The Internet has changed the lives of all of us and, for some, the
way in which they earn their living. The network has become a platform
from which to promote yourself professionally and also a profitable
source of income for the more viral. A TikTok video can generate
thousands of euros, and a user with a lot of followers in social
networks can with its influence move a lot of money for small and big
brands.
With hundreds of millions of active users per month in a few years,
social networks for image and video sharing, such as Instagram or TikTok
have become the most popular windows to a growing audience, and are
very attractive to brands from all industries
It is a showcase of ideas and trends, where surviving is difficult
and standing out seems impossible. In the world of technology,
influencers have often managed to make their hobby a profession, but
where it seems easy to publish a photo with a look, a quality
photograph, or a funny video, many hours of hard work are hidden.
This is the case of Sameer Mahan, a 21-year-old who was born in
Afghanistan but lives and works in Seattle, USA. But rather, he works
“from” the United States, since Sameer is a recognized influencer on the
Instagram and TikTok platforms, and his activity allows him to work
from wherever he wants, as long as he has a mobile phone at hand and his
overflowing creative capacity working at full power.
The story of this young promise of the digital world begins in 2014,
when Sameer, at just 15 years of age, begins to be interested in new
technologies and the influence they had on the people who, at that time,
saw a small mountain grow that, today, is the Everest of international
content.
“I was just another kid who enjoyed the content that other people
were uploading. I liked it so much and I spent so many hours watching
the influencers that began to appear that a little dream began to grow
in me: that people would enjoy my content as much as I enjoyed other
people’s”.
The first dilemma appeared when Sameer, ready to fulfill his dreams,
embarked on the project that, although he did not know it, would be the
ship of his life: entertaining people and adding value with its content.
The crux of the matter was not knowing what he could be good at, or
what people would like.
“It was clear to me that I was passionate about photography. Since I
was a child, I’ve liked capturing moments to remember them. If I could
enjoy those fragments of moments, why not offer them to others?
And so it was, with camera in hand, no experience, no resources, no
contacts, he began to shoot flash to capture beautiful works of art in
snapshots.
For the first few years it was just a hobby. He barely had an
audience beyond his family and his high school colleagues. However, that
did not discourage Sameer, who was willing to learn and improve over
any obstacle that came his way.
“I spent hours learning about photography, approaches, angles and
styles. I was passionate about it. I fell in love with portrait
photography and I think that was the point of no return”.
As Sameer’s camera skills improved, he gradually began to stand out
from the other photography beads on an Instagram, which at the time was a
platform still in its infancy.
Soon strangers would start leaving comments on his portrait
photographs and assessing his work. At that time, he was unable to
imagine that he was laying the foundations for a new profession that,
over the next few years, would lead him to live off his passion.
This story of self-improvement began to take on color when his
profile began to be known. People shared his photos, hundreds of
comments arrived daily appreciating his art and, Sameer, pulling the
business and entrepreneurial instinct that characterizes him, looked for
a way to monetize this recognition to start generating income.
Initially he began to generate money through the platform itself, a
luxury showcase for many brands that wanted to have a profile like
Sameer’s, although later he realized that he could take advantage not
only of his influence, but also of his talent. He started working as a
freelance photographer for clients interested in high quality
photography with a prestigious photographer, which was becoming Sameer.
He founded his website Sameer Mahan Photography,
https://sameermahan.com/, through which he receives multiple requests for photo shoots or picture editing.
Meanwhile, he kept his Instagram artistic profile active, uploading
content that his audience loved, and showing the world his talent.
People were demanding more, they wanted to see Sameer’s work, so the
young guy decided to start his third project. After offering content
through the platform and putting his talent at the service of the
community, he wanted to create a product, something of his own, fruit of
his work, something to be even more proud of.
A Memorable Collection, written by Sameer Mahan is a collection of adventures and scavengers taken and shot by Sameer Mahan.
This was his baby, his work to share with the world. He published a
photography book with some of his best shoots, which his audience loved
and is still distributed today on Amazon with an impeccable 5-star
rating from the public.
https://www.amazon.com/Memorable-Collection-Sameer-Mahan-ebook/dp/B084FSZ4YJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=sameer+mahan&qid=1582310191&sr=8-1
Finally, we come to the most recent peak of his career in the digital
ecosystem. It’s about TikTok, and how Sameer saw the opportunity of the
decade and jumped at it.
TikTok is fast becoming one of the most popular applications in the
world. The innovative short-form video application used to be known as
Musicl.ly, which merged with TikTok in August 2018. Three months later,
TikTok had acquired six million downloads, with over 500 million active
users in 150 countries.
According to a TechCrunch report, in September 2018 it surpassed
Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to become the most downloaded
application in the United States that month. TikTok is an application
that allows users to shoot short videos of themselves synchronized with
songs or comedy sketches.
And this last point is where Sameer comes in. He found the
opportunity to expand his niche and created his profile on TikTok to
make entertaining videos for all audiences. He used the pull he was
having on other platforms to redirect traffic to his new initiative, and
this was an excellent idea.
“I saw TikTok and loved the concept. I thought my style would
match what people were looking for on this new platform, and I could
continue to entertain many more people. It was also a way to change my
approach to the Internet community a little bit and bring in even more.
Thanks to Sameer’s charisma and sense of humor, he quickly began to
gain a following. His videos were getting more and more hits, and his
audience was no longer coming from his Instagram profile. He had real
fans who discovered him through the platform’s recommendations, and they
stayed for the dozens of funny, comical and entertaining videos Sameer
offered.
In just a few months Sameer has positioned itself as one of the
community’s influencers, and its growth is exponentially exceeding what
it had already had on Instagram with its photo profile. All their videos
have thousands of views, many of them with tens – or hundreds – of
thousands and even some going viral and exceeding 1.5 million views.
Currently Sameer’s profile on Instagram (
https://www.instagram.com/sameermahan/)
has over 11,000 followers, and he continues to offer his art to the
world through the photographs that come out of his device. His TikTok
profile has about 104,000 followers, and about 2 million ‘likes’. On the
other hand, through its website, it receives numerous weekly offers of
photo shootings from individuals and companies, which it combines with
its activity of influencing.
Sameer is a natural talent for mass entertainment. His art, his
style, his charisma, and his humor make him a very complete profile,
capable of surprising the most select audience while entertaining and
making hundreds of thousands of users laugh every day.
These characteristics have allowed him to work with brands that seek
to reach the hearts of their audiences, and who see in Sameer an
incredible potential to become a true leader of the digital community.
Sameer’s influence generates confidence, has the ability to inspire people and create content.
Sameer notes: “
People trust people more than brands. This is why
they must be humanized, represented by people, faces, names and
surnames. People buy people, beliefs.”
Sameer is, without a doubt, an example of overcoming, of effort and
of taking advantage of personal capacities. Today he is a leading figure
on two platforms of international scope, and his talent is enjoyed by
thousands of people every minute.
The 21-year-old is committed to continuing to add value to the
community and bring a smile to the faces on sad days with his videos,
capturing unique moments with his camera and making the eyes of his
audience sparkle with every piece he shares with his audience on
Instagram.
