[TechSparks 2020]: YouTubers 'Mumbiker' Nikhil Sharma and Madan Gowri on content creation in the new normal

As expected, spending weeks in the confines of their homes led people to binge-watching video series and movies. When consumers began watching more videos from home, the global viewership of YouTube began to increase, and with it, the popularity of our favourite YouTube bloggers.

With social distancing and isolation impacting the ability to connect, YouTube was there to help users participate in online trends, watch their favourite video bloggers and feel more connected. These videos are playing a big role in bridging the gap between entertaining, informing, educating and engaging consumers.

During a roundtable on 'content creation in the new normal' at YourStory's flagship event TechSparks 2020, YouTubers Madan Gowri and 'Mumbiker' Nikhil Sharma discussed how people can become YouTubers in these times and narrated their personal journeys of venturing into video blogging.

Madan, who has over four million subscribers and over 500 million views, said:

"If you want to become a YouTuber, you don't have to wait for anything before posting videos. In the beginning, it doesn't matter how great or low quality your videos are. They need not be perfect. The most important thing is to start posting so that people can watch your videos. You can then learn and fix your mistakes."

Madan, who started his YouTube career posting videos recorded on his smartphone, shines a light on social issues and is devoting himself to being a YouTube influencer full time.

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Nikhil Sharma, who has over 3.5 million subscribers on YouTube, said, "You need to watch a lot of videos by YouTube vloggers and decide the theme for your channel. Whether you want to start a gaming or tech channel, you need to understand how long your channel might sustain based on current trends."

Nikhil, who was one of the firsts to make moto-vlogging famous in India, added that budding YouTubers shouldn't get hassled if they don't get many views or subscribers in the early days. "If you worry too much about views and subscribers right in the beginning, it can ruin your creativity," he said.

The two YouTubers also described how their video blogging journeys began. Madan, who was born in a modest household in Madurai, explained how he was raised in humbling circumstances for the most part of his life and even worked in a tech company before deciding to take up YouTube full time.

Nikhil worked as a flight attendant and also tried his hand at acting. When he made a vlog on his solo ride on his motorcycle to Leh and Ladakh, it became very popular and propelled him into a YouTube career.

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Due to low cost of data and increasing smartphone penetration in India, video streaming is fast becoming popular and there is a buzz around YouTube and video bloggers such as Madan and Nikhil. In 2019, India became the second-largest smartphone market, reaching 158 million shipments, setting the stage for further surges in video streaming on YouTube.

TechSparks - YourStory's annual flagship event - has been India's largest and most important technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship summit for over a decade, bringing together entrepreneurs, policymakers, technologists, investors, mentors, and business leaders for stories, conversations, collaborations, and connections that matter. As TechSparks 2020 goes all virtual and global in its 11th edition, we want to thank you for the tremendous support we've received from all of you throughout our journey and give a huge shoutout to our sponsors of TechSparks 2020.