Siddhant Haste can spend one day arguing about a Bollywood film, another getting nostalgic about something he grew up watching, and another sitting through a terrible movie simply because reacting to it might make a good video. That mix has gradually become the identity of his creator journey.
- When did you start creating content for both Mumbai Foodie and your own page?
- Did you start creating content on your own page even before Mumbai Foodie?
- Can you walk me through what going viral actually did to your life, the first time it ever happened?
- If you were ever to go full-time as a content creator, which lane would you pick among lifestyle, entertainment and boxing?
- Have you ever done any brand collaborations on your own page?
- How do brands usually find and reach out to you?
- What is the most time-consuming part of being a creator outside of actually making content?
- What about chasing brand invoices or payments?
- If you could automate one part of your creator business, what would it be?
- If you had one magic button that could instantly solve one creator problem, what would it do?
Haste has never been particularly afraid of having an opinion on films, actors or entertainment, even when viewers disagree with him. But his nostalgic content has added another layer to the page, and some of those posts have been among the ones audiences have embraced most.
Haste began creating for his personal page in 2022 and joined Mumbai Foodie the following year. Since then, years of making videos have started translating into consistent viral moments, a growing creator persona and collaborations with brands including Hotstar, Spotify and Netflix.
In a conversation with TCI, Haste talks about finally seeing years of work connect with an audience, the relationship between Mumbai Foodie and his personal content, why movies remain at the centre of what he wants to create, and the less visible work behind making content a serious career.
When did you start creating content for both Mumbai Foodie and your own page?
I feel like creating content has somehow been part of my life for a very long time. My father bought a handicam in 2005 and used to record everything, birthdays, trips, all of it. When I was around 15, I found that old camera again and started making extremely dumb superhero movies with my friends. We would dress up as Spider-Man, I made a Batman mask out of cardboard. So that idea of capturing something and showing it to people was always there.
I started making videos on my own page in 2022. Then Mumbai Foodie was hiring for a content anchor, so I joined in November 2023. Initially, I was mostly given scripts to perform. Eventually, I asked if I could write something myself and bring more of my own personality into the videos. Once that started happening, the content really began to work. I also started applying everything I was learning at Mumbai Foodie to my personal page, so today both sides of my content sort of coexist and help each other.
Did you start creating content on your own page even before Mumbai Foodie?
Yes. I started making videos on my page in 2022, and I joined Mumbai Foodie in November 2023. Back then, getting 4,000 or 5,000 views would make me happy. If 100 people liked a video, I would genuinely think, “Holy shit, 100 people loved my video.”
That period when almost nobody was watching made me more resilient. Obviously, a million views feels great, but even 20,000 or 50,000 is not a bad number. I remember when those numbers would have been a huge day for me. I have more than 800 posts on Instagram now, and they’re all going to stay there. They are all part of the journey.
Can you walk me through what going viral actually did to your life, the first time it ever happened?
I first got used to going viral through Mumbai Foodie. I don’t want this to sound cocky, but because I had been making videos for so long, somewhere I always felt that one day something would click. When the first few videos went viral, my first reaction was, “Holy shit, that’s a lot of numbers.” And then the second reaction was, “Okay, cool. About time.”
The same thing happened when my personal page started picking up. Over the past year, viral videos there have become more consistent, and it feels like people are finally connecting with the personality and the content. At some point, you stop only looking at the number and start thinking, we’ve worked hard enough for this, so let’s enjoy it.
If you were ever to go full-time as a content creator, which lane would you pick among lifestyle, entertainment and boxing?
I’m more into Bollywood. I’m a big movie buff, so that is going to be my main bread and butter.
Have you ever done any brand collaborations on your own page?
Yes. Over the past six months, I’ve had the opportunity to work with brands such as Hotstar, Spotify, Netflix, Crunchyroll and Thums Up.
It’s funny because brands are essentially deciding that it is a decent investment to put money behind a guy who wears a hoodie and talks to a camera. Thankfully, it has worked out.
How do brands usually find and reach out to you?
Mostly through inbound leads. Before Mumbai Foodie, I had a background in sales and marketing, so initially I knew how to find leads myself through cold emails, CRMs and industry contacts.
But what I have noticed is that every time something goes viral on my personal page, inbound enquiries increase. I prefer those conversations because the brand has already seen your content and knows what they are coming to you for. That makes the relationship much easier to build. Most of the brands I mentioned came through inbound leads on Instagram.
What is the most time-consuming part of being a creator outside of actually making content?
Post-production takes a lot of time. Editing tests you because you have to be brutal about what stays and what goes. There will be portions you are 80% convinced about and others where you know, this has to stay because people will connect with it.
I enjoy writing and shooting much more. Editing is probably where most of my time goes. With Mumbai Foodie too, after a shoot I have to think about what actually gives somebody value in those 60 or 90 seconds. My job is not to trash-talk restaurants. I would rather tell somebody what worked and what they might actually enjoy ordering. It is a long process, but I don’t complain about it because it is still part of the job I wanted to do.
What about chasing brand invoices or payments?
That can definitely become a hassle. Thankfully, I have mostly worked with professional people, but I also have very clear SOPs because of my sales background.
For brand work, I allow two revisions on the main script and one revision on the final video. Payment timelines are also established beforehand. Sometimes there can be an additional 10 or 15 days in a worst-case scenario, but ideally everything should happen within the timeline that was agreed upon. Having those boundaries helps avoid a lot of unnecessary back-and-forth.
If you could automate one part of your creator business, what would it be?
Post-production. One hundred per cent.
If you had one magic button that could instantly solve one creator problem, what would it do?
Creative blocks.
July was one of those months where I simply didn’t have many ideas, so I posted much less on my page. With Mumbai Foodie, there is always another restaurant or something new happening. Your personal page is different. Every creator needs ideas and a process for figuring out what might work.
If creative blocks disappeared, I would probably be unstoppable in terms of output. And today, output matters a lot.
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What is that one misconception people have about being a creator that you would want to correct?
Probably that it is an easy job. I don’t completely disagree when people compare it to jobs where someone is coding all night or sacrificing sleep, but content creation today is still a proper professional job. A lot goes into one video before somebody sees it. There is planning, effort, expectations and honestly a lot of hope attached to it. So when something you have worked on doesn’t perform, it can genuinely be heartbreaking.
Being a creator is a real job now. I think people just need to recognise it as one.
