Joel Thottan - Focus on Building Your Own Voice as a Creator (Content Creator from India)

 Joel is a writer, director, digital marketing professional, and TEDx Speaker. He’s currently the Creative Director for Brand Collaborations at TTT (Terribly Tiny Tales). Formerly in advertising, he was a Digital Strategist at the agency FoxyMoron. His portfolio consists of work on diverse brands like Amazon Prime Video, Instagram, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk, Cornetto Chokissimo, Garnier Men, Garnier Fructis, Reliance Digital, Old Spice, Dove, Standard Chartered, Burger King, Vodafone, and many more. 

He has been the lead editor on all 3 bestseller TTT books in collaboration with Penguin India. He has conducted over 50 writing workshops across the top institutes and universities in India and at the world's #1 NGO, BRAC. He was also visiting faculty teaching Copywriting and Digital Marketing in colleges. His first TEDx talk ’Seeking Firsts’ was about seeking new first experiences and how they shape us.

1. Tell us more about your background and journey.

I studied commerce for two years before I realised I was good at Math and Accounting but not interested in it. So I did three years of Bachelors of Mass Media (BMM) and majored in advertising.
I was always fascinated with the creative world. And so right after my first year, I landed an internship at BBH India. I worked on some pitches and even got some work published.

In my final year, I was juggling college and a full-time job at Daddy's Capes (an e-commerce company) as a copywriter. The job taught me a lot about digital advertising, writing, and talking to clients.
I ran a YouTube channel for a while with a bunch of friends where I wrote and directed short films. We even made a brand film for an international app called Letters based in Manhattan.

I graduated and landed a job as a Digital Strategist at FoxyMoron. I handled brands like Garnier Men, Garnier Fructis, Reliance Digital, and Old Spice.
I then joined TTT (Terribly Tiny Tales) full time as the Lead in Brand Collaborations. I worked with some big brands like Vodafone, Burger King, Standard Chartered, Dove, and more.

I've switched many roles at TTT since then. I led the growth of the social pages for a while. Then I was leading content for TTT's first product (TTT App).
I've written brand films and directed videos. I've written for celebrities like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Abhishek Bachchan, and Shraddha Kapoor. I've directed India's top spoken word artists. I've been the lead editor on all three TTT books with Penguin India. And I've also conducted 50+ creative writing workshops at India's top institutions like MICA, Ahmedabad University and at the world's #1 NGO BRAC.

I'm currently the Creative Director for Brand Collaborations.

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

My first brush with creating content was in 2014. I wrote and directed a short film for my YouTube channel. The film blew up and I went on to write four more after that.

I started writing on Instagram after 2015. I was always a very scared writer. I felt no one would want to read the stupid stuff I wrote.
But in time, I realised my audience was growing. People were in fact waiting for my stories. That was a big push for me.

TTT then went on to feature a lot of my stories and a lot of readers discovered me from there. 


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

I watch a lot of movies and shows. I'm a geek when it comes to researching cinema from around the world on IMDb.

I like meeting new people and getting to know them and their stories. I love travelling because it helps me discover new places and characters. 
I click a lot of photographs on my phone. So often, they act as great prompts.
And most times, I just sleep a lot. Or take a break and play video games.



4. Who is your favourite content creator and why?

There are so many. But I'll share two because I can't pick one. 
The first is Pascol Campion (@pascalcampionart on Instagram). All his artworks make me want to live inside them.
The second is Andrés J. Colmenares (@wawawiwacomics on Instagram). All his comics have beautiful ideas inside them. I'm so fascinated with his process.

5. What impact do you want to make in the world?

I think there are a lot many people who are doing way more impactful and important work than I am.
I'm a creator. And stories are all I have. So if someone finds themselves in one of my stories, or if it gets them through a difficult phase in life, then I'll be very happy.

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

Focus on building your own voice as a creator. Talk to your audience. Build a community. And find a balance between creating what you love and what the audience wants.

Interviewed by: Palash Srivastava