Prasad Vidhate - Being Consistent At Your Work and Constantly Practicing Your Art Form Can Work Wonders for You (Actor)

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

I had a very normal childhood like anyone from a middle class background. My father being a professor of course education was of utter importance in our family and as a result I not only did my bachelors in Civil engineering but also completed my masters in construction management in 2019. I was hooked to the magic of theatre at a very early age.

For a long period of time I worked with different theatre groups trying to master the art as acting was my first love. After being a backstage artist for a while and also sometimes playing small roles, I soon realized that I have to create my own opportunities. So I founded the art circle of my college and started to work with like minded people, As there were not many around.

I not only directed my first play but acted, wrote and danced in it as well. Since then I have worked in 17-18 different plays with different groups and won prizes and appreciation for my acting and directorial skills. Have Participated in various competitions all over Pune and I also worked in a few with a commercial approach and have been admitted to the prestigious National School of Drama, twice.

Soon, I stumbled upon YouTube and was met with instant success, 46K views in a day, setting a show for a play can be really expensive whereas this medium was not only cheap but also had a wider audience. I soon realized it and started studying YouTube analytics, monetization, content etc.

I also worked with different YouTube channels and content creators where I again tried to learn the in's and out's of shooting and editing. In 2019 again I started my own channel and since then I have been trying to post creative content regularly.

2. When did you first decide that you wanted to create content and how did you start?

As I mentioned earlier when I realized that I can reach a really large audience in a less period of time, I wanted to try my hand at the medium. I was doing sketches and I was just trying to find my voice. In 2019 I went on a cycling expedition to leh ladakh and I had this idea of documenting the trip in the form of vlogs.

I used to watch the vlogs of prajakta koli , mumbaikar nikhil and the flying beast and they were kind of entertaining. And I thought of doing it myself. In a 8 day trip I made 8 vlogs which earned me 800 subscribers and since then I am creating vlogs , sketches and rom com and drama web series.

3. Is vlogging and YouTube content creation a financially sustainable career?

No, not at all there was absolutely no income when I started. I put in my own savings at times to get the job done. My channel is not monetized yet but I am pretty sure with some more efforts and some good content I will get there. This medium is not like the theatre where there is an instant exchange of money.

But recently after hitting 100K, I have been approached by different brands for collaboration, so keeping my fingers crossed that hopefully in the next few months there will be some kind of monetary benefit so I can create better content.

4. Who is your favourite creator and why?

Flying beast hands down. When I started with this venture Bhuvan Bam , Prajakta Koli, Ashish Chanchalani were all making really great content and I always followed them. I like the content of ranveer as well on the beer biceps channel. But recently I am following Gaurav Taneja very closely, he is running 3 different channels with 3 different types of content which is quite a big thing.

He is someone who was doing a full time job (which even I am doing) is posting consistently which is quite motivating. These people sharing their experiences and opinions about physical fitness, mental health, different professions, economics, current news, politics and the list goes on and on, listening to that has helped me grow as a person.

Most of the people I mentioned are leading content creators in India, they know their analytics extremely well and they always share tips and tricks about these things in their videos which I find very useful in my journey as well.

5. How and where do you find inspiration to churn out content?

I am a really big fan of AIB and TVF. The content they were creating was extremely relatable and funny. I am a big fan of shows like pitchers , permanent roommates and tripling. It is really simple and yet effective. I love content that is very simple and that can have a deep impact. Looking at them I got to know the way of presenting the content. I look for the situations around and I find the content.

6. Which is your favourite book and why?

I have always loved to read about people and their personal journeys. Understanding their perspective towards love, life and success. Of all I have read, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam's "Wings of fire" is my all time favorite.

I love the book as it always reminds me that no matter what hurdles you face in life what problems you have. If you are honest and keep working towards your goal nothing can stop you from achieving.

7. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring creators?

Keep on experimenting, try new things. Those experiences really help you not only to grow as an artist but also as a person. Also Consistency is the key. Really being consistent at your work and constantly practicing your art form can work wonders for you which I myself have experienced.

And also I would like to say that work without any expectations, you never know what's going to get a million hits. So it's better to not focus on the results. Just enjoy the process and keep creating.