Stefan (@stefanthurairatnam) was working for a leading financial institution for 5 years when some life altering events gave him a different perspective on life. It allowed him the chance to re-evaluate and reflect on his life; he was given a second chance. He was given an opportunity to become an ambassador for Luxury World Traveler (@luxuryworldtraveler) and he decided to quit his 9-5 corporate job and book a one-way flight to wherever his finger landed on a spun globe. He turned his passion into his lifestyle. Through his learnings and experiences, he has successfully started his own marketing and social media consulting company, LuxVision Media Group (@luxvisionmediagroup) as well as licensed travel company @Destinationandleisure.
Stefan joins Ara on this week’s episode of The Tamil Creator to discuss quitting his job and ‘retiring’ at the age of 28, getting FREE hotel stays at places where people like Britney Spears and Michael Jordan have been at, how he built a following of more than 145,000+ followers, why he has ZERO insecurities, and so much more - this is an episode that is not to be missed!
"The Tamil Creator" is a podcast started by me (Ara Ehamparam). As someone who is extremely inquisitive by nature, I created the podcast to chat with, spotlight, and learn about brilliance among creators in the Tamil community - and among creators in general from all over the world.
**TAKE THE QUIZ - "What Type of Creator Are You?"**
***For a chance to win a $100 gift card and get future podcast updates, interviews and other news, please sign up for the newsletter - CLICK HERE!***
- CLICK HERE to listen on Spotify!
- CLICK HERE to listen to us on Apple Podcasts!
- CLICK HERE to listen to us on Google Podcasts!
Timestamps
00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Stefan Thurairatnam
04:34 - Stefan’s beard serving as a great conversation starter
07:26 - How Stefan built his brand as a content creator
10:42 - Initially collaborating without the intent of making money but rather to touch on his passion
14:26 - Using his media kit as a digital resume; selling his template to others and seeing it breed success
16:18 - Figuring out a formula to reach out to high-end brands
18:31 - Staying at hotels costing CAD$130,000 for FREE and having a half a million dollar trip in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the Maldives FULLY EXPENSED for his 30th birthday
20:05 - The difference in experience between wide-ranging hotel prices
21:22 - Building a following of over 100,000 followers on social media; quality versus quantity?
24:41 - Selling preset lighting filters
26:02 - Stefan’s favourite country (Maldives) to travel to and projects (Heineken) he’s worked on
27:15 - How has COVID impacted Stefan’s travel (both personal and business); revamping his brand to now having 32 million impressions per month
32:03 - The future of travel; will a crazy boom occur once COVID finally passes
38:25 - His parents questioning his objective initially; partnering with Sri Lankan airlines to gift his parents taking his parents two anniversary trips
42:05 - Stefan’s vision for the next 3-5 years
43:26 - How does Stefan want to be remembered by friends and family
45:09 - Stefan’s biggest insecurity?
46:35 - Advice for 16-year-old Stefan
48:30 - How has the Tamil community impacted Stefan - not at all; hate comments, threats, and negative energy
54:55 - Advice Stefan has for fellow aspiring Tamil creators
58:10 - Creator Confessions
1:02:47 - The Wrap Up - why TamilCulture was started
**Looking to create your love story? Join the other couples who have dated and got married through myTamilDate.com!***
"myTamilDate Love Story: Jenani & Nav Found Each Other At The Right Time And Right Place In Life"
"myTamilDate.com Love Story: Tharshi & Ravi Found Love During Lockdown"
"How France Met Canada: A MyTamilDate.com Love Story"
***CLICK HERE to listen to us on Spotify!***
Related Articles:
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.35): Sumi Shan - Former Politico & Co-Founder of Agritech Startup (Dunya Habitats)"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.34): Robert Rajeswaran – Singapore-Based Serial Entrepreneur (Born in Sri Lanka & Raised in London) & Co-Founder of Boxaroo"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.33): Ashanti Omkar - UK-Based BBC Broadcaster & Music/TV/Film Critic"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.32): Amarnath Amarasingam - Hip Hop Aficionado, Assistant Professor, Researcher & Author"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.31): Luksimi Sivaneswaralingam – Award-Winning Kollywood Singer & Elementary School Teacher"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.30): Suresh Doss – Leaving A Successful IT Career To Becoming A Well-Known Food Writer"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.29): Indira Samarasekera - Former University President & Current Board Member (Of Several Large Market Cap Companies), Co-Authors Book To Help Create More Female"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.28): Ari Sooriya - Creative Extraordinaire: From TamilCulture.com to Teacher (And Everything In Between)"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.27): Bindi Bosses (Shyamla Eswaran & Ragavi Ragavan) - Australian-Based Dance Group Creating Social Movvement And Discussions Through Performance & Storytelling"
- "The Tamil Creator Podcast (Ep.26): Rick Selvarajah – UK-Based Professional MMA Fighter Turned Entrepreneur"
- "Sibi Selvanathan Published an Amazon Top 5 Epic Fantasy Book in 18 Months During the Pandemic, Fulfilling a Childhood Bucket List Item"
- "Sajanthan Velu Co-Founds Streaming Platform Playmi.ca To Help Up-And-Coming Independent Tamil Content Creators Break Through"
- "Elite Athlete, Coach, Future Chiropractor & Entrepreneur Abirami Shanmugaratnam Is Making Waves In The Athletic Performance Industry"
- "Toronto's OG Food Writer Suresh Doss Is Using His Reach And Voice To Help Engineer A Comeback For Beleaguered Restaurant Industry"
- "Ballet And Kung Fu Trained Australian Actress & Writer Rubi Balasingam Is Promoting Tamil Voices In Aussie TV And Film"
- "Yathusha Kulenthiran's Marketplace For Environmentally Sustainable Palmyra Products Empowers Female Artisans In Sri Lanka"
- "Australian-Tamil Entrepreneur Sujan Selven Is Creating Economic Opportunities For Remote Villages In Northeast Sri Lanka Using Upcycled Devices & Improved Connectivity"
- "Crypto Tinhorn & Former Journalist Anand Venkateswaran Talks About Buying A $69M Digital Art Piece, Collecting Stories & Catalyzing Change"