What Did Arunabh Kumar Do Before Starting The Viral Fever Company?
Arunabh Kumar, the founder of The Viral Fever, has achieved astounding growth on YouTube. With over 180,000 subscribers and 18 million views from less than 40 uploaded videos in just over 18 months, his story is a beacon of inspiration for aspiring creators worldwide. Let's delve into Arunabh's journey from his early life to his current success.
Early Life
Arunabh's early life was marked by a series of challenges and unique experiences that laid the foundation for his future success. Born to strict disciplinarian parents, Arunbh often ran away from home due to a strained relationship with his school. His parents eventually decided to change his school, yet Arunbh was never completely content. This led to Arunabh eventually running away from school altogether.
Education and Early Career
Despite the challenges, Arunbh pursued his education and prepared for the prestigious Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). When he failed to clear the exam on the first attempt, he chose to go to Kota to prepare for IIT. Arunbh eventually succeeded, but he found life at IIT Kharagpur rather unexciting as the campus was very calm and silent.
Post IIT and the Audio Visual Journey
After completing his education at IIT Kharagpur, Arunbh moved to Mumbai to work on a US Air Force project. However, as the level of discomfort and mental turmoil increased, he quit his job. During this period, Arunbh began meeting many creative minds at IIT Mumbai, and they encouraged him to pursue his passion for film. Arunbh got his first job in the film industry as an assistant director on Om Shanti Om, directed by Farah Khan. He considers Red Chillies Entertainment to be his film school, where he honed his skills and learned from the best in the industry.
Breaking into the Film Industry
Following his success on Om Shanti Om, Arunbh was offered a position at Amir Khan Productions to work on Delhi Belly. In 2009, Arunbh pitched a pilot for a show called Engineers Diary to MTV and other youth channels, but the concept was rejected due to the perception that the Indian audience was not sophisticated enough. Arunbh was determined to prove the doubters wrong and tackled the challenge with unwavering passion.
Founding The Viral Fever
By the second half of 2010, Arunbh decided to start his own venture, The Viral Fever. His friend and current partner, Amit Golani, reedited the first video and they uploaded it on YouTube. In just a few days, the video garnered around 17,000 likes and became the second most viewed video in the entertainment category that week. Without any funds to pay rent or promote the video, they relied on word of mouth, especially in universities like IITs and NITs, where the term 'Qtiyapa' became famous. The success of the first video paved the way for their second video, Rowdies, which received a million views in less than five days.
Conclusion
Arunabh's journey from IIT Kharagpur to The Viral Fever is a testament to his unwavering passion, determination, and ability to create engaging content. His story is an inspiration for aspiring creators looking to break into the competitive world of media and entertainment.