The media world is a massive one, where individuals step in, on perhaps an everyday basis, but only a few manage to make the most out of the opportunities presented and create a mark for themselves. Varun Duggirala is one such multi-faceted content creator, whose ingenious mind contributed to creating one of India’s prime digital agency for brands, The Glitch. After co-founding and nurturing this company, Varun then forayed into the space of content creation and podcasts. In no time, he created a niche for himself and his audio talk show created waves in the literal and metaphorical sense. Here’s everything you need to know about this creator, podcaster, entrepreneur, and personal development pundit whose achievements are absolutely inspiring.
All about Varun…
Varun made a swift move from being an entrepreneur to a podcaster with Advertising Is Dead which revolves around the changes, disruptions and realities of the advertising world. This series featured a wide gamut of guests who were experts from the field. The podcast has over 100 episodes and crossed over 200,000 listeners last year. Varun’s other popular podcast called Useless Information included guests like Nikhil Chinapa, Pooja Dhingra, Viraj Ghelani, Danish Sait, among others. His most recent podcast, The Varun Duggi Show, where he digs into the minds and inspirations of some intriguing people, has invited more and more people to join in and listen up. Apart from his audio talk shows, Varun can be often seen organising and participating in interesting and informative workshops and sessions. This father of three (a beautiful baby girl and two cute-ster puppies) also is a fitness enthusiast, tech and pop culture lover and hoarder of information.
Up, close and personal with Varun Duggirala…
1. Tell us about your journey, from being an entrepreneur to the moment you decided to set foot in the content creation space?
One of the reasons I started my journey as an entrepreneur in 2009 with Glitch (exploring content for brands in the digital space) was to stay ahead of the curve and to explore avenues that (I believe) will define the future of how stuff works. Being a creator also happened with that need, while I became a podcaster by chance, I started to create content and explore the ways it can be scaled and expanded both from a creative as well as a business lens and it had me hooked.
2. Was there an inspiration behind becoming a content creator and podcaster?
Content creation and podcasting allows me to share one aspect that’s been a lifelong focus – curiosity to learn things (literally anything and everything). This ability to share the things I’m learning with people who I think will derive some value from it is the core inspiring factor behind me becoming a creator.
3. Your podcast, ‘Advertising Is Dead’ received phenomenal feedback. What were your thoughts when you decided to start this podcast and your thoughts after seeing the response?
To be honest, I started the podcast to figure if this was something I could actually do and I’ve evolved and grown only because I’ve learnt from the feedback from my audience (good or bad, they both give you perspective) and that’s what’s kept me excited to keep creating more.
4. Your latest talk show, ‘The Varun Duggi Show‘ is quite inspiring and insightful, tell us more about it.
One aspect I’ve been focused on over the last few years has been personal development, be it physical or mental. It’s helped me build a framework for me as an individual to find the right kinds of inspiration and motivation in life. The Varun Duggi show grew from this aspect, to speak to interesting people I’ve come in contact with to understand their own methodology, their motivations and inspirations and what drives them to do what they do.
5. How do you juggle your life between being an entrepreneur, a content creator/ podcaster and your personal life?
I’ve always believed in work-life rationing, unlike work-life balance this is a way of rationing time for work-life and everything in between in smaller chunks of time through your day and that’s exactly how I try to juggle my time. My priority will always be my family but being able to ration around a flexible daily time schedule helps me balance everything. Plus also ensuring each aspect is focused on quality rather than quantity in terms of activities and work.
6. Where do you see the content creation and podcast space in the coming years?
The creator economy is going to be the defining movement of the next 20+ years. It’s going to redefine not just how we consume and create content but also how we look at everything from brands and purchase patterns. The content creation space will be at the center of that. And on the podcasting front, audio is having its moment and with the growth of social-audio as a feature across platforms we’re going to see a whole new kind of creator category hitting massive growth.
7. Are there any upcoming projects in the pipeline?
The Varun Duggi Show is going to have some interesting format additions within the show that leverage social audio opportunities, I’m also building some interesting announcements coming up soon on both newer podcasts/shows as well as something around the education/career space.
8. If you had to list down 5 tips for budding influencers what would it be?
– Make sure you never forget why you’re creating content and let that goal be your foundation
– Be consistent (doesn’t have to be too much, but build familiarity in flow)
– Keep trying newer formats, platforms, ideas
– Don’t chase perfection
– Monetisation is important, focus on it but remember that it requires great content over a long period of time.Varun’s journey has truly been an inspiring one. The topics that are discussed on his shows and the guests he includes give you an understanding from the different walks and arenas of the media world. With the achievements added to his hat, we honestly cannot wait to watch and well, hear more of Varun’s amazing content. If you haven’t checked out his profile yet, you can do so here.Also, don’t forget to follow @missmalinitrending on Instagram to know more about your favourite influencers!