The US Embassy in Nepal hosted Creator’s Mela, an interactive gathering of some innovative digital media producers, social media influencers, and consumers across Nepal, on Friday and Saturday. The event, which had the theme ‘Empower, Innovate, Inspire’, featured seventeen sessions by prominent online influencers on various topics, including successful activism, storytelling, and brand building, among others.

Podcaster Sanjay Silwal Gupta, independent political leader/entrepreneur Shree Gurung, the Managing Director of Daraz Nepal Aanchal Kunwar and the chairperson of Lead Nepal Anil Keshary Shah were among the presenters and attendees at the programme.

The event kicked off with musical performances by Sameer Shrestha and Pravesh Kumar Shrestha. The sessions took place in two halls simultaneously.

The first session in Baithak Hall was Gupta’s ‘Working in entertainment media and launching a trend-setting podcast’ where he discussed his career in the media and shared fascinating tales—of his transformation, the people who have supported him on his journey, and of course, his love for being on air. He emphasised the value of connections and colleagues at every stage of one’s career. Along with that, he discussed numerous difficulties and obstacles that everyone must conquer and be resilient enough to tackle.

Throughout his workshop, Gupta emphasised the importance of content creation to tell stories and raise voices against injustice.

Other than this, there were sessions regarding protecting one’s online brand, empowering the youth through animation and visual effects, finding your voice online, sharpening digital skills, and gaming as a new social media platform. In between the workshops was a Summer Fashion Show hosted by model Sabita Karki.

Anna E Richey-Allen, the information officer at the US Embassy, believes events like the Mela are crucial for content creators to share their acquired knowledge from the field with aspiring creators. She adds that more events like this should be conducted in Nepal.

The US Embassy Public Affairs Officer Garrett Wilkerson agreed with Richey-Allen’s sentiments. He further stated, “This first-of-it’s kind event is designed to sharpen the skills of digital creators and influencers in order to launch and grow their online presence, businesses, and careers.” The growing interest of youths in content creation was reflected by the large turnout at the programme.

A session titled ‘Leadership in the digital age’ led by Anil Keshary Shah commenced the second day of the Mela. The celebrity banker provided many interesting insights on building your own personal brand. He highlighted how important it is to understand one’s self-worth and becomes their true self. “Not all of us are destined for the same thing. If you have some creativity then show it to the world. You cannot mock a fish for its inability to climb a tree because that is not what fishes are there for. Find what you are good at and follow that passion for the rest of your life,” said Shah.

The session proved to be very interactive as many participants asked questions on becoming a good leader and what it takes to tackle the challenges a leader faces.

Attendees were greeted with performances from Wangden Sherpa, Sushant Khatri, and Barsha Karmacharya on the second day of the programme. A wide variety of sessions, including ones on eveloping a brand, advancing a beauty career, photography tips and tricks and promoting food vlogs, were scheduled for this day.

Special sessions were also held to discuss the roles of women in digital spaces and how creators can use social media effectively for public advocacy.

“This event demonstrates how social media is a great way for democratic action, and to build platforms and career opportunities for underrepresented minorities,” concluded Wilkerson.