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India today has more than 50 million content creators across global social media platforms, as well as homegrown ones such as Trell, Moj, Josh, MXTakatak, among others. 

“It (creators) has become an economy. Ek poora world aa gaya hai (a whole new world has been created). When I started out, I could have never believed that this could be the final arc for this creator’s world,” says popular YouTuber and influencer Ashish Chanchlani.

Ashish was speaking with YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma at the inaugural edition of Creators Inc. Conference. He spoke about the unmistakable link that exists between the revolution in the creator’s space with the evolution of the user’s entertainment preferences.

“First came TV, then films, and then the internet. YouTube brought videos while Netflix started renting movies. Then Netflix started making original content and the entire ecosystem grew. Creators space mein bhi aisa hi hua hai (the same has happened in the creators space),” he emphasised.

From YouTube Shorts to Instagram Reels, the attention span of users is shortening by the day, something that is by now widely accepted. “Now you’re getting not just entertained by a two-hour movie but you’re getting entertained by a 15-second story. It’s hilarious where we have reached in this universe,” Ashish quips.

He also believes that what really makes the creators universe different from the traditional entertainment space, is that the audience has actually seen and contributed to the growth of the creators’ economy.

“They can see my first video and actually where I am now. There’s a massive difference from there… seven years back and today. So you grow with them. It’s like your audience is nurturing you,” he adds.

Opportunities beyond the big cities

The world out there has become “crazy” when it comes to influencers, believes Ashish.

“I’ll give you an example. Saurabh Joshi is a blogger from Uttrakhand. He has 12.17 million to 12.8 million subscribers. He just shows his family, his world and you know how his lifestyle is and gets 4 million-5 million views every day. Then there is a kid who has almost the second biggest channel in the country. Bacha hai, abhi tak chehra bhi nahi dekha hai kisi ne, bas game khelta hai (he is a kid, no one has seen even his face, he only plays games). The world is changing and the money over here is crazy,” he points out. 

With the burgeoning creator economy expected to be fueled by a community of over 100 million creators in the next five years, a significant growth is expected to be seen in the Tier II and Tier III cities. 

According to a Redseer report, users in smaller cities in India need local content for free and at a faster rate. Indian language offerings from these short-form apps in over 15 languages have given users more options, which have in turn increased consumption and have created opportunities for the budding creators from the smaller towns.

“But you need to crack it. People see only glamour. But to reach this place you have to sacrifice a lot of things from your personal life to mental space. You have to be dedicated all the time, ready for all the hate and also the fact that there will be competition.” he signs off.

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.