Look what popped up in town: YouTube mentors are here

GURUGRAM: In 2014, 16 YouTube channels from India had more than a million subscribers each. At present, that number is 300. Meanwhile, 95% of video consumption in the country involves vernacular languages. With video blogging becoming a popular career choice and 245 million users from India accessing YouTube every month, the video platform is now investing in strengthening the network of content creators in the country.

The second YouTube Pop-Up space is currently welcoming visitors at Kingdom of Dreams in Gurugram. The Pop-Up space is a global initiative by the company offering YouTubers free access to editing and production (audio-visual) equipment to produce digital videos. These set-ups are an alternative to the YouTube space — studios where content creators shoot their own videos.



Talking about the Indian market, Marc Lefkowitz, head of YouTube Creator and Artist Development, APAC, says, “In 2014, we had 16 YouTube channels from India with over 1 million subscribers and today, that number is over 300. We’re adding two more channels to the list almost every single week, which is an astounding rate of growth.” The company is planning to hold more Pop-Up events in the coming year.

YouTubers can use these pop-ups as an opportunity to hone their skills. Jahanvi Dasetty, a popular YouTuber from Hyderabad, says that she mostly does “improv videos” but when it comes to doing scripted videos, she was having her share of troubles. However, last year, she shot a four-part scripted web series in collaboration with other YouTubers from across the country at India’s first YouTube Pop-Up held in Hyderabad.

“It is extremely challenging to create an original series of four episodes. Our series ‘Aha nah Pelli Anta’, which released on my channel — Mahathalli’s — and garnered a phenomenal response, was created in a day. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support and help of the YouTube team. It was a wonderful learning experience for us and I hope that they organise many such events, this year,” said Dasetty.

Other than mentorship and equipment, Pop-Up space also offers themed sets for shooting videos. For Delhi-based Pankaj Sharma and Sweety Shokeen, their channel “Baklol” has been gathering much praise. But when it comes to shooting videos, they believe they have a lot more to learn. Sharma says it’s just one person doing the shooting while the other is in front of the camera.

“Our first video was shot in the back alley of Sweety’s home. Compared to that, themes sets are definitely a plus. They inspire us to think out-of-the-box and create something desi yet different,” said Sharma.

Morever, YouTubers feel a sense of belonging at these events. They are amid their fraternity and can see others making their careers through video blogging. “I learnt how to collaborate with other creators and their creative processes or how they approach their YouTube channels. Also, I ended up making new friends from within the YouTube community,” said Sejal Kumar, a Delhi-based YouTuber.

“India is one of our fast growing markets, which is why we continue to invest in nurturing creators’ community here. We are excited about bringing YouTube Pop-Up space to the capital,” Lefkowitz said.