Meet Sahil Naik, known online as @_imperfectbunnie99_, a content creator from Goa who left a secure job to follow his passion for digital storytelling. What started as quiet admiration for a YouTuber turned into a full-time career—thanks to a timely message from his idol. In this interview, Sahil talks about his journey—dealing with body shaming, getting brand deals, learning from his parents’ theatre work, and building his skills from scratch—all while staying true to his creative self.
The start
My journey began years ago. I was inspired by Mumbiker Nikhil and started filming and editing vlogs about my life. But I didn’t have the confidence to post them. I’m a huge fan of Nikhil—I had many vlogs ready but never shared them online. Everything changed when Nikhil visited Goa. I couldn’t attend his event, but a friend of mine did and told him about me. My friend than recorded a video message from Nikhil, encouraging me to post my content without worrying about others’ opinions. That message gave me the push I needed, and I began sharing my videos online. Also, I switched from YouTube to Instagram at that time.
Growth phase
At first, I used to post videos about my daily life. One day, one of those videos went viral. That’s when I started taking content creation seriously. I began making all kinds of videos—dance, comedy, skits, and more. I love trying new things with my content. I also enjoy collaborating with other creators and welcome people who reach out to me, even if we haven’t met. I’ve noticed that audiences really enjoy collaborative content.
Challenges
The biggest challenge I’ve faced is body shaming. More than anything else, it was tough to deal with people mocking how I look. It affected me deeply and made me feel low. I love dancing, but I stopped for a long time because people made fun of me. Eventually, with support from others, I started dancing again and felt better. That was a big turning point for me.
Brand deals
As my followers grew, brands started reaching out. I began doing promotional work alongside my sales job, which gave me some extra income. At first, I did barter deals, but over time I started getting paid. Even when making brand content, I always make sure it’s fun and entertaining. That’s important to me.
Stage life
Both my parents are theatre actors—they act and direct plays. I used to help behind the scenes but never acted myself. One day, an actor dropped out last minute and my dad asked me to step in. I agreed, and that’s how I started acting on stage. I see my social media work as an extension of my time in theatre. I apply everything I learnt there to my content, and I want to keep doing this for life.
Learning skills
I handle all parts of content creation myself. I learnt everything on my own—by watching videos online, trying things out, and practising regularly. That’s how I improved. In this field, doing things yourself allows you to experiment more and grow faster.
Advice to newcomers
Be ready for criticism. If it’s constructive, it’ll help you improve. But negative comments can be hard to deal with. Try to focus on the useful feedback and ignore the rest. If you find it hard to handle online negativity, then this line of work might not be for you. You need to develop a thick skin to survive and grow in the digital space.
