100 | 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?

Siddhi: I started with Fashion, to then getting extensively in Travel and now I cannot stop obsessing over Interior Styling. So it’s always a space for self-exploration and if used rightly, there is so much one can discover about themselves than just uploading a pretty feed.

Ex: Can you give us an insight into social media platforms that only an Influencer can know?

Siddhi: It’s safe to say that I don’t think the audiences know what goes behind one single post they casually scroll through in seconds.

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

Siddhi: In a parallel universe, I wanted to be a Diplomat.

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

Siddhi: iPod and earphones.

Ex: A technology you wished you’d invented?

Siddhi Karwa: I would say coffee machines.

Ex: What’s been your favorite encounter with a fan so far? (DMs included!)

Siddhi: The cutest one I think was a girl I met at a club who was there with her friends and she couldn’t stop jumping in excitement for about 30 min and kept screaming my name in the entire club, her friends had to calm her down.

Ex: Social media trolling is seeing an upward rise. Do you think this only increases with the popularity of an Influencer? How does one tackle this situation?

Siddhi: It’s a given that criticism only increases with fame, basically more people exposed to your content, more opinions are thrown at you. Trolling is the worst con of being in this field and it’s only increasing because more people have access to social media every day.

Ex: What does success mean to you?

Siddhi: Success for me is Balance between fulfilling your dreams while living a life nothing short of dreams.

Ex: Do you think Influencer Marketing is a fad? Where do you see this space in years to come?

Siddhi: I think everything is a fad, nothing lasts forever and I think that’s just how the universe works.

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

Siddhi: For me, they first have to fit my area of expertise or interest for me to talk about it. There is nothing worse than promoting a product you have been tone-deaf about.

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

Siddhi: I really can’t keep up with trends anymore, I want to dig into the archives. I think going back to classics could be/should be a trend.

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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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