Live storytelling came alive with #EveryCharacterMatters

By
Monday, 20 June 2016

This week we put the spotlight on our young creators with #EveryCharacterMatters - a first-ever showcase of varied content from creators in Comedy, Food, Fashion, Modern Romance, and Music.

We celebrated those creators who tell their stories in creative ways, and we watched them collaborate with our users to give rise to a new genre of digital storytelling - Live, Collaborative, Conversational. From chefs, bloggers and stylists, to comedians and musicians, everyone was part of this celebration, and Twitter timelines across India lit up with delightful, entertaining and fresh content for these five days.

Our young creators used video as a powerful element of their storytelling, and native videos, Vines, and Periscope broadcasts were an important medium of self-expression this week.

Day One with ‘Comedy’ in focus saw comedians such as Varun Thakur (@Varunmthakur) recreate comedy with Vine (@Vine). The six-second looping app presents a new form of relatable comedy as participants Tweeted ideas for comedy Vines to comedians.

Comedians also went live on Periscope (@Periscopetv) to ask users to suggest lyrics for comedy tunes and Q&As.

A flavour of local comedy surfaced as comedians Mallika Dua (@mallikadua) and Supriya Joshi (@supaarwoman) made videos of Delhi and Mumbai stereotypes sent in by users.

Lifestyle was the focus on Day Two, and food bloggers, chefs, and stylists took to Twitter to create with their followers. Chef Thomas Zacharias (@ChefTZac) of The Bombay Canteen navigated through the markets of Mumbai, and Tweeted about local produce, seasonal flavours, and recipes with his followers. After a flurry of interesting suggestions, Chef Thomas made a jackfruit jam and tendli with kheema pao Juicy Lucy for his evening menu at the restaurant.

Food blogger Kalyan Karmakar (@finelychopped) took his Twitter followers on a tour through the suburb of Bandra via Periscope and unearthed ‘cheap eats under Rs 140’ at cafes, chaat stalls, old bakeries, and more. Foodies from across the city and country chimed in with their suggestions.

Beauty and lifestyle vlogger, Debasree Banerjee (@Debasree) helped users with make-up tips, and invited one lucky lady to join her in the #BlueRoom for a session on contouring; while Larissa D’Sa (@larissa_wlc) did a series of DIY Periscopes to spruce up white canvas shoes and sunglasses.

Day Three brought in focus modern-day dating and the lighter side of romance. A couple that met on Twitter, Pranav Sapra (@pranavsapra) and Sakshi Bawa (@Square_Boxes) gave courting advice in 140 characters.

Comedian Aditi Mittal (@awryaditi) donned her Dr. Mrs. Lutchuke character and via Periscope gave users love and sex advice.

The cast of Permanent Roommates (@TVFPR) offered love advice and talked to their followers on live-in relationships.

Singer, actor, music producer Arjun Kanungo (@arjun_kanungo) played love guru, and talked about changing gender roles on Periscope.

Day Four celebrated music and put indie musicians in the limelight. The day began with a first for Twitter in India as singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad (@prateekkuhad) launched his music video on Twitter for his new single, Tune Kaha.

Global music band Maati Baani (@maatibaani) asked fans to send across the craziest lyrics for their new composition.

Shirley Setia debuted her first ever #ShirleySpeaks on Twitter via Periscope and sang for her fans in the #BlueRoom.

Acapella group Voctronica (@voctronica) asked users to Tweet and Direct Message the group about things that mattered to them; they made a beautiful jam, ‘Let’s Talk’ with those ideas.

Music producer Siddharth Sharma (@dubsharma) asked users to Tweet to him sounds of the city and neighbourhood they were in, and he originally mixed those sound clips of white noise, voice notes, car honks, upbeat music, whistling tunes and more.

And finally, Kommune (@Kommuneity) played this music track for their Twitter followers in the #BlueRoom.

Our first #EveryCharacterMatters Week concluded with a celebration party with of all our creators, partners, and special guests, with a panel discussion, live performances, music and dance.

You can continue to enjoy all the content on our website designed specifically for this week: www.everycharactermatters.com

With our first #EveryCharacterMatters Week, we wanted Indians to discover fresh content that matters to them and comes directly from the world around them. We wanted to put a focus on young creators (local comedians, local chefs, local artists) from India, who you can talk to, reach out to, and join on their journey. We want you to find the light side of Twitter, and make it yours. So why wait, find your vibe and your tribe on Twitter today!