Creator Economy Summit 2023 Highlights: Ananya Birla on prioritising health and family over meetings; Nothing more important than your loved ones

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"I am risk taker. A lot of fun stuff coming up. We are building a fun consumer brand. You can't fool customers, I think it is good. If an influencer is good and honest, consumers can see through it. People have become very intelligent now," says Ananya Birla.

"I am not a careful person at all. I dropped out of Oxford. Svatantara wouldn't have been what it is today if I hadn't dropped out. My parents were very supportive," says Ananya Birla.

There is nothing more important than your own health and your loved ones. Board meetings can wait. Time for myself and loved ones is the most important. Meetings can wait, says Ananya Birla.

"The most important thing on social media is to remain authentic. Being born in the Birla family meant my life was already planned before I plan. No girl from the family was involved in the family business. All of them were married by 22, I am 29," says Ananya Birla.

I am a bit too attached to my parents, mom and dad are my best friends. I cannot imagine a life without them. There was guilt in my life initially on why I was born in the Birla family. Why am I here and why is there a girl on the streets. My name does not bring pressure, it brings pride: Ananya Birla

"Music industry folks told me drop my last name...people told me listeners are not clicking on music because of my last name despite my music being good. Kurt Cobain from Nirvana has inspired me a lot," says Ananya Birla, noted as both a singer and business leader.

I don't really have a social life. I am in the studio in the morning and night. The day is for office work... I am at the gym in the middle of the day: Ananya Birla, singer and business leader.

"The great part about content creation is that it is a platform for everyone. One can make it and release it at the same time...As a creator I believe the one thing that's needed is to be remembered and visible. I also use the platform to go somewhere else, someone bigger. Social media is the best way to monetise your art," says Sai Godbole, Singer, Actor, Dancer and Digital Content Creator.

"The great part about content creation is that it is a platform for everyone. One can make it and release it at the same time...As a creator I believe the one thing that's needed is to be remembered and visible. I also use the platform to go somewhere else, someone bigger. Social media is the best way to monetise your art," says Sai Godbole, Singer, Actor, Dancer and Digital Content Creator.

Getting famous on the internet is easy but getting the trust of people is the hard part. The biggest fear of a creator is not criticism or trolling but people forgetting you or becoming irrelevant, says Madan Gowri, Entrepreneur and Digital Content Creator.

For lot of creators, the one thing that's important is the legacy we leave behind...the other thing that I really want is to have a business that sets apart from content creation: Content creator Niyati Mavinkurve.

All humans want certain things from life. If the content creation industry is giving me something to earn, that's the first thing, then it's the security that people like and love it, and next comes the question of what is the purpose of the content we create...We need to think what will we be remembered after several years: Content creator Abhiraj Rajadhyaksha.

I'm not saying money is not important, it does give a validation. But more than that I'm genuinely passionate about what I'm doing. If I wake up tomorrow and someone said I can't dance or sing then I don't know what I'm living for as I'm very passionate about all these things: Sai Godbole, Singer, Actor, Dancer and Digital Content Creator.

I always wanted to be influential, I always wanted people to listen to what I say...Indian-Pakistan Match was happening, I posted a picture with some Pakistani fans I took some time ago in Sri Lanka...I got more trolled for that picture. The secret is, these guys now know I exist. I want to be known in Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir and in New York...Because every Youtuber who comes into this will look for gaining fame and not money: Madan Gowri, Entrepreneur and Digital Content Creator.

"We have a love-hate relationship with fame. WHen you first taste fame you love it, but in the long term it does not solve the purspose you intended to in the first place. Fame does create an impact but it does not solve all the problems. Last year we were in Bengaluru, someone came to me and said that they feel after watching our videos, there is still hope to stay in India. This is what we want to change through content," says content creator Abhiraj Rajadhyaksha.

Viraj, Founder of Monk Entertainment Channel on YouTube, says: Content creator job looks very easy from the outside, people think it is just sitting in front of camera and talking. But doing one or two will be okay, but doing 2000s of videos with research is hard.

"I did not start out to be a content creator, I just started posting videos on things I was passionate about...This eventually led me to bettering my skills. My motivation is to think what new that I can do everyday," says Sai Godbole, Singer, Actor, Dancer and Digital Content Creator.

Niyati Mavinkurve finds motivation in audience engagement, while Abhiraj Rajadhyaksha discusses struggles of balancing public figure and private persona roles

Niyati Mavinkurve says: My motivating factor is engaging with the audience and the feedback we receive. Knowing that people get some value from my content.

Abhiraj Rajadhyaksha says: We are also a public figure but we are also a private person...balancing these responsibilities become a challenge sometimes.

"I have not missed scheduling and uploading a single video for 2,500 days now. Viraj introduced me to integration until then all I knew was we can earn money only from Google Ads. The impact we have from people we never even met in our life, is the biggest motivation for me to go ahead," says Madan Gowri, Entrepreneur and Digital Content Creator.

We have taken an approach that, if the writer wants we can be their agency for print, radio episodes, movie rights everything, says Ranjeet Pratap Singh, Co-Founder and CEO, Pratilipi.

All the tools that help creators build content, are fantastic investment opportunities, says Mayank Khanduja, Partner, Elevation Capital

"AI is increasing the output of what creators are producing. In Kuku FM, earlier if a person needed 10 hours to create an episode, they are able to do it in 3 hours now," says Lal Chand Bisu, Co-Founder and CEO, Kuku FM.

"Monetisation is lot more easier now. It was never the money being the issue, it was having medium and tools like UPI. The bigger inflection was also the need to have critical mass looking quality content. Hotstar brought this high quality differentiated content with Game of Thrones and IPL online and people were ready to pay," says Ranjeet Pratap Singh, Co-Founder and CEO, Pratilipi.

"When one person is creating their own follower base to create a hedge and then build their business over it, why not invest. Now we will look at it as how ambitious the person is about it, whether it’s a merchandising business or a generational business that they are looking to build," says Mayank Khanduja, Partner, Elevation Capital.

"10 years ago, the only opportunities for individuals was to do business or work at a job. But this opportunity for individual to do something meaningful for themselves be it singing, dancing or educating someone, and create an impact, that’s a generational shift we are betting on," says Madhukar Sinha, Founding Partner, India Quotient.

YouTube is like a classroom, viewers dive deep for entertainment and infotainment, says Zeel Patel, Cyberzeel, Content Creator.

Lifestyle brands engage better on Instagram, infotainment brands engage better on YouTube, says Ayush Shukla, Founder & CEO, Finnet Media.

Brands are getting picky be choosey to integrate themselves into influencer authenticity. Hence the influencer marketing model is changing rapidly, says Harshil Karia, Founder, Schbang, adds, "Gen Z is very unforgiving. For a brand to sync with the influencer so that the viewer syncs with influencer’s content is key."

"I see us as a business school on the internet. My competition is not with content creators, it's IIM professors. In a 20 minute video, we just have a 1 minute integration. If you give that much value and take 1 minute of time, people understand the effort," Ganesh Prasad, Think School, Content Creator.

"To be a good finance content creator it takes a combination: go deep in your understanding of a Fintech product that you want to talk about, make the right connects and work really hard. Combination of multiple things to make successful business model. First pick something you are good at and passionate about. Second making the right connections. Third work hard," says Sharan Hegde, CEO, 1% Club.

"Sebi cannot regulate every single content. Sebi can regulate its regulated entities. Regulation should be segmented, with more oversight over people with a larger following like with over one million followers. Content should be regulated but not entirely banned. If the right content is served, in a simple format. It will be good for the market. Content should be regulated but not banned," says Anil Choudhary, Partner, Finsec Law Advisors.

"Non disclosure (of consideration received) is the widest abuse. One rule that finfluencers flout is non disclosures. But we need to differentiate between fraud versus bad advice," says Manisha Kapoor, CEO, ASCI.

"Personal finance content isn't as sexy as trading advice. That’s why number of crypto accounts are more than equity accounts. How do I make advice, such as tax saving or good insurance?" says Sharan Hegde, CEO, 1% Club.

"We need to talk about paid advertising, licensing and digital public good. Can there be a public good, an infrastructure where various stakeholders can report bad elements? We monetise investors through their lifecycle so we can't let their finger burn for a few trades. We have a compliance team with a fraud detection and digital hygiene unit where we scan not only for finfluencers but other partners who are selling F&O content in our name. We are taking steps," says Prabhakar Tiwari, Chief Growth Officer, Angel One.

Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. The problem is when the content isn't created in the interest of the end user. The issue is in areas where you are breaching the line of speech and expression, says Anil Choudhary, Partner, Finsec Law Advisors.

It's good for the more established influencers in this space to demand better accountability from their peers and the industry. I think the risk is real. Both health and wealth are important. It is important that the more established players start demanding more from their peers. The objective that everyone has is the same. Keep the consumer safe," says Manisha Kapoor, CEO, ASCI

"Like everything else, (trading) involves risk. If an 18 year old can elect a Chief Minister, then they can make other choices too. Like everything else. There is a fair degree of risk. We are a business which is three decades old. Finfluencers are around a decade old," says Prabhakar Tiwari, Chief Growth Officer, Angel One.


"We are on the side of the investor. We cannot do something mischievous for short term gain, My heart goes out to the community (finfluencer) because they are making education accessible like never before," adds Tiwari.

Media companies business model depends on volumes. Content creators spend time and effort on it. Content creators also can connect more with Gen Z, says Sharan Hegde, CEO, 1% Club.

Talk to us, you are creative people. Tell us a model that could work, says Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan, Whole-time member, Sebi.

"Our job is not to create a nanny state..what I would love to see from content creators is high quality education. If you were advising your brother or mother, what advice would you give them? You wouldn't worry about who is paying you", says Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan, Whole-time member, Sebi.

Overall people are making money in the securities market. The ecosystem as a whole is generating wealth. Our job is to ensure financial stability is not at risk and there is disclosure, says Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan, Whole-time member, Sebi.

We are concerned that there will be breakdown in the trust of the ecosystem if investors are pushed too much. If you provide investment advice for consideration, you are an investment advisor, whether you like it or not. You are required to register yourself, says Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan, Whole-time member, Sebi.

"Asset allocation will help in long term wealth creation. You choose how you want to allocate and your returns are sorted. Find out what your risk appetite is, invest and then do nothing. Mathematically, that is the best way to make money," says Gopalakrishnan.


A research paper shows that variation in returns is not based on timings or stocks. It is 90 percent based on asset allocation. Peer reviewed reports suggest that find out what your risk appetite is and put together your portfolio and do nothing. This is your best chance to make money: Gopalakrishnan.

"Sebi is also a very, very consultative regulator. We have advisory committees, have consultation papers, read every single reply that comes in. The whole process is interactive. But what is good education? And what is outright fraud? SEBI is a consultative regulator and we are trying to figure this out from our consultantion paper," says Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan, SEBI whole-time member.

"We need good quality financial education to come in. That is the underlying principle for capital formation. We need good quality investor education to get people into capital markets. That is the underlying principle," says Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan.

"There's this lovely paper by Barber and Odean called Men will be Men, which raises the question who makes for better investors. No prices for guessing: it is women. According to an old research paper: Who make better investors? Men or women. The answer is women," Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan says.

"It finds that women behaviourally are less confident, therefore they trade less and therefore they loose less. Men are opposite: More confident, more trading, more loss," Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan adds.


"What I learned from research paper is that men trade more because they are more confident and lose more. Like most casinos the house always wins. Peer reviewed advice is don’t do too many trading,"
Gopalakrishnan says.

"Short form video as a category would help democratise access not just to consumption but also to creation. YouTube on the living room has been our fastest growing surface in India for the last five years," saysIshan John Chatterjee, Director, YouTube India.

Ishan John Chatterjee, Director, YouTube India, says: "India is a very critical market for YouTube. Some of our recent launches has come to market working specifically towards the Indian user. A good example is our short form video service YouTube Shorts. India was one of the first markets where YouTube Shorts was launched since we are a mobile first country with many young people who increasingly have smartphones in their pockets."

Ishan John Chatterjee, Director, YouTube India, says, "Our journey as a platform has mirrored India's own digital transformation and the growth of the creator economy. We are very focused on making sure that we are the best platform for our creators."

Suniel Shetty expressed a desire to represent the country in sports, says the dream now realized through his son-in-law, KL Rahul.

I wanted to play for the country. That is being manifested through my son in law (KL Rahul), says Shetty.

"When I was actor, I invested in real estate. Now, it is startups. Lot of startups came to me. The first thing I asked is are you going to give equity. I was one of the first actors in the game": Suniel Shetty

I keep telling young parents that put your child in sports. You overthink only when you are lonely. On your journey up there in any industry, the number of people you take along makes the difference: Suniel Shetty

"I believed I will be the next Mr Bachchan. Everyone believes that. But when I stepped back, I realised let me do action and the death defying stunts. But to last in films, you have to act. I learnt that along the way. Martial arts taught me patience and consistent. For me, discipline is freedom. Because you have to pay a price for discipline, says the Actor-Entrepreneur.

Suniel Shetty says,"the discipline of life is the only thing that will see you through. If you are consistent and committed, you will see it through."

"I couldn't bounce back at a certain point because nobody was willing to put the money on me. When you don't have an option, you don't have to give up. I reinvented myself when it came to fitness. For the generation of today, offline is as important as online. I believe it is easy to be happy with my gym, dal chawal. But very difficult to look happy. Then I need those 5 dishes," says Shetty.

"I don't believe I am special. I accepted failure when my films didn't work. I made bad choices. Picture nahin chali toh nahin chali. I stepped back and a new world was available. I get a lot of love and affection wherever I go. But that doesn't always translate to ticket sales. I enjoyed ruling the box office for a few years. How many people get that?" says actor & entrepreneur Suniel Shetty.

"Because of young creators and startups, you want to back them. Also because they are damn good at what they do. Earlier, actors really just invested in real estate. Earlier, actors really just invested in real estate and just leave it be. Today times have changed. That's why you see sportspersons and actors invest in startups," says Suniel Shetty

My favourite cricketer in today's time is Virat Kohli. KL is my son. You don't talk about family. Virat is the master or chasing, says Suniel Shetty

If you are a content creator, this one is for you. From trailblazer tools to behind-the-scene snapshots to expert insights, there's something for everybody here.

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Catch Suniel Shetty and Niharika Nm among our incredible lineup of leaders, Content Creators and Influencers.

Leaders unravel the dynamics of value creation at the MC Creator Summit. Join the panel discussion with Mayank Khanduja,Madhukar Sinha,Lal Chand Bisu and Ranjeet Pratap Singh. Together, they delve deep into the creator economy, gaining insights from founders and investors

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We have a mix of top thought leaders, creators, investors, entrepreneurs, policy makers and senior Government officials for this summit. Some of these include SEBI Whole-Time Member Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan, YouTube India Director Ishan John Chatterjee, Actor-Investor- Entrepreneur Suniel Shetty, Singer-Business Leader Ananya Birla, hugely influential Content Creators like Niharika NM, Sharan Hegde, Zeel Patel, Ganesh Prasad, Rohit Raj, and many other brand and agency heads.

Prepare to be enthralled by our stellar lineup of speakers, featuring esteemed personalities like Anantha Narayan G, Whole Time Member of SEBI, renowned actor Suniel Shetty, and Ishan John Chatterjee, Director of YouTube India, just to name a few. Click here to watch

Hosted by Moneycontrol, India's premier financial news platform under the Network18 group, the Creator Economy Summit is the definitive forum for the most consequential debates about the state of this sector, the challenges, and the contours of the future. For this inaugural edition, we have chosen the theme – Creation, Innovation, Monetisation – as the talking point, to showcase the optimism and resilience of Indian content creators. Know all about the summit here