Going with recent trends and latest models of vehicles has always helped. Another handy source are my subscribers themselves, they come forward with great suggestions for me to work on. Understanding the audience has always given me the upper hand with content.
1. Tell us about your background and journey.
I was born into a very normal, middle class family in Thrissur, Kerala. Growing up, like most boys, bikes always fascinated me. After my 12th grade, I started working for a private company only to satisfy my growing wish for a brand new bike. It is around this time, that I ventured into content creation which is now my major career. My passion for bikes and cars eventually became a responsibility to my growing subscribers. I loved being able to present what everybody wanted to know/understand about automobiles. So, I now have two YouTube channels, namely Arun Smoki and Arun Smoki Vlogs, and fairly popular accounts on Instagram and Facebook as well.
2. When did you first decide that you wanted to create content and how did you start?
It was 2019 and I had noticed a series of bike accidents in Kerala. The careless behavior among the youth had upset me at the time and I saw a grave need for spreading awareness on safe and responsible driving/riding. I wanted to share the knowledge I had regarding the matter, so I created a video explaining everything I knew. The response I received for this video, is the major reason why I saw potential in an exclusive automobile channel on YouTube. This was also a medium for me to present all the research I had done on various bikes ever since I had access to the internet. The channel soon became a success marking 50k subscribers in two months. Now, my channel Arun Smoki has over 1 million subscribers and Arun smoki Vlogs has over 2.6 Lakh Subscribers. It has been an amazing journey so far.
3. Is vlogging and YouTube content creation a financially sustainable career?
I did not begin my YouTube career with hopes of making a living out of it. It started as awareness, grew into a passion and it is a way of life now. On tapping into the right audience and trends, content creation gives you endless possibilities to achieve financial stability.
In my case, all it took was two and a half years of consistent work to fulfilling my dream of buying my own house, a bike and a car.
4. Who is your favorite creator and why?
Almost every content creator in Malayalam YouTube community is wonderfully talented. It would be very difficult to pick a name. They are all very good friends and have always been extremely supportive.
5. How and where do you find inspiration to churn out content?
For me, content rarely came through sudden inspirations. It mostly came from through persistent research and my desire to learn about every new bike or car. Going with recent trends and latest models of vehicles has always helped. Another handy source are my subscribers themselves, they come forward with great suggestions for me to work on. Understanding the audience has always given me the upper hand with content.
6. What does your typical day look like?
My day typically starts and ends with processes closely related to my social media. I’m either researching, shooting new videos, making Instagram reels, editing them or I’m on the road in search of the most exquisite vehicles I can get my hands on. These vehicles hunts mostly end up as very memorable road trips with my friends.
Even during the lockdown, my research and the videos that I make from home have kept the platforms active throughout.
7. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring creators?
This is something I repeatedly say, “Don’t ever give up”. Don’t let the negative comments bring you down. Choose your field of interest, create fresh content, create new trends and don’t let anybody or anything get in the way of your passion.
- Arun
- YouTube: Arun Smoki
- Interviewed By Lakshme Priyaa
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