Back in 2010, there wasn’t a single dedicated comedy club in the country until the UK Comedy Store invested a sizable chunk of money into the now-closed Canvas Laugh Club Mumbai.
However thanks to that initial investment and YouTube showing the country all flavors of stand up, it is now one of the most interesting growing entertainment verticals.
Unfortunately, although “comedy clubs” and “comedy nights” pop up weekly, they’re very few venues that:
do it consistently,
pay their artists on time
and keep it professional.
A lot of people read this blog on how to do stand up comedy, but I thought I’d jot down the best comedy clubs in each major Indian city. Running a comedy club isn’t easy because it’s a business in which everybdoy wants to use you as a stepping stone, so right when you have built up a market and loyal customer based and employees (comedians), most comics jump ship on to bigger shows because well, they need to eat.
But they’re a few that continuously push through this and have built a system to succeed that most bar or pub owners will never figure out, so lets jot some down here.
If you’re a visiting comic to India and curious about the best rooms (they’re plenty more great shows outside of these places which you can check by filtering for comedy on BookMyShow in your city) OR you’re a new comic hopeful looking on where to perform eventually, these should be on your list of goals. (Which you have right?!?)
A great space for comedians to record their specials. You can watch some of the top comics in the country doing their sets here weekly, shows for major acts are usually sold out.
The goal for Indian stands up comedians will be to have a recording here, as it subconsciously plays a role in YouTube impressions and views. There have been issues with management but for the average person, it’s still one of the best club and rooms in the country. Regardless, Canvas and the former comedy store are 90% of the reason you see comedy in India the way it is today.
Update August 26th: Looks like both venues are shut temporarily. *Facepalm*
This comedy club I believe has Papa CJ (veteran comedian) helping with promotions and PR or management and seems like a wonderful room that knows how to produce comedy shows. It’s likely tiny and not fancy (which is how comedy should be) but do check it out!
Aravind SA and Baggy who were both with Evam (also opening up a new club soon) have launched this new club and hopefully it sticks around for a while, which I imagine it will. Pictures so far look gorgeous.
Bangalore
Xu at the Leela Palace
Amin Ahmed runs this show as of August 2019 at the Leela Palace and seems to get a very consistent crowd.
Hyderabad
Suggestions?
Calcutta
Suggestions?
CONCLUSION
A great business opportunity will be available for anybody to open up a comedy club, but somebody who knows what truly makes it good. And to be honest, food and beverage is hardly it. I’ve seen super successful comedy nights run in India in a box of a room with no AC, so it just depends on a few key factors and I think many on this list are cracking it.
Suggestions? I’m sure I missed some so if you’d like me to add them let me know by commenting the website, the name and the reason why. The requirements are:
Been doing shows for a while or have a stand-up comedy backing
When I was 21 I was embarrassed to say I wanted a girlfriend.
When I was 22 I was embarrassed to say I was lonely.
When I was 23 I was embarrassed to try online dating.
When I was 25 and moved to India, I was embarrassed to say I didn’t have any friends.
Looking back I realize…wow, why was I embarrassed? I was pretty much everyone else.
School Hands You Friends on Silver Platter
I got an email from someone the other day asking me:
How do i make friends in a new city, when everyone is seemingly so busy on their phone? it’s really difficult it seems.
What a great question.
I’ve been there, and if I move back to California…I’ll probably be there again.
I mean I’ll have my wife, but it’s important everybody has a balance right?
Colleges are probably changing their business model now that all the information is online, and if they’re smart they’ll play on the fact that the real value proposition is that you’re part of a massive group all trying to do the same thing.
Ditto for places like Infosys and Wipro…the appeal of leaving college alone again, and then getting sent to a campus of 10 weeks training with a bunch of other 22 year-olds, is probably a very appealing offer.
In fact, we all know people who met in an IT or corporate batch and then got married.
Just like a million inspirational memes have told us that life is about constant learning, I’d like to add that life is about constantly meeting new people. And rather than being set in your ways with the same 10 people you know, talking about the same pointless sports or politics or celebrity gossip…maybe it’s also constantly making better friends.
Whether you’re:
In a new city
Finding yourself as the unmarried one when all your friends are settling down
Just broke up with someone and life seems to be starting over
Or somehow just finding yourself in need of a new social circle
You’re always going to need to know how to make new friends.
When you’re 20, when you’re 30, probably when you’re 80.
People who have friends may live longer, and continuously knowing how to expand our circle is a part of the human condition.
Making friends is something we assume only children need to learn. But now that I’ve explained we’ve all been where the reader is, and many of will be there again…here’s something we all have to accept:
You Need to Continuously Grow Your Friendships in Order to Continuously Grow Yourself
It’s part of assimilating into the world, and later it gets transformed into this sad word called “Professional networking” which has its place but still needs a makeover in our digital revolution.
When I moved to India, I knew nobody. I was lonely, and for the first time in my 25-year-old life…I was more than happy to admit it.
When you’re in a new city, the stigma of admitting your despair in the typical human condition isn’t so serious and it’s ok do things like:
Say You’re Lonely
Go to bars or movies alone
Meet people online
Sign up for activities, find hobbies, etc…
Start stand up comedy in an empty bar of two people…and now you see the comedy scene we have today.
To be honest, the ability to be alone in a new city withourt fear of judgement is incredibly liberating.
We think of all of that stuff as lame or childish as we get older yet all of us are probably lonelier than we’ve ever been. I don’t even need to put a stat out there, you know most of us are faffing on our phones when we’re in a metro or in a cab and a lot of it is just COMPLETELY POINTLESS.
I mean hell, even Tinder and Bumble now are trying to simply match people up as Friends. WTF?
So How Do I Make Friends When I need to after college?
Here’s what I love about this problem. You’ve already admitted you want to meet people, so the hard part is over. Now you can do any of the following:
Sign up at your local gym and sign up with a trainer. Then after do 30 minutes of walking or take a cardio class.
The classic sit at the hotel bar chatting with the bartender and whoever else is there. (for businesspeople)
Take up a hobby like photography or stand up comedy and join a meetup.
Start a side hustle like blogging *Cough* and find people in your new city who are doing similar things.
Take a foreign language class in your new city.
Volunteer for the next work event like a choreography of the employee dance or event planning.
Do your evening laptop work in the hotel lobby or coffee shop or lounge.
Take a local hip hop or Zumba class (also at the gym).
These are some suggestions, but did you notice anything from the above list? All of those things are win-win, because even if you don’t meet a buddy or soulmate or even just an acquaintance….you’re going to be a better person for whatever skill you picked up. And as you start meeting more and more people, you’ll slowly start to also meet yourself.
CONCLUSION
Is it harder to make friends outside of college or a social environment like an entering batch of a massive corporation?
For sure.
Bars and clubs sadly monopolize the whole meeting strangers thing, but if every grocery store was like Black Friday with pushing and shoving and dirty bathrooms to fit one person…would you honestly be there? Or would you just order your food in?
There’s a reason older folks beyond 30 go to clubs less and less…not because they’re too good for it, but they realize there are way more effective ways to meet people.
The bad news is that it does require you to forget a lot of the things you learned.
But the good news is that the friends you make after 30 are the ones with similar passions and motivations that is ultimately going to help you meet the greatest best friend of all…yourself.
Tamil English Stand Up Comedian Get’s Real on Writing and Insecurity
Aravind SA is a comedian from Chennai and arguably the most popular of the stand-up comics currently from South India, although I’m not sure why he hasn’t been given a Wikipedia.?
He’s also a good buddy of mine and we recently chatted about stand up comedy in Bangalore and India.
He’s most well known for his Amazon comedy special I was Not Ready Da and Madrasi Da, as well as various acting and digital work.
Biography
SA (as he’s known) used to be an actor ,and then worked with Chennai based Evam Stand Up comedy Tamasha. From there he signed with Green Room (no longer with them) and now does a bunch of different things like film making and advertisements and voice-overs for a BBC documentary, although he’s mainly a stand-up comedian in India.
Madrasi Da and Amazon Prime
So What’s the National Language of India?!?
One thing that’s great about stand up comedy in a place as passionate as India, or at least Indian twitter and media portals, is the entire Hindi disposition and debate on the language.
The wonderful part of the arguments of course, on whether Hindi or Tamil or Urdu or Punjabi or Gujarati should be the main languages…is that all these arguments happen in English.
I just love it.
I’m all for Hindi if you know it, and yes, by the numbers, for sure…most people in this country speak it.
But I don’t, and SA doesn’t, and even the Big Bollywood folks who pretend they do daily actually speak English at home and just appeal to the masses who’s ticket sales they need..so I mean, I get it.
I’ve never been to a Karan Johar Bandra party bit I imagine it’s more English than anything.
I honestly believe if the drivers/maids/working class needs a fair shot at upwards class mobility, they’ll need to learn English eventually.
If you tweet that “we need to teach the poor English” some middle-class person who speaks it finely will say you’re being elitist and racist.
But I’m sure if that driver or maid also knew English and made easy money in some fluffy corporate job like that guy, well…you get where I’m going.
Tamil is great also ok? Yeah yeah I get it.
Can you be rich in this country with only Hindi?
Of course, I’m sure plenty of factory owners in the North do just fine.
Will English help you get miles ahead into an office job or internet job?
Yup.
How do you say SEO and on-page optimization in Hindi?
Indians are the most racist to each other.
It seems strange that even in my own YouTube channel, people have a problem with my accent, as if it’s fake.
Do folks from Kenya comment on Will Smith’s videos wondering why he has an “accent?”
Or do we just have a weird English hangover/insecurity?
One thing I loved from our chat is SA saying that it was a bummer his friends in San Jose California all try to enjoy his special around the TV, yet the North Indians at the house party lose interest or get bored.
“If I can watch one Hindi fu*k all special of yours, watch one South Indian fu*k all special of mine OK?”
Some podcast highlights.
It seems we as Indians love to chant Indian pride on the world stage and get super defensive if you say something negative about the country, yet the one thing we love the most is having a problem with each other.
Either way, all part of the experience 🙂
The full audio and video interviews are here.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this chat, because although yes, Hindi is probably the most common “by the numbers” language, it’s very similar to Cantonese in Hong Kong versus Mandarin in China.
Even though way less people speak Cantonese, ain’t nobody gonna stop speaking it.
Everybody talks about Indian pride and also individuality, so maybe it’s time we celebrate the differences in order to find our similarities.
Sanjay Manaktala was instrumental in launching the comedy scene in India in 2010, right around the time the Comedy Store UK and others entered the country. He knows the comedy business in and out.
So you want to know how much money you can make as a stand-up comedian in India?
TLDR: The good news…you’ll make more than comedians in the UK and America, due to the simple laws of supply and demand.
The bad news…don’t expect to make anything for your first 3 years of doing this at least 15-20 hours a week.
Pubs, Clubs and Open Mics Rates
To show you how little the Indian public knows about a career in comedy (to be fair, it’s still being defined) I once had a comedian email me back in 2012…
I want to do stand up comedy at your open mic. How much will you pay me?
Some idiot finance guy who emailed me.
That was the best joke of 2012.
Regardless, most comedians in year 0 to year 3 are just hunting for stage time, and some will even pay the venue in the form of a fee, buying drinks or other things to get access to a stage and an audience.
Partially blind yet fully funny Sundeep Rao from Bangalore.
So how much can I make doing comedy in a bar or pub in India?
Coffee Shops and Open Mic in Bangalore or Mumbai or Delhi: 0 INR (0 dollars)
You’ll probably lose money when you factor in:
what you order at the venue,
your fuel or taxi,
your time,
opportunity cost, etc…
I’d say the first year of stand up comedy is about a 30K investment in simple logistical expenses.
Pubs and Comedy Clubs and Bars:1K to 5K INR per 20-40 minute set, and many nights will be a waste as you only got 11 people and everybody gets 50 rupees.
Pubs and Comedy Clubs Solo Show:30K to 2L INR (where you attracted the crowd of 100-300 people, and you perform an hour)
Most of your comedy career is dingy pubs and 10 people or less. If you got lucky in a crew or gang and have access to big crowds early, trust me, your time is coming.
Ticket Math
When you do a solo show, the comedian will typically take home about 25-40% of the revenue or ticket price. (e.g. 500 INR ticket means comic makes 200 per ticket).
If it doesn’t sell out (and most don’t), this percentage goes down as the venue will take a fixed rate of 10K-2Laks.
I have done many shows where we lost between 1K and 10K.
How Much are Corporate Stand up Comedy Rates in India?
The majority of comedians, myself included, will make our income between years three and seven (you should quit your full-time job only after you’re making about 1 lakh monthly with your gigs) with corporate shows.
So doing comedy for companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Wipro, Infosys Annual Day, Toyota Sales Meeting, etc..
Most stand up comedians in India who have a following and do corporate shows of above 200 people will charge between 1L and 5L for 30 to 45 minutes.
If you’re new, like 1 to 3 years in and are getting calls for office shows…charge 20K and move up from there.
If you have a 100K organic following, charge 85K and move up from there as demand comes in.
It’s better to make 40K for doing a set on a Tuesday than saying no and waiting for the next show which may take months. And then seeing yourself at some mic nobody came to, only to realize you could have made 40K for entertaining some office folks easily.
How Much do Comics Charge for College Festival Shows?
Some comedians will come and do a 20 minute set for like 20,000 INR, others will charge between 3 to 5 lakhs.
Many college shows you should do for free initially because you’ll pick up 500 followers just for gigging. Also, you probably still stuck so take the stage time and go.
On average about 1 lakh seems standard for someone the kids know or follow online. 2 lakhs is you have like 500,000 YouTube or Instagram followers.
Rule of Thumb: If people are asking you for selfies, no more free stand up comedy shows. (But do plenty of free media appearances or cross promotions).
Are Comedy Prices the Same across Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, etc..?
For all the major metros, including probably Chennai and Hyderabad I’d say yes.
For places like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Trichi, Mysore, etc.. I would assume the ticket prices for comedy shows go down, yet in-demand comedians will likely charge the same to come there.
For example, a comic who is making good money in Mumbai or Bangalore would go to Ahmedabad for less money (also factoring in travel) but probably do more time, write more jokes, test out stuff, etc..
Or maybe even he/she has a huge following there so they might sell more there in their home town.
It all depends on where your fans come from and if the city has a lot of comedy going on or not.
What about Overseas like in the US or Canada or Australia?
Indian stand up comedians (from India) who travel overseas probably average about $1,000 USD per show for their performance, with the range being losing money up to $10,000 USD per show if they sell out a 1,000 seater at $20 a ticket, and then split with promoter/venue, etc…
Answering 19 of your Indian stand up comedy questions on the Birdy Num Num video podcast.
So How Much Can I Make as a stand-up comedy career?
Just because someone charges so much for a show, doesn’t imply that they’re making that every day.
The majority of days you will make nothing, as you’ll simply be testing jokes and making sure they work, and obviously trying to improve them.
Nobody gives a shit to hear what you have to say until it’s funny for 500 strangers Rohit. (I struggled hard to make sure I don’t know any comics named Rohit so please use whatever Indian generic name you have).
Years 0 to 3: You will lose money in expenses, so 0 INR.
Years 2 to 5: Money will trickle in, and you’ll average about 1 to 2 Lak PER YEAR.
Sure a comedian may charge 1L per show, but he or she may only do 1 of those shows every six months.
Years 5+: You’ll make between 1L per month or 15L-1CR.
Related Questions
Who is the highest-paid comedian in India?
Zakir Khan, considering if you add his ticket sales, Amazon deals and YouTube and Social Media Influencing, I’d guess he’s making at least 10CR per year at the moment if not much more. Probably Vir Das after that considering his Hollywood and Netflix associations.
What Can I do to make more money or get higher payments faster?
The good news is you can do things to earn money faster.
You can also get better faster, because someone who is on stage 5 times a week versus someone who goes twice a week, will be much better after the same year.
The bad news is they’re no shortcuts to getting stage time experience and learning the hard lessons from bad crowds, hecklers, improv and so forth.
That takes a lot of time and getting off your ass and into the dive bars.
Regardless of whatever path works for your life, here are things you can do to start earning quicker:
Produce your Own Comedy Show and market it well so you keep sales (folks like Punit Pania do this)
Start a productive YouTube channel (not one of your crappy cell phone recordings of stand up): Be You Nick does this.
Build a following on social media which will get you organic traffic, which will get you sponsorship, payments, better fans, more crowds, etc.. Zakir Khan does this better than everyone, largely all stemming from his initial burst on the AIB Stand up video about Delhi Girls and small-town boys. (He was on the scene for a while before though, so that “overnight success” took a few years). Mallika Dua is another example from non-stand up, but somebody who really lives on digital and if she did do stand up would have any stage she wanted.
Find ways to write for social media campaigns, advertisements, act, etc…
What About Netflix and Amazon and YouTube?
In India, everybody wants to think about the end result so much nobody realizes it is supposed to be everything until then.
Amazon and Netflix specials will cost about 10L to 30L to produce, and your take-home profit might be 10K, 10L or even 1CR based on the incentives in your contract.
It all depends on how much value you bring and how many of your fans sign up for the platforms. (e.g. If your Amazon special got 1M viewers and you got them another 5000 sign-ups, guess who’s having a good holiday? You ARE!)
For YouTube, ad revenues will be between 20K INR and 60K INR per million views.
But the bottom line is none of those platforms will call you or hire you unless you have a proven digital track record, so get to it.
Is it an amazing time to do stand up comedy in India? Yes for sure.
Is it an easy career? HELL NO.
Should you be worried about making a million dollars or 1CR? NOPE.
Should you quit your job to do this full time? No way, not until you generate 1L per month part-time while still doing well at your job.
What’s the number one piece of advice you would tell someone who wants to do stand up comedy full time?
Oh, I’m glad you asked.
Focus on overcoming stage fright, writing good, original jokes, building stage presence, a good organic social media following, don’t compare yourself to others and be true to yourself…and the money will come in faster than you can count it.
When I was 22 and working at a large software company that *cough* made an antivirus software by a guy named Norton *cough*, my friends and I discovered something very strange.
Nobody was giving us work.
I mean we had a few small tasks, but we weren’t knee-deep in some crazy code stretched beyond even our craziest computer science classes.
Instead, we had small scripts to write or little work here and there, and a LOT of free time to chat on MSN. In fact, we all used to brag about who did less work that day and got paid for it.
I did like 3 hours of work last week, so awesome.
22 Year old Sanjay Manaktala
Was it awesome Brad?
When you spent years 22 at 25 at Boeing doing nothing but updating PDF documents nobody reads.
Negative Effects of Working from Home
Working in your pj’s for a young person can be career suicide and although you may not care about your employer, it’s also bad for business.
I’m all for work-life balance, but if you want to make your mark in the world, you need to know one thing:
For most of us who can relate, i.e. didn’t have much money growing up and now just want to use some of that income to party, travel, date people and experience the good life, I get it.
I really do.
Do it man, do it. You’ve earned this time to coast, and it’s nice that the only accountability you really have is to just answer your emails on time.
But I also wish I had a mentor when I was younger who would grab me the by shoulders, shake some sense into me and tell me: “YOU NEED TO BE PRODUCTIVE AT THIS AGE BEFORE YOU SEE YOUR LIFE LOSING ALL MEANING BY 30!”
For a lot of people in big fat fortune 500 corporate life, a good chunk of their career progression might be:
Wow, nobody is giving me work, this is awesome.
Wow ok, I’m bored, what else can I do with my time.
Ok, I’m just going to do the bare minimum to continuously get promoted and spend money on things and hobbies I enjoy.
Ok, I hate my job but I’m 33 and where else will I go with the skills only this job seems to appreciate, plus I have a good thing so why ruin it.
And that is a one-way ticket to mediocre.
You’ll have kids, you’ll enjoy the house and the BBQ’s and vacations and frequent flier points..but deep down, you’ll know it’s all built on a lot of fluff that you yourself can’t say with pinpoint accuracy…”I MADE AN IMPACT WITH MY WORK.”
WHY DO RICH KIDS MAKE THE WORLD BETTER?
Bill Gates dad was a well to do lawyer.
Mark Zuckerberg parents are a dentist and a psychiatrist.
Jeff Bezos took $300,000 from his parents who clearly had it lying around.
Elon Musk I’m sure didn’t grow up using socks.
Do you notice anything? I’m not saying they’re all spoiled brats who got lucky, I’m simply saying they weren’t motivated by an easy $100,000 in a 9 to 5 as the final goal.
Because they knew, probably from their parents and families…that your life has to mean more than that.
Is Working from Home Right for You?
I understand that they’re some very obvious perks of working from home. But it might not be right for you, especially at the age you need to be out there. For some peolpe, homeschooling was also better than going to a public high school, but for those of us who went and came out stronger on the other side, would you have it any other way?
As you get more responsibility in your career and learn to take charge of your life’s work, productivity and time management, make sure you know the pros and cons of how you’re spending your time. I repeat, again and again.
It’s ok to be average, but not ok to treat yourself averagely. There’s a reason you go to a gym as opposed to doing the same stuff at home, and there’s a reason you need to use this energy at 25 to go out into the world and make your mark.
Even if it just means taking your laptop to Starbucks.
CONCLUSION
Why does every single person who passes away at 90 say the same thing..that you should make your life mean something?
I’m not saying quit your job, be an entrepreneur, go make films or be a YouTuber. If you’re at a big company like KPMG or Accenture or Microsoft or hell even Google, and you’re coasting…stop doing that.
It’s not cool.
The only one who’s getting taken for a ride is you. You just won’t realize until it’s too late.
Sanjay Manaktala is the host of the Birdy Num Num podcast, all about inspiring the creative South Asian. In this post, he debunks a couple of myths about how it’s cool to do nothing and get paid for it.
In this post, I’m going to answer some of our reader’s Instagram questions on body odor, grooming, and how hygiene will honestly fix your life.
If you’re also wondering why that dude in your office or tech team has a strange whiff, this should answer most of it too.
Why do Indians Smell?
I had a friend who had all the money in the world, worked at McKinsey, went to Harvard, yet couldn’t land a date if his life depended on it.
He was miserable, constantly wallowing in self-pity while driving his Mercedes.
Responses on twitter when I said I wanted to write this article.
To himself, he was confused beyond belief. Harvard MBA, decent looks, great career and family on paper…what the heck is going on?
But to the rest of us, even a stranger or a waiter could spend 10 seconds with him and figure out what lacking self-awareness had hidden from him.
HE SMELLED HORRIBLE. DAILY.
Bad breath, bad body odor, and just unpleasant to be around.
So my other best friend and I did what good friends do.
We chickened out and wrote an anonymous email because we didn’t want to hurt his feelings (more so for our own selfish reasons but we wanted to help.)
“Hey, you don’t know me, but I worked with you or studied with you many years ago. I always saw you working so hard at life and succeeding but also saw you being frustrated with the personal front. I want to see you succeed there too, and it’s something so simple you just need to fix. Just please wear deodorant daily, and all your life problems will get fixed. You stink really bad and it’s a turn off for a lot of people.”
One of my first emails from my junk hotmail account.
6 months later I was crashing at his house, opened up his medicine cabinet and saw a million cologne bottles, mouth wash, deodorants, body sprays, the works.
A year later he was engaged.
Why Don’t Indians Wear Deodorant?
So why do some Indian dudes smell bad? Because growing up, deodorant was a western thing, and it’s still catching on.
We didn’t think it was important.
Some more thoughts from the public.
My own mom never told me about it, I just figured it out from TV commercials of being a teenager in America. The white kids in middle-school weren’t shy about letting me know “I smelled like sweaty curry”, and oddly enough as mean as teenagers are…I’m glad they did.
In fact, deodorants in India revenue are expected to grow 25% year on year. (Source.) It used to be a luxury item, but now it’s affordable for pretty much anyone and will take some time to adopt.
Everyone in our country loves a little spice, but that heat it brings means you gotta love some Old Spice as well.
WAIT, EVERYBODY SMELLS, WHY ARE YOU TARGETING INDIANS?
Yes, you’re 100% right.
Every group of people has smelly stinkers.
My friend Joel at my baraat is American and Mexican, and yes he also stinks if he doesn’t apply deodorant before dancing in the heat.
But most of us in desi communities, myself included, never got it ingrained in our heads that deodorant should be like brushing your teeth. We tread lightly on the topic rather than confronting it head-on.
But why are we so sensitive about something so obvious, that in extreme weather and sweaty situations, you need to put on some deo bro.
Just like we have to find a way to let American people know that TOILET paper IS DISGUSTING, we need to encourage our South Asian brothers and sisters that deodorant is actually spot-on awesome.
In fact, I used to see guys in my IT company office spend 20 minutes after lunch combing their hair in the men’s washroom, but not realize that it didn’t matter because nobody wanted to sit within 5 feet of them.
And then those same guys start trolling people online because they have a frustrated sex life or who knows what.
You feel me?
India is about 5-10 years behind on the BO elimination wave, and the more we help our friends and family realize they’re adding some stank into the mix, the more we all benefit.
Personal hygiene and grooming are a $2 or an INR 150 investment.
It’s no longer a luxury item, but adoption for the masses will still take some time. So if someone in your gym or work or school or family is stinking it up, do your civic duty and clean it up.
WHEN YOU HELP SOMEONE SMELL GOOD, YOU HELP THEM BE GOOD. AT LIFE.
We all know that guy or girl who stinks, and nobody tells them. Because they’re scared of hurting their feelings. But guess what continuous rejection and not knowing what they’re doing wrong is also doing?
It’s hurting them a lot more than you worrying about their feelings.
If you find a nice or anonymous way to tell them they smell, guess what?
They’ll likely do something about it.
They’ll build more confidence.
They’ll do better at work, life love, and more.
But most importantly…they’ll know.
How to Get Someone to Smell Better Politely?
You can talk to another coworker (in front of the smelly one) and discuss how some other, made up person didn’t wear deodorant at a restaurant you were at over the weekend and it ruined your date or whatever. The second person can also say “Wow, who doesn’t wear deodorant!?” and drop a massive hint to the stinker.
You can gift everyone (including them) a $10-20 bottle of cologne and also use it yourself at work.
You can send them an anonymous email like I did.
In India…and I’ve heard this many times…bosses and coworkers just tell their employees outright. In fact, in some tech companies, they’ve sent colleagues home to go shower!
Body Odor Shouldn’t Be Taboo or Hygiene Products Thought of as a WESTERN thing
Yes, I know that we use talcum powder, saffron, and we have whatever other natural remedies for fragrance and all that stuff.
I’m all for it.
You want to spend an hour with coconut oil and lotions every evening, be my guest.
But you and I use Google and Chinese goods every day, so please cut the crap that you don’t buy into that western stuff.
Proctor and Gamble aren’t evil, although sure, big bad corporations have their issues.
We modernize every single fact of our lives, so let’s recognize we need to modernize our approach to hygiene.
Two swipes of two pits will save you a lifetime of despair.
CONCLUSION
The simple issue is a lot of us know that person who stinks, probably ARE that person who stinks, and we have a hard time dealing with it in this country or in our international desi communities.
I’ve heard stories from the IT world of managers who had to tell an employee to leave the room and go back and shower or spray some cologne.
I’m 100% serious.
Does it need to get to that?
Deodorant technology has come a long way, trust me. One dab in the morning will keep you going until 10 PM, even in that crazy Chennai or Mumbai summers.
As you smell less and trust me, nobody can really smell themselves…all the other things in life will fall into place.
That will increase your money, career, dating, love life and probably personal happiness.
Although no guarantees on the last one. Happiness is still super elusive to most of us.
When I moved to Bangalore in 2010, I remember naturally being curious about my prospects on the romantic front.
I had only had one semi-serious girlfriend up until that point, I knew nothing about long term relationships, and Tinder was probably just an idea in some kid’s dorm room at the time.
As time went on and I fumbled my way through my twenties, as I’m sure most of us do, I realized understanding dating can actually be divided into major phases.
They’re a few phases of “love marriage” courtship and the first phaseis:
trying to attract someone,
navigate bar and hookup culture,
your first ten dates,
sifting through social media and apps to understand how the romance economy keeps getting defined.
Ghosting, sexting, DM’s, flirting, all that stuff probably drops in here.
Most people spend most of their life here, between 18 and 30.
I mean, Moore’s law is changing everything, and as phones get faster and SD cards smaller, that also means the entire definition of courtship, mental health, relationships and “quality time together” keep changing.
The landscape here is redefining itself so fast it’s really hard to know what’s what anymore.
Earlier it was losing interest, then it became ghosting, and now there’s something called catfishing which I’ll assume you already know about.
I just really wanted to use a Moore’s law reference.
I guess it’s true what comedians and writers say…less is Moore.
Ok I’ll stop.
Then there’s the second phase, which is all about:
moving into the honeymoon period,
exclusivity,
no longer being single,
eventually meeting her parents
and all the beauty of that fresh feeling from going from zero to six months.
Netflix and Chill, Swiggy life, awkward fights, learning to change or adapt to the other person, and all of that fall into this.
Most Indians or South Asians spend a good chunk of 25 to 35 here.
Finally, there’s the third phase, which is of course where most sink or swim.
You’ll hear things like “they’ve been through so much”, relationships are tough, soulmate, partner, the big fat Indian wedding and much more in this phase. The third phase is all about:
Long term relationships
Marriages
Traveling Together
Intense Love and Hate or Ups and Downs (I mean not for all but totally normal)
Family, in-laws, etc…
the past, the future, ironically rarely the present
I’m sure there’s also that phase you see on greeting cards also which is like 15+ years of marriage, kids, and much more but I’ll update this in 2025 when I’m there.
Throughout these phases, one thing I’ve noticed in each is that in major metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, etc… each phase is so overcomplicated that it affects the other.
Imagine if you spent all your time researching or getting stuck in the interview phase of a job hunt, you never once realized when you get the job your real career begins.
Ditto for promotions and retirement, career switches, etc..
Not to mention once you do find someone, things like…Indian men being mama’s boys, society having double standards, changing gender dynamics, technology, middle-class conveniences, and more all make being brown and trying to get down sometimes difficult, sometimes impossible.
no one: married girls on insta: being in love is the HARDEST thing ever but so WORTH IT we fight NONSTOP but we love like CRAZY I fucking HATE my husband but that’s just part of being in LOVE true love is DIRTY & HARD but so REWARDING I LOVE doing his LAUNDRY & wiping his ASS
So I wanted to talk about three questions in detail when I opened it up on Instagram. Even though I’m married, I’m still very interested in how courtship is evolving.
Indian mother in-laws be cray
Dating App Market in India
Apps are defining how we eat, how we get around, and how we meet.
I mean Tinder has a score they kept on your desirability, just like Uber does.
If the company’s are rating us, we may as well start looking at dating a bit more objectively. New Chinese app Tantan is also doubling it’s users in India aggressively. It’s also no secret that the app store is booming in India under dating categories.
This stuff is fascinating how Black Mirror we’re becoming.
And in a place like India or desi culture that’s constantly battling technology, trends, and tradition…well it makes for some interesting masala.
That being said, let’s dive into what the Indian public had to ask about dating. Whether Tinder, Bumble TrulyMadly or whatever other app you’re looking at.
Indian Men and Women Are Picky
Question 1: “I feel I’m being too picky. I mean I meet people but nobody does it for me. I feel that there is nobody out there, but I also know I could at least try.”
We all have that friend, who always complains about men.
“There are no good guys anywhere yaaaaaa.”
“I want what they have.”
“Why can’t I find someone?”
Hey, Sharon, or Divya, or Jessica or Nick…good people exist and they’re everywhere.
You’re just making excuses because of something else, and the real challenge is discovering what that is.
I did a talk yesterday where I said most people live their whole lives never finding their passion, and I hate to say it, but most of us will probably do the same thing with our true love.
I’m still on the fence about what a soulmate truly is, but I can tell you…when you know you’re in love, you know. Bartender, another cliche, please!
In India, as the folks who play in dating have probably had parents who got arranged marriages, maybe this is less of a big deal.
Maybe we all feel like something will happen if we don’t do anything about it anyways but still want the right to complain like we’re wandering aimlessly.
But to those who ARE dating, and still complaining…let me tell you, it’s not the world’s fault you’re not finding anyone.
It’s yours.
Most people never make a YouTube channel, a podcast, write that book or make that movie because they get caught up in a nice workspace, fancy editing software, camera gear, and a million other things that are basically just resistance.
With being picky patoots about your partner, it might feel the same.
I cleaned the house 8 times before I wrote this blog. I feel you fam.
But to the “picky” person, I promise you that person is out there and closer than you think. Rather than go out night after night, or stay at home with your cats night after night, you gotta make changes to yourself if you want a change in your life. They don’t even have to be real or substantial. (e.g. you’ll still find someone who loves you for you).
Same faffy workout at home? Go to the gym.
Tired of the bars? Go work in Goa for a few months. Tired of Goa? Go back to your city.
Tired of Tinder? Use another app. Tired of the apps? Say hi to someone at the coffee shop, or at the very least smile. Or let your friend introduce you to someone.
Most people who are single that complain love the security of just writing it off as bad luck, because it’s something they know rather than be held accountable for.
Stop doing that.
If you were unemployed, nobody would just tell you “You’ll find something, someday, the universe has a plan.” They’d say get off your ass and take control of your fortune.
No, you need to take action. The universe has Monster.com for work, and also a million apps to meet someone. In fact, more people meet online than offline now.
Even if that means finding someone just as lazy and relaxed as you. (Which is awesome).
You don’t need to be super desperate, but you need to experiment with self-improvement, hobbies, fitness, and a million other things until your consistently meeting and engaging with quality people.
Tinder and Dating Apps are Hurting Dating in India
Question 2: I meet people on Tinder, they send me messages, then they disappear. What am I doing wrong?
You’re not doing anything wrong.
You just live in the most interesting time that even if I go to an amazing restaurant, I won’t leave a review.
Most people these days have such little attention spans for themselves, it’s hard to think they’d truly focus on someone else. There is a massive paradox of choice, and it’s hard to be content when you’re constantly wondering what else there is.
In fact kids these days are having less sex because they would rather just mess around on their phone.
Also, even though men and women are 50/50, have you ever seen your female friends Tinder app?
OH. MY. GOD.
Everything is a match, and even if you meet Mr. Right (get it?) chances are he’ll get lost in the noise.
I’m a firm believer after being 30 *cough* a few years ago that paying for apps, especially the premium stuff to save you time is completely underpriced, and if you can spend $5 a month to save yourself HOURS of time and increase your dates or conversations, why wouldn’t you?
Sometimes you meet that special someone on the train, and then forget to get their number. Sometimes you meet someone online, and it goes nowhere. Or it does. But if it was meant to be, she would have logged back in and found you.
If not, maybe he or she is busy with something else.
Again, you just please keep doing you.
We’ve all ghosted someone, and we’ve all been ghosted. It’s part of the grind, like traffic on the way to work. It might be your first year on Tinder, but someone else’s 3rd. It might be they’re just not into you, or lazy, or both. But at the same time, it’s all good queue for you to work on your profile the way you’d work on your resume.
Get better photos, get real hobbies, learn to value your time. You still may not meet that someone but you will be a much better person.
How Do You Transition from Being Single to Being in Relationships?
I rephrase the question to actually be:
Question: How do you deal with no longer being single?
Being single is easy because you’ve always been in a relationship with yourself. It’s comfortable.
But when you realize somebody else has to come in your home, or vice versa, uff…that’s tough. Everybody has problems and nuances. The key here is hopefully they line up with yours.
Your wife likes to wake up at 5 AM and pray? And now she wants you to also?
Uh oh.
But getting up early may not be a bad thing.
Your husband wants you to keep the toothbrush in the cupboard, and not outside the sink.
I mean, come on…aren’t we really splitting hairs here?
Most people need to understand in relationships, you need to find someone who isn’t changing you, but improving you. They’re letting you be the best versions of yourself you can be. And that’s a good thing.
It’s when you’re with someone who wants you to be completely opposite than what you were initially when the real challenges begin.
You guys drank every weekend, now she doesn’t want to go out at all.
Or he said he was cool you had so many guys friends, no he’s on your head about every message you get.
She liked your house, now all of a sudden it’s a mess and needs to be cleaned up.
Oh the horror.
When you were younger, your mom was on your head to brush your teeth, pick up after yourself, not make so much noise in the kitchen, or whatever else. Often times you’ll have a partner who you irritate as well with habits you didn’t realize you had accumulated over the years. (I personally bite my nails 24/7).
If you want the key to surviving no longer being single, make sure your partner has good intentions and also yes, you can stop tapping the table or biting your nails or sometimes drinking less.
If not, maybe you value certain things too much, or maybe you need out. But you’ll know where it’s coming from, and if it’s not meant to be, well, fine.
We have all been there. Then you’ll have to know how to survive to be single again. (Which is a great phase when you get out of a toxic relationship by the way).
Conclusion
The Indian dating scene is so fascinating because the country is fascinating.
You can watch an artsy French flick or a Bollywood movie. You can go fine dining or eat a meal and walk around for $4. But as with Swiggy, malls and Netflix…we are also stuck in a paradox of choice that ultimately nothing satisfies whatever desire we have.
Also, as India is always stuck in a time warp between trend and tradition and tech, dating will continue to fumble/evolve and present unique challenges as we battle the old with the new.
Ultimately, the apps and the movies and the fancy dinners aren’t the solution. Once you figure out yourself and your family, it’s easier for someone else to as well.
I don’t have a nice cushy way to resolve this, but I hope the answers above were helpful and if you enjoyed them or have comments/questions for next time, please do drop them below.
Sanjay Manaktala is the creator and host of the Birdy Num Num podcast which is all about inspiring the creative South Asian. He is also the author of the Harper Collins book “My Beta Does Computer Things.
In this week’s episode, questions were asked by the public regarding dating and relationships hence the article.
Do you want to know how to shoot stand up comedy at your bar or pub show, comedy club, small theater or private event? Sanjay Manaktala has done comedy for years, run and gunned at his own open mics and produced shows as part of the daily hustle of being a stand-up comedian. In this post he’ll explain the camera setup and audio gear required to record your comedy sets for Instagram and Facebook or YouTube and whatever other social media platform is hot tomorrow.
Guide to Shooting a Stand Up Comedy Live Performance
Hello fellow comedy industry comics and producers.
If you landed up here you’re probably curious how to film your stand up set properly.
Since we all know in comedy that less is more and to cut the fat, here’s the artwork I mocked up together for most of you that will pretty much answer most things I’m about to say.
3 DSLR’s with the appropriate lenses, one wide-angle, and two slightly side angles which need not be an equal distance away from the middle. You’ll likely do most of your edits/cuts on your act outs, since emotion/setup/tension you need intimate close-ups/middle shots. One thing I forgot to add is if you can, record audio laughter from your phone in the middle of the audience, or use the H4N 4 channel setting if you really need to. Also, tripods should be at the height where the camera is at your neck level.
Stand up comedy isn’t impossible to film, or particularly very difficult…if you have a crew. And of course, you have a crew for every open mic with 5 people, right? I mean of course RIGHT!?!?!
Ok, so that’s where it gets difficult.
Unless you have a team of 4-5 people constantly helping, checking levels, angles, lighting, aperture, and focus…live shoots…even in a small bar can be quite hectic.
So before I begin explaining how many camera and lenses you’ll need, let me warn you. You’ll probably record about 10 gigs before you get it right. A million things will go wrong the first 5-10 times.I put this guide together so it’s 10 mics and not 100.
And then all you got to do is make sure the right crowd, the right set, the right delivery, the right response and the right night.
Russell Brand came to India and I opened for him across 3 cities, but somebody forgot to tell the cameraman that sometimes wide is too wide.
List of things that go wrong when you film your sets, whether professionally, with DSLR’s or with cell phones:
Venue sound guy increases the audio level to your recorder, ruining your audio from the mixer/sound recorder. Now all you have is hollow camera audio.
Somebody stands in front of your cameras.
Audience chair hits tripod, moves the angle of the camera.
Camera SD cards cut out or get full.
Audio gets full or recorder dies because power settings/battery/memory card was wrong.
You moved out of the frame and no camera got you, during your best act out.
Weird hissing from audio recorder because mixer had some loose wire or feedback or cell phone hum.
Aperture was too perfect and depth of field was too crisp, so you’re barely in focus since you move a lot.
Batteries die after 20 to 45 minutes because the opener took too long, and your best joke was at minute 46 and it was the best response you ever got and OMG FML.
ISO is too high and footage is way too grainy.
Your set or delivery was off or you messed up one word and now the callback in your clip doesn’t make sense and will confuse the viewer. (not a technical issue but hey anybody feel me?)
Performer kept walking out of the spotlight so all was fine except his/her face is underexposed (e.g. dark bags under eyes and just looks off). I just did this at my show yesterday.
The Punchline in Sacramento has great lighting, but you’ll not get this type of lighting in most bars. Also, this is a cool angle for a picture but for a video it should be a little more zoomed in since it’s not dead center, we’d use this angle instead for a close-up or middle shot.
I know $50,000 shoots in India and America where they messed up audio, and that’s the single source of failure. If one camera goes out you can always switch to another, but audio, oh boy, you really got to be careful.
So What’s the Best Way to Record Stand Up Comedy Shows?
So if you’re trying to do what I strongly believe most comedians are already doing, which is playing the digital long game ala Andrew Schulz and most others, you have to find a way to constantly put out clips on IGTV, (Vertical) Instagram Video (Square), YouTube (duh) and Facebook (although nobody will watch it probably by the end of 2019).
VIDEO GEAR YOU NEED
First thing you need is 3 DSLR cameras.
Main Camera Angle: This shot is not exciting, and its awkward cause it usually shows your full body. But it’s the safety shot for when the other two aren’t cutting it.
Right of the stage (e.g. right of the main camera) – so will be like 5-10 feet away, slightly angled at you on stage, waist up.
Left of the stage, ideally super tight, in case you’re standing still and really connecting with the crowd.
AUDIO GEAR YOU NEED
Tascam or Zoom H4N (the standard). It’s about $200.
I’ve done big-budget shows where we just got forgot to hit record. YES, I’m serious. Also, the red text says “stand up comedy audio setup” so don’t worry you didn’t miss anything. (too lazy to upload it again).
I like the Zoom because you can record the output of a mixer directly into it, and you can then use the other mic it has to also record field audio. I hated it for the first few years, thinking it was ugly, bulky and just not user-friendly or intuitive. Now I know why it’s the standard.
ON the 4 Channel Mode: If the DJ or sound console is near the crowd, you could let the sound guy give you the XLR output into the Zoom’s Channel 1 (make sure you set the input to 1 and not mic), then let the Zoom’s top mics get the crowd laughter. This is in 4 channel mode.
If the sound dude is too far to also let the audio recorder point towards the crowd, then simply put your phone on a tripod in the middle of the audience and capture crowd laughter that way, and sync it to your voice later. Or you can record video and now you have the same sound plus a backup video.
What about just Recording your Stand Up Set on your Phone?
For those of you who aren’t looking to release your clips online and just want a standard way to make sure you’re not lazy about recording your spots, now let’s see the best way to use your iPhone or Android.
Priorities for this format are normally:
Good Audio (most phone’s mics are better than DSLR cameras for audio these days) so I don’t think you should buy those mic attachments.
Focus (you’ll have to lock focus on the previous performer or on the microphone stand as you need to be in the same plane for focus.
Frame (get a wide shot since you don’t plan to release it but want the whole stage in case you get some magic)
Lock exposure for the same reason.
Stability (e.g. tripod with small cell phone attachment).
Tripod (Full size)
All you need for this is really a tripod, phone attachment and well, your phone.
A lot of comics put get those dinky small tripods, and put them on a table, which then gets fists slamming the table, silverware sounds, and an awkward angle looking at the performer.
NO NO NO.
Use a full size $15 Amazon Prime tripod, a $4 phone attachment and put your phone in the middle somewhere.
The Setup SF is one of best gigs in the Bay, and has a standard camera angle that works for their basement show, which would be great for gigs in Chicago and NYC/Boston also. https://www.instagram.com/p/B0HCWc0Azk_/
Best Lens for Comedy Shows
I’ll get to the camera’s themselves, don’t worry. Lenses are way more important.
I know so many comedians who get caught up in the gear because that’s an easy way to *cough* use that as an excuse to not focus on their act.
Oh yeah, focus pun, did you catch it?
You know all that spiritual meditation stuff you make fun of?
Google something called “resistance” and realize all that Amazon review reading is a form of that.
I still use a 2011 (8-year-old) DSLR Canon 7d camera and my newer comic friends always ask me “Hey man what camera do you use?”
The real question: Oh wow you actually use your camera?
But you could easily take a Udemy course for the price of the beer, and record some quality content at all the crappy mic’s you do and at least get some nice crowd work nuggets (which oftentimes gets more views than the bits themselves as of 2019 lord-help-us internet).
Regardless, instead of bugging your friends with 900 reviews and questions, I’m going to say something straight up:
You can record a great bar set, with sharp focus, decent zoom and proper exposure (brightness on you the performer) with most Costco/stock DSLR cameras. You’ll probably just need to be creative on camera placement and stage lighting.
Lets duke it out in the comments.
I only know Canon equipment, but using the numbers for zoom/focal length (50MM) and brightness/aperture you can get gear from any brand.
For example, for the Canon 50MM 1.8, the zoom is 50 (which is a good upper body but not much negative space) and the aperture is 1.8 which means good for low light/dingy dive bars where you do comedy.
So for the setup above, I would have:
Camera 1: Middle Wide Camera be any lens that is 18-35MM (really wide) and can do an aperture of around 2.8
Camera 2: 50-150MM (or higher) that can zoom into the performer from his waist up, and has an aperture of 2.8. Depending on how big the stage is you’ll have to move this camera closer than the other two since it might be TOO wide and get way more than just the stage.
Camera 3: 50MM to 85MM (fixed, no zoom) that will be locked into the performer’s chest/shoulders/head/neck for those really deep, intimate, tension building moments. You’ll have the hardest time recording this as the performer will constantly step in and out of the frame so I hope your tripod moves or pans well.
NOTE: I’m not a lens expert so if any film guys want to comment please do. This is just what works for me.
There are a million cameras for anything, so I can’t really suggest any here because that’s like a whole blog post and it’s way too complicated. All I can tell you based on the diagram above is that any $600 Costco or DSLR Camera is fine, provided you have the right lens.
Most people spend way more on the lenses than the camera.
For India, if you have gear, this is pretty much the bundle you’d need. Or any similar spec’s with a different manufacturer.
These days people also have what’s called a bridge camera which is a hybrid of a DSLR and Camcorder or point-n-shoot, which apparently have good low light functionality and zooms all in one, so if I get time to research those I’ll add some links here. I plan to buy one soon as well because all those Peter McKinnon videos are slowly chipping away at my wallet and I feel like it’ll just be easier to use those.
Whichever camera you want to buy, check the youTube reviews of those cameras and look for “low light test” videos or “live show/concert” and “zoom video of *your camera model” to imagine how it would hold up at the bar or comedy club you perform in. If the camera has good zoom and brightness on an outdoor street-light scene, you’re probably good.
A Note On GoPros:
GoPros are ok for crowd shots if you can get lighting on your crowd (which isn’t ideal for their experience).
But for video, you won’t get good audio from the camera and it will be SO WIDE that the youTube viewer will realize you’re in some dive bar. Better to shoot in small places and make it feel more glam than it really is.
A Note on Camera Placement
If you can’t place your camera’s like my diagram above, simply move it wherever you can and then adjust your zooms/tripod heads.
So if your middle camera can film fine but there is something or someone obstructing your side camera’s…simply go back, go forward, whatever until you get an angle that works.
Then you’ll have to change lenses to make up for being further back or closer or higher or whatever.
BONUS: Best Microphone for Recording Stand Up Comedy
The Shure SM 58 is hands down the best microphone for pretty much most live events, and you can get them for like $80 or get a Chinese rip off which has the exact internals for like $30.
Again, don’t go all gear-head and over complicate your life, I use this mic for everything and it’s the best for a reason.
And it’s not even expensive.
CONCLUSION aka my big closer
Comedians need to be recording their sets DEFINITELY for themselves, and in the long run for the benefit for their career and audiences. They also need to be watching those sets rather than just knowing it’s on their phone, and upload those fun crowd moments that happen daily.
As Dwayne Perkins told me in ten mistakes comics make, recording and WATCHING your set between gigs is actually doubling your stage time, since you were probably going to do the same nonsense again without any adjustment.
Solid advice from someone that does Conan like every year.
The internet continues to democratize stand up and you need to find cheap hacks to get near Netflix quality production with $500 of consumer-level Best Buy gear.
And if you REALLY know what you’re doing, it’s totally possible.
A million bars and restaurants have epic stages for music, that has good acoustics, the brick wall, great seating, good lighting, and optimal camera placement.
Imagine if you can produce a killer show, record your fun bits and use that platform to launch yourself? That’s more or less what DryBar comedy is doing, and it’s giving the public what they want.Minus some lawsuit I heard about music or DVD rentals something.
I hope the above information helped because when I tried looking online I could hardly find anything and just kind of figured it out as I went.
If you have any suggestions, hacks, tips or corrections, please do let me know in the comments or on social media!
I’d advise it. It can serve as your master shot (a backup you cut to when another camera cut out) for the entire stage and also be very usable backup audio for either your full set or your audience laughter. Even if I have a DSLR I sometimes simply use my cell phone cause the crowd work bit was fine from the phone and that’s good enough for 1K views on Insgagram.
What if there is no DJ/Soundboard?
Then you’ll have to simply use field audio from your H4N or camera audio so your voice/jokes will be recorded from the speakers along with with the crowds hopefully awesome laughter.
You may not know Alicia Souza directly, but you’ve definitely seen her work across the country whether you realize it or not.
One of the first employees at Chumbak, and now an independent artist with her own online store, she is quite a force to be reckoned with.
She’s a full-time illustrator in India, and what that really means is she:
draws,
she sells,
she takes up design work,
she speaks,
she works from home,
she sends invoices
she deals with client briefs
she travels the world with Adobe and other brands
she social media influences
she leverages the power of Instagram for growing her business and
she pretty much lives the entrepreneurial ethos we’ve all grown accustomed to.
I just love it.
I started following Alicia years ago on her ever-popular Instagram, but of course, although we more or less “knew” of each other, we never met.
We both took similar projects, similar talks and hung out with similar people, but just never really crossed paths.
Luckily for you and me, Alicia is quirky and funny as her work would have you believe and stopped by my studio *cough* living room *cough* to talk about her journey and share the wisdom I think would benefit a ton of you.
I recently got her on my podcast, the Birdy Num Num podcast (iTunes/Spotify) to talk about design, creativity, illustration, art, comedy, her marriage, her background and more.
The major takeaways from our one hour chat are:
You have to initially take whatever you can get. Logos, restaurant menus, ad work, whatever.
Eventually, after doing that for a while, you’ll have to figure out what you want to be known for. It will be painful.
It takes time to find your voice. Alicia keeps her style the way it is because it’s true to what she wants to do, but she opens up that she didn’t really have a style.
Work just kind of got her there, and then she stuck with it. I love this kind of anti motivational nugget honesty. Real-life is just like that, sometimes things just happen.
In art, just like we’re seeing with film production…higher production values or crazier photoshop tricks doesn’t mean better. I struggled with this personally for years.
You need to learn your fundamentals and then play around and experiment. But if you don’t have that strong foundation, well…you’ll be broke and you’ll also have no creative output that fulfills you personally.
A graphic designer or illustrator does not draw all day. In fact, just like a film producer goes for meetings and budget and market research and probably is on set for a fraction of that, well, the graphic design industry feels similar. (and comedy, ditto).
How To Grow in Illustration and Graphic Design in India
The entire podcast is an hour, so if you just want to jam in the car or at the gym those audio links are above. But I wanted to also split out some of my favorite moments in which Alicia talks about something I hear daily.
“Sir, Madam, I don’t want to do engineering. I want to draw. I want to act. I want to make movies.”
“Ok have you tried to draw or act or tell someone what you like to do, or even take an online course for the price of a beer?”
“No.”
#facePalm
Alicia on Work and Life Balance
I remember taking a few weeks playing WhatsApp ping pong to finalize a day for us to shoot. And in that time I noted the timings she’d be responding to me, so I asked:
Sanjay: So you work from home, that’s nice. What’s the average day of an artist?
Alicia: I get up at 5AM, walk my dog, get started on my…
Sanjay: Wait huh?
Hustling as an artist is no joke bruv.
No wonder the Alicia Souza planner is what it is.
People like to think that “doing what you love” and “quitting engineering” are some simple, easy thing that takes guts and once you do it, everything falls into place.
*evil laugh*
I just did a talk today at Mt. Carmel for that Under 25 summit thing and in fact, I realized a lot of kids thing that.
In fact, most of us do engineering or medicine because that’s simply a blueprint instructional manual to the middle class.
But the grind of a creative entrepreneur is anything but glamorous.
Courtesy AliciaSouza.com
It’s rooted in discipline and time management that only the most seasoned managers would ever understand.
In fact, as someone who left engineering for stand up comedy, I can tell you I’ve never worked harder in my life.
How did you Find Your Style?
I have no clue about art, so thankfully Alicia gave a quick primer.
Sanjay: What’s the difference between Illustrator and Graphic Designer?
Alicia: I mean there’s a lot, but a fun definition for our purposes is that illustration is drawing, and graphic design is solving a design problem.
If you follow Alicia on Instagram and Social media, you might have realized that one of the beautiful things about these mediums is you can see the progression of a person’s work.
Experiment with different styles and you’ll be able to get so many more jobs.
Since she primarily uses it to showcase her art which also know includes peeks into her life, you get to go along for the ride and relate it to your own life.
You feel like you know her before you know her.
You see yourself in the work, you laugh at the jokes, and the wonderful illustrations of her husband and her I think can all give us all some #senti #coupleGoals.
Sanjay: How can someone find their style?
Alicia: You have to sometimes move backward. You can work for an agency and do hoardings and billboards and then use social media to create your own field on Instagram or stick figures like XKCD. It’s such an exciting time!
Alicia: Most people don’t have their style. In fact it takes time to find a style, and even longer to stick to that style. And then it evolved since then.
Birdy Num Num Podcast
Finding your style, just like finding your voice, or your passion is something you still can’t use google maps for.
Alicia Souza in 2020 | Dearest George
What’s next for Alicia?
Alicia Souza’s latest book about her husband George is set to release in January 2020, about well…life, love and the fun quirky parts about relationships!
Look for it from Penguin India.
Conclusion
It’s never been more of an exciting time to be an artist in the world. Social media hasn’t changed us many people say, but it’s exposed us.
And while that has it’s ups and downs, I’m glad to see that there is something as positive what you see with a simple scroll through Alicia’s feed.
She’s disciplined, she’s funny about her trials and tribulations and beyond everything else, she’s channeling all life throws at her into a blender and ending up with some lovely creative output.
Thanks for the chat dude!
And to the rest of you, please do follow Alicia and let me know if any of this was helpful. Would mean a lot.
Sanjay Manaktala is the host of the Birdy Num Num podcast, you’re guide to creativity from an Engineers blueprint.
In this post I’m going to explain how aspiring stand up comedians, whether in the USA or India or Singapore or anywhere can get more stage time, aside from “network.” I live in India so I may give examples here but the advice is practical anywhere. I’ll first talk about the career track of a stand-up comedian the first five years and then explain the most effective way to get on better and better stages.
TLDR: If you want something done, you gotta do it yourself.
Getting On Stage as a Comic is HARD
I’m in the US for a few months and the harsh beauty of stand up is that no matter how many credits you have on TV, how many millions of views on YouTube or how many Twitter people like you…when you’re doing this as a profession there is something you have to quickly learn and accept:
NOBODY GIVES A SHIT.
Hunting for stage time is going to be a normal part of your career. It’s like business development…no matter how cool your job is, you will have to follow up on leads, send emails, and yes, possibly…cold call.
Just like an office worker checks his emails in the morning or marketers need to offer you their products via InMail – so to do you need to be actively taking control of this craft you’ve committed yourself too.
It’s not easy, you will get A LOT of negative responses (to be fair, they’re many good people who are just busy) but eventually, you will start filling up your calendar and your own routine will be sorted.
Most comics (including myself) sit around for years thinking some magic guru will pluck them from the open mic scene, mentor them and push them up the ladder. It might happen for a few, but the reality is if you want something done, you have to do it yourself.
You’re creative with your comedy, so now get creative with your comedy career.
Stand Up Comedy Career Progression (example)
“Stick to your time” in comedy jargon also means learning to manage it.
Year 1 in Comedy: Open Mics & Overcoming Stage Fright, Hecklers, Learning to Write
Love yourself.
Hate yourself.
Question everything.
Bomb for many. Kill for a few.
Think you know everything after watching Carlin, Burr, CK, Stanhope, Hicks, Mitch, etc.. (Hint: They don’t give a fu*k about you either, but I’m sure are still amazing human beings)
Get accepted by fellow comics. Judge other ones, thinking they’re hack or sellout even though they’ve been in your exact same shoes.
Make friends. Make enemies. Many quit here.
You will put out an 8-minute clip of your standup thinking it’s awesome when in reality it’s terrible and shot on your shitty phone. Your friends laughed to be supportive and your ego will swell. You will message me and other comics to watch it. If we’re nice enough to go through it (cause that chick we’re stalking isn’t responding and we have the time), you will then overstep and ask us to share it.
Then we will block you.
I’m not being an asshole, I’ve just made this mistake and it’s the equivalent of emailing your friend’s friend who is a VP at Google with your resume when the HR department exists for a reason. Trust the process, learn the rules and then bend them. I admire the grind, and I’ve been both too aggressive and too passive.
All I can say is be patient but not complacent.
Years 2-4 in Comedy: Featured Shows + All of Year 1 Again:
Based on contacts you’ve made and crowds you’ve impressed, start getting booked at bars, birthday parties, comedy clubs, company events, etc.. Bomb at these shows and realize while open mics are required, making comics laugh and making a general Friday night office/college audience laugh aren’t the same thing.
They don’t care about your super clever pedophile joke Brad.
Continue the same hustle at open mics, maybe even hustling harder. I’m shocked in California that some of the most successful comics still go to the shittiest open mics – but that’s the same reason for their success. You should be actively announcing your existence as a comic to all your Facebook friends by now.
Now you will need them to attend shows, share better videos, give you support, etc.. And if you’re worried about your job noticing your comedy hobby or your friends judging you – then please quit now. If you don’t commit to it, you’re already setting yourself up for failure. Some of the best real gigs I’ve gotten also come because my entire social network knows I do this as that one guy on their newsfeed and will think of me when events happen. Use the tools at your disposal, not run away from them.
Know some guy who owns a restaurant? Do a show.
Have a team outing at your office? Do a show.
Wedding friends asking you to say something? Do a show at the reception bro! Or simply volunteer to emcee and squeeze in a few inside jokes, which is also great practice for writing quickly for events (ahem, award shows, TV shows, news, etc…)
Year 4-7: Headline Shows, Many Featured Shows, weekly open mics:
Same as before but now try to actively push on 30-40 minute spots, try to book your own dates at bars/venues, etc..
More heart break, a few mores successes.
Travel, spend money, and look for other avenues to have your voice reach people. Continue to get rejected but don’t even think of it like that – it’s just another day at the office, like traffic on the way to work.
Before you give up on these depressing timelines, just know that I’m in year 9 of actively doing this (and year four of doing it without a day job) and I’m barely in this bracket in India, and probably in the second bracket in the US.
So don’t worry if your timelines don’t match up. I’ve seen guys and girls doing it for a year already booking big clubs, and I’ve seen similar folks doing it 10 years and still at an open mic.
It’s commendable to think that if you just work hard and you will climb. Mama raised me the same way.
But real life isn’t so black and white.
So now that you kind of understand the process, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of the day to day.
How the hell do I actually get more shows, now that I want to do this every day?
Sundeep Rao is blind and finds gigs. And some comics are so lazy they ask him to find them shows. So come on man. Get off your ass.
Well to be blunt…while you’re learning comedy, don’t forget to learn the business of comedy.
And after the jokes, what exactly is the business? It’s about getting strangers (aka non-comics aka audience members) to come to a venue, watch comedy and ideally spend money (e.g. ticket sales or food and drinks).
If you look at this like a startup or a company, it eventually becomes fairly simple.
How To Perform More as a Comedian
YOU COULD OPEN YOUR OWN VENUE WITH ALL THE FREE TIME YOU WASTE AT CRAPPY MICS
Jokes are like your morning poops.
They never come when you plan for them but more at a time you don’t expect.
As a result, you end up having a LOT of free time. You’re waiting to perform, you’re out for coffee with friends, you’re day dreaming in your cubicle, whatever.
So what is a comedy show?
It’s a sound system (mic, speaker, mixer, stand), a venue (bar/club/coffee shop/backyard) and an audience.
Sound is a commodity, most venues have it or it can be rented cheaply. I tell every single new comic I meet in India – whether a year in or ten years in – find a venue, start a show.
You want the secret sauce to this career? THIS IS IT.
It’s the most obvious tip that I so blatantly tell you now because just like “Junk food is bad for you” most don’t want to deal with the work involved and just ignore the most obvious solution.
FIND A VENUE, START A SHOW.
Go on Yelp, Trip Advisor, Zomato, Facebook, Event Brite whatever….email restaurants and bars, speak to your friends who own or work at one – and start a fU*king show.
I spent my first year in California going to some of the worst open mics started by drug dealers and slobs because you know what…they had the balls to speak to venues and get it done and I just wanted to find a platform that already existed, no matter how shit.
Once you do this, you start getting good at online promotions, understanding the business and before you know it 20-100 people are coming to your event.
You get the stage time, you find out comics will come easily and you pretty much get into the system.
Most comics sit around and whine that they’re not getting shows or everybody is against them – but this self-destructive nature is just you scapegoating reasons for your shortcomings.
You’re waiting 4 hours to perform for 4 people – there is a much better way to utilize your time. You could spend 2 hours promoting your own pub show and have 10 people next week. It’s not hard, it’s just work.
Sanjay Manaktala who quotes himself.
The best comedy shows aren’t put together by people who are smarter than you.
They just know how to execute.
Yes You Need Online Presence:
Look at amazing comics like Joe Rogan, Bill Burr, Andrew Schulz, and the folks in India doing amazing things on YouTube/Snapchat/Facebook etc.
Things like videos and podcasts are an amazing way to utilize your downtime to reach out way more people, who then come to your shows. Even if I put out a video that bombs at 1000 views or a podcast only 500 people listen to, that’s still way more than whoever sees me at an average show.
Bro each of these boxes is like 10 hours of effort.
Over time, all these things tend to add up.
If comedy were a company, under the hierarchy you would have Stand Up Comedy (your main product), but then YouTube (your website and also your product), podcasts (your R&D and also your product) and Facebook/Twitter/Snapchat/Instagram (your marketing team and also another creative outlet of thoughts/ideas and distribution channels).
I know the analogy is not perfect, but you get the idea.
Even with Facebook and YouTube reach down, stand up Comedians can market for free to at least 1000 people (friend list) daily, yet they put ALL their efforts in the open mic that has diminishing returns. Maybe, just maybe…move the dial just 10 percent?
You need to be actively flexing your comedy muscles throughout the day in order to churn out jokes consistently.
A lot of comics say “I dunno bro, I just get inspired and then want to churn it out at the mic” but forget they’re 20 other hours to the day.
When you’re hired for TV or ad films, you think they’re gonna wait around for you to get inspired or they’re gonna ask for 10 quick jokes about Trump or Modi or whoever.
I’m not saying go be a hack online chasing followers by copying stolen memes and Facebook pirating other videos – but work on all aspects of your product.
I hate Twitter (and snapchat) but I’m trying to understand why they work, and to some degree I get it. Tightening a thought down to 140 characters and saying something people resonate with is a fantastic skill to have which improves the way your brain thinks about new ideas or current events. And if you get 1000 RT’s on a Trump in Korea newsbite, guess who’s citing your tweet on CNN.com which is then booking you at a better show next week?
Happens all the time bro. This wasn’t even that great a tweet but thanks fam.
People like snapchat because it’s personal, and some people do better on a Snap view count than the $1K video they spent money on.
Someone like Bill Burr doesn’t need to put out his podcast weekly as I’m sure he’s busy or tired from all the crazy shows he does – but he also knows millions of people him discovered him through this platform and now it’s vital to what it does, aka packing his shows. (There is actually a video somewhere in which Bill talks about recording his podcast on a Voicemail because that was the only way to do it at the time!!!!)
Comics who have paid their time at the open mics/grind but also know how to play this social game have so many more tools in their arsenals, and that helps them book bigger shows and draw bigger crowds.
Promoters and clubs are still trying to run a business (and believe it or not, many just love comedy and want to break even) and care about seats, not that you’re funnier than the guy on stage. He’s working in 20 other things behind the scene, while you’re not.
So get to it.
I once heard (I forgot where) that a comedian without Twitter is like a rapper without a mix-tape – meaning you need to advertise like everybody else bro.
Networking (SIGH)
Real-life is not a meritocracy, and you know it.
I’ve met investment bankers making $300,000 a year that I knew were the DUMBEST dudes in college, and I’ve met some of the smartest people living off of peanuts (and vice versa).
And in comedy, people booking the shows aren’t going to always book you because you’re the funniest. They just have a room to run and need to get people in the seats and leaving happy.
Guys will think hot girls are getting stage time for the most obvious reason, others will think this person is on stage because they’re rich or always bring people – but to be honest, who gives a shit?
The problem with this business is it’s so personal, and comics always want you to loosen up for their jokes but can’t really loosen up themselves.
You will meet and work with so many people in this career that you can’t afford to make cliques with fellow comics or stop meeting/shunning new people.
So many comics whine and crib, while others are just nice to everyone and do their shit.
Which one do you want to be?
CONCLUSION
Being honest, genuine and of course funny is still the most important thing you need to do in comedy, but there’s one last point most people forget…comedy isn’t about the one hour you shine on stage, it’s about the 23 hours you grind off it.
Even if you have the best app, or the best product, or the best restaurant…who in this digital age of expensive news feed real estate is going to take the time to care? So many restaurants don’t want to invest in Yelp, so many businesses don’t care about having a Facebook…but those less talented ones that do are the ones who are getting the stage time…and then getting better than those same businesses.
I urge you…please…focus on what you do off the stage and you’ll get plenty of more chances on it.
These days everybody who gets bored with the rat race thinks at 30 they should start a bar.
Many try.
Few succeed.
I’m fascinated by the current craft beer and microbrewery craze in India.
Bira, Big Brewsky, and all of those others folks brewing stuff that we pretend to understand the meaning of.
“Oh wow, this one has more hops, and this one is a more smoky and nutty flavor? Ok awesome!”
Right.
Regardless of the brewpub culture and beer snobs, there is one place since I moved to Bangalore that very quickly became synonymous with the city of Bengaluru.
Toit.
Or as the co-owner, Sibi Venkataraju corrects me in my podcast…Toit “Brewpub.”
A great talk about drinking and alcohol with a pub owner. Loved it.
How Do You Start a Microbrewery In India?
You get used to meeting government officials and navigating through permits and laws.
I moved to Bangalore in 2010 and I remember the hearing buzz about a new restaurant that opened up.
Flash forward a couple of visits, I was introduced to Sibi since I was also doing a lot of stand up comedy in the city.
I distinctly remember him telling me he left a corporate job in Singapore at some boutique IT firm to open up this behemoth venue.
My first thought was…why?
Why Quit your Job To Start a Restaurant?
Why would you leave a cushy place like Singapore, to come to India, fight with regulators and corrupt folks to open up a liquor venue…in a specialty that isn’t even defined at the time the way a normal pub or restaurant or bar might be?
I mean, opening up a bar or restaurant scares me in my core.
Million-dollar bars and restaurant wipe out people’s life savings when the government decides almost overnight to change this rule or that. Are you nuts bro?
I didn’t say that to him of course.
Thankfully my podcast has been growing (or brewing?) and and after a few months of hounding him (To be fair, he was busy opening up Toit in Pune), Sibi finally stopped by my studio aka my house to talk about how one can open a microbrewery in Bangalore and also doing life lessons on doing business in India.
These days everyone is trying to open up a craft beer place.
Investors are eager to dump money in…and just like stand up comedy we’re seeing in India, it’s going to quickly all start feeling the same while also letting a few stars who are unique shine through.
That being said, I loved what Sibi had to say.
No need to watch for listen, I’ve included them here but paraphrased some big takeaways if you don’t have the time. (I know you do though).
Lessons from India’s Microbrewery Industry
On being the best at what you’re known for
If you do most things better than most people, you’ll do fine. Toit got a headstart in the market but kept their USP as great beer, no judgments, and a unique branding/style.
On Social Media
Sibi is not really into social media gimmicks, which I sort of disagree with. But we had an engaging discussion on when you need it (e.g. Come in now and get 50% off by using our hashtag!) and when you just focus on good food and beer. Places like Social in Koramangala and Khar do it well, but Toit hasn’t really needed to. But should you even if the business is fine? (e.g. or have a cute sign that people want to post on their Instagram or make your food look hip enough get filtered)
You’re only NEW once. Will you make the most of it?
People like new, but by its own definition, the word has an expiry date. How will you stand out with a bang? How will you REALLY make use of your first-mover advantage and not just be complacent? (Toit shy’s away from crazy live event nights or Karaoke)
On that creative itch nagging you while you’re in your cubicle
If you have a creative itch, it’s not going to go away. Unlike what your mom says…scratch it often and scratch it early.
On having one clearly defined goal
Their goal was always to not just be one of the best breweries in Bangalore or to be a successful restaurant, but to be known for “sending it since 2010” and be one of those classic institutions you relate the city’s name with. Ask any Bandra kid visiting Bangalore and you’ll hear them go “BROOOO TOIT BROOOO.”
How I envision most Bandra or Indiranagar 21 year olds.
On having Humility
Humility to recognize your good fortune was the possibly right place and the right time. (e.g. Would Toit or Windmills or Bira be as successful had they started today, with a more crowded market and a more educated consumer? Who knows).
Bangalore’s Bar Scene
Sibi and I also talked about a few other very important topics that are near and dear to my heart. Specifically:
Do we need to learn to control our alcohol? And the real reasons why we drink?
Guys who roll 10 guys into a place and expect a miracle to happen for them.
Why some bars and pubs survive in Bangalore and why others don’t.
Joking around about the Bangalore nightlife culture.
TOIT Tales from the Birdy Num Num Podcast
The whole chat is on this channel in increments, the one hour video should be out by August 2019.
India’s beer industry is changing, yet just like the comedy market, youTube market and pretty much any market…if you don’t stay true to your guns you’ll disappear in a crowded space.
You can learn a lot about yourself by consuming alcohol, but you can also learn a lot about the human condition by selling it.
Specifically, in business, in life, in relationships and anything else…The only thing harder than getting to the top is staying there.
In this post, I’m going to explain some real advice on how you can actually build followers on Instagram and social media by working in fashion blogs. Special thanks to Aswathi Balakrishnan for the inputs on the Birdy Num Num podcast.
Be warned, being a top fashion blogger in India or anywhere, especially on Instagram, is competitive and difficult. The hunt for more followers can be challenging…but not impossible.
If I can do it, anyone can.
Aswathi Balakrishnan, Social Media Influencer and Leading Blogger in India
Fashion blogging and Instagram influencer marketing are doable by anyone. But it’s real work bro.
How Do You Become a Fashion Blogger?
I started to wonder, in an increasingly crowded space, how do you maintain your creativity and identity, where unlike in comedy or acting or singing, somebody else could wear the same outfit or modify your copy (captions) and take a similar point of view?
So I reached out into my network to see who would want to talk about it.
And luckily Aswathi is one of the top influencers in Bangalore, is awesome and recognizes the more you have nothing to hide or disclose the more you succeed.
The full clips and snippets are below, but basically what I took away from the chat was that being a model or blogger on Instagram is a lot of planning, dedication, client work, and brand building.
Introducing Aswathi Balakrishnan
Aswathi is also one of the top south Indian fashion bloggers, beauty bloggers, and most knowledgable social media marketers in the country and also kills it in the Instagram and digital marketing game.
To the newcomer who simply thought it’s about pretty pictures and easy money (I apologize wholeheartedly), it is much more than that.
In fact, dare I say…you can learn a lot from a style or makeup blogger to apply (pun, get it) to your own social media marketing strategies.
What is a Fashion Blog?
Sanjay: So what’s a fashion blog? Is it Instagram? Or writing? I’m confused.
Aswathi: A fashion blog is loosely defined as a blog, or Instagram post, or youTube channel with the goal of promoting lifestyle, fashion and more. As the personal brand of the individual expands, you’ll see more and more content around fashion, travel, makeup, beauty, wellness, technology, etc…
Sanjay: I see…
Birdy Num Num podcast
Before, some context on the social media and fashion blogging craze, hot of the press from last week:
Zara’s Indian partner just announced a cheaper fashion chain of Instagram styles it plans to bring to stores.
You will literally see something on your feed on Monday.
Buy it on Tuesday
As is the case with fast fashion, wash it twice and then never wear it again.
Oh Lord, help us.
WHY are FASHION BLOGS and BLOGGERS IMPORTANT?
We live in a world that is changing daily.
People with cell phone videos are quickly becoming more credible than outdated news reporters, kids are funnier than industry protected celebrities, and in the world of fashion…the eyeballs are moving to creativity, individual styles, and social media.
In fact, you don’t need to see it to believe it, you’re already living it.
Chances are you probably saw way more subtle advertising on your Instagram feed this morning than Hermes or H&M catalogs you read.
Influencing is now, in 2019, actually becoming…well…influencing.
Instagram’s Influencer Marketing in India
Is the Instagram “GRID” the future of shopping?
As a stand-up comedian, my first observation from the world was simply looking at girls trying to be models on Instagram.
I’ve always been fascinated by girls who get 5000 likes on a selfie.
And a little jealousy, fine.
But growing up I dismissed it as, pardon my candor…just hot girls getting likes because dudes in Indore have free time.
That’s me talking about the Wanderlust ladies in 2017.
Also, as a content creator, especially one above 30 I was probably more annoyed at how I spend 60K INR (1K USD) to make a video with camera’s and editing and food and labor and cabs and crew and TIME…and these girls put up a pouty selfie on a 4-second boomerang and get 1M views.
This fashion blogging is some bullsh*t…Or so I thought. Jio is a blessing and a curse.
Then years back I had cast Aswathi through my other friend Varun Agarwal in one of my sketch comedy maid videos with Sumukhi Suresh and I, and my eyes had opened up.
Through my non-designer sunglasses of course. So here we are.
Watch for Aswathi and me in the last maid comedy video I created.
What is Fashion Blogging?
This industry is some serious work.
There’s a right way to do it (Aswathi) and a wrong way to do it. (I leave no names).
But the same industry can be ripe for abuse.
Problems of Fashion Blogging (India or anywhere):
abuse by copycats,
ulterior motives and…
just like we’re seeing with stand up comedy…a game set up for easy cash and then commodity.
Top fashion influencers in India like Santoshi Shetty and Komal Pandey share their style tips, charge money for influencing and help brands build buzz on their sales and product launches.
In a simplified SanjayComedy.com definition, on top of the great definition above, Fashion Blogging is also
posting content about fashion to build awareness and engagement through fashion blog mediums (as mentioned above, IG, WordPress, twitter, etc..)
inspire and influence increasingly fashionable consumers
ultimately drive sales
attend industry events, brand activations, etc…
Massive digital marketing.
What isn’t Fashion Blogging?
Not having a strategy
Not having a goal in mind (e.g. thinking to yourself that you want to be the top Instagram blogger for Ray-Ban)
Not planning posts (not using apps like Planoly or whatever is popular to plan your next 30 posts).
Randomly putting out an image of you and your cat. Called “off brand” in the business.
A lot of girls (and guys) get 10K IG followers, quit their job and then realize later when the audience has moved onto the next person.
“Oh wow, you have to promote your local pizzeria, think long and hard about your style choices, create a WordPress blog also.” (e.g. What do these Fashion bloggers do if IG makes you pay for reach tomorrow?) and also find a way to monetize your audience.
How Much do Fashion Bloggers earn in India?
Top bloggers like Santoshi Shetty and Komal Pandey can charge anywhere between 10,000 INR for an IG story to more than 5 lakh for a full-on post.
The range all depends on:
the product,
how many organic followers the person has
the budget (duh)
if any barter is involved (e.g. keep a free phone worth 50,000 INR)
the audience (e.g. is it a million dollar Infosys product or just a biryani nearby)
the number of posts aka deliverables.
What are Deliverables in Fashion Blogging?
Number of Instagram posts
Number of Tweets
Number of Retweets (from brand’s twitter)
Number of Instagram Stories
Number of youTube Videos
Number of Facebook Shares (from Brand’s page)
Number of Native Facebook Posts (on your page to your audience)
Fashion Blogging isn’t Easy
This is a serious plan, with strategy, metrics, techniques and of course, styles.
You need to do market research, understand trends, see how best to engage with audiences and what the market is looking for.
Just like anybody in comedy can tell a couple of dirty jokes, anybody on Instagram can put up a pic.
And just like with comedy, context and purpose can be everything.
Quality is a Different Quantity
A person with 10K followers who gets 1K likes per post is way more valuable than someone with 100K followers with 100 likes per post.
(And yes Sharon, both of those pages have organic followers. But that’s how much engagement varies.)
What Does an Influencer Do Daily?
Social Media influencing has come a long way worldwide. But I’ve always wondered what does it really mean to be a fashion blogger or “influencer”?
And how is social media influencing different or unique in India, with so much more Instagram likes, comments, and also…strange social media behavior?
Like I get that they have to keep up with the latest fashion trends in India, they’re some of the most viewed profiles of Indian girls on Instagram, and the term is synonymous with “Indian Instagram models” (well any country actually) or modeling.
And yes creepy dudes like to slide into your DM’s everywhere.
Aswathi basically summed it up that she plans her week out, she goes on shoots, she answers emails from brands, she plans out her GRID on her feed (the front page of your brand), and for those brands that she’s really keen to work with…it’s ok to be proactive. She also makes it a point to not read those strange messages.
But ultimately your work speaks for itself.
In the Instagram fashion blogging world…your resume IS your work.
Brands take 10 seconds to quickly scan your feed and then decide from there.
Is Jio reducing the value of a LIKE?
I also have this theory I’m working on to explore in my podcast and stand up comedy shows that Jio and cheap internet is creating an artificial bubble in the likes/comments/advertising game.
Example: Some girl at your gym has 1M Instagram followers for honestly nothing more than looking very nice. She’s not an actor, she’s not a fitness coach, she’s not a comedian or a writer…she just…is.
If a million people follow her and 90% of those are from some small village or Bangladesh or wherever…does it really make sense for that person to get 5L to post a pic holding up a $100 shampoo saying “#NowOnAmazon? Is anyone in Bangladesh going to buy that shampoo ever?
Is a potential bubble going to burst across the world because guys in a net cafe in Dhaka are liking every single Instagram pic with cleavage they see?
Luckily Aswathi is fully aware of the situation, but like a filmmaker who can’t do anything but to ignore the massive problem of piracy, you just gotta keep moving the ball forward and not get involved in things that don’t affect your business.
Redefining the term NONE OF YOUR “BUSINESS!”
Ok sorry, had to.
But in a nutshell…You know your brand, you know your strategy and in deep in your heart of hearts, you know where you’re adding value and where you’re not.
Conclusion
These days everybody wants to be YouTube or Instagram celebrity, but most don’t realize that as with anything in life, nothing is as easy as it seems.
You will see that guy or girl from your college who explodes overnight or gets a movie or viral video, but for the majority of us, we need a much more thoughtful approach.
You’d rather build a strong loyal audience than aim for masses.
If you don’t believe me, look at how long any social media person has been posting and you can most likely trace their first posts and see their grind/struggle until something clicked.
Go slow to go fast as my friend Rajiv Satyal says.
TL;DR: Quality over Quantity leads to Quantity you Want (Followers)
For anybody who wants to know how to succeed in this game and build real followers and engagement, I urge you to listen to the clips above or simply follow Aswathi on Instagram!
