est. 2020
Content Makers / Influencers
makeup artists, photographers, etc.
Preet Samra (she/her)
IG: @beatbypreet_
Preet Samra is a South Asian makeup artist who started her career by providing makeup services for aunts & cousins when attending Punjabi weddings. Growing up as a dancer for 12 years, Preet has been heavily interested in the creative aspect of life. She recalls how dance inspired her to pursue makeup as well saying, “some of my inspiration sprouted from dancing for sure, because I would also dress up & do makeup for performances.” Preet is also able to incorporate “complex clothing & jewelry” into her looks, which is coincidentally also her favorite part of being South Asian. In the future, Preet has plans to expand her online presence beyond her career as a makeup artist & explore social media influencing.
Aakaanksh Autade (he/him)
IG: @kaansanity
Aakaanksh is a self described science nerd & popular content creator on TikTok. His account is centered around light-hearted, educational videos providing life hacks for his followers. Examples of his videos include one about a “secret messages iphone hack” inspired by victims of domestic abuse who reached out to him to inquire about ways to hide certain apps/messages. Having almost three million followers on TikTok, an app which can be considered lacking in expansive South Asian representation at times, Aakaanksh serves as a role model to many. He spoke about how his South Asian heritage influenced his content saying, “being South Asian inspires me to create better content… I want to work towards becoming a South Asian role model due to the lack of South Asian representation in the media.” He also expressed his desire to see more representation in the future. When asked about his favorite part of being South Asian, Aakaanksh pointed to the, “tight-knit community that being South Asian automatically admits you into, especially on Brown TikTok.” In the future, Aakaanksh plans on working towards obtaining 30 million followers on all of his social media platforms as well as working with his non-profit, Snap-Tutors. The organization is involved in giving students better learning opportunities, providing important study materials, & volunteering opportunities. Aakaanksh strongly believes that there is much work to be done in the educational niche & cites improving the educational system as one of his long term goals. As for his Tik Tok, Aakanksh stated, “I would love to collaborate with other big creators & build partnerships with big hitters!”
Manveen Kaur Anand (she/her)
IG: @manveenkanand
Manveen Kaur Anand knows the value of believing in yourself. Growing up as a performer, Manveen recalls her family asserting that she would end up working in media. As a college student & this year’s winner of Miss Greater Bay Area Teen, she has certainly put South Asian women on the map. She started competing in pageants as a 17 year old & described the process as “lot[s] of volunteer work, public speaking, & just overall improving yourself as a person.” As a South Asian contestant, Manveen described the impact of her identity on her experience by saying, “I’ve definitely had strange instances where people made comments about my race, but there’s always one or two other Indian girls, so we instantly connect.” Manveen continues to explore her love of fashion by working with her mother to design new lenghas. She also cites her mother as an influence on her style by recounting how she taught her to style jewelry & put an outfit together. When asked regarding her plans for the future, Manveen stated she was planning to achieve her Bachelors of Arts in Journalism. She added, “I’m not sure where I’ll end up, but I know it’ll be in front of a camera!”
Dhruv Patel (he/him)
IG: @dhruvsframe
Dhruv Patel is a South Asian filmmaker who believes in hard work, determination, & truthfulness. During his senior year of high school, Dhruv entered a film festival held by his school district & created a short film which won numerous awards. This encouraged him to further pursue his interest in film. Eventually he ended up working as an assistant for a director from Nickelodeon. Like many South Asian students, Dhruv was nervous to break from traditional fields of study such as business or medicine & worried about his parents’ approval. “I knew in order to convince them I would first have to hone my craft,” he said, “I did just that & received many accolades along with getting accepted into some of the most prestigious universities.” When asked about his favorite part of being South Asian, Dhruv expressed his strong connection to his culture. “Even though I grew up in California, my South Asian culture was instilled within me the day I was born.” He went on to explain that the majority of the stories he writes are based around different aspects of South Asian culture such as food, immigration, the people, & history. Dhruv currently has plans to work on a documentary film about human trafficking as well as a film on acid attacks. In the future, Dhruv hopes to continue creating stories taken from third world countries & allow audience members to form their own subjective experience.
MORE COMING SOON
Angel Parmar