Almost two years was all it took for the Youtube channel 'Mums Daily' to hit the one-million subscriber mark. Neethu, who runs this highly successful Youtube channel, thus became the first Malayali in Europe to achieve this incredible milestone. A software engineer by profession, Neethu credits her husband and four kids for their relentless support. It was fourteen years ago that Neethu had reached London with her husband. She says that nothing stops her from doing whatever she loves. Neethu speaks to Manorama Online about how she enjoys a career while running a successful Youtube food channel.
An engineer who loves cooking
Neethu had taken a break from work when she had a daughter after three sons. After her sons went to school and husband to work, Neethu had nothing else to do at home. Sitting at home, doing nothing was quite difficult for her as she had been working earlier. It was during this time that she reignited her passion for cooking. Neethu says she did not get enough time to experiment with cooking, in the past, as she had always been busy. She began experimenting with the recipes that she had brought to London from home. Neethu loves editing videos, so shooting and editing videos isn't a strenuous job for her.
Channel story
Neethu had uploaded around 15 videos within a few days of starting the channel. She says she didn't expect anything when she uploaded those videos. It was only after posting around 20 videos that one of them became a hit. Neethu recalls that it was a video of a lemon juice recipe.
"A week after starting the channel, I began working again. I had applied to many places. It was difficult finding a job again as I had taken a break of five years. But, the job came to me when I began doing what I love the most. Everyone asks me how I manage the channel and job while taking care of four kids. We would definitely find time to do something that we really enjoy doing. I try not to make the cooking look boring in the videos. I love trying new recipes and ingredients each day," says Neethu.
After completing BCA from St Mary's College in Thrissur, Neethu enrolled for MCA at a college in Coimbatore. Within three months of joining the course, she got placed in a reputed company through campus placement. She wished to pursue a career before completing her higher studies. It was only three years ago that Neethu completed her MCA.
Neethu would post the videos of only the recipes that she had already tried and tested at home. She admits that some dishes would not turn as good as she had expected when she experiments with ingredients. Neethu would not upload the videos of those dishes. So, she saves such videos in a separate folder called 'Do Not Publish.'
Now, Neethu earns a fair amount as monthly income from Youtube. She uploads up to 14 videos in a week. She is consistent in uploading videos unless something important, related to her kids, comes up.
Neethu says there was a time when she used to diligently watch the number of views for her videos. In the beginning, her videos had only 10-60 views. A video grabbed attention only when she did back-to-back videos. Neethu's advice to those who wish to become a content creator is to not look for instant results. She insists one should be very patient and do whatever they do with passion. Neethu says there is no point in investing too much money for a YouTube channel in the beginning. In her opinion, upgrading the equipment would be a good idea only if you are able to find success.
'Mums Daily'
It was Neethu's son who suggested the name 'Mummy Daily' as cooking is something that she does every day with equal passion. From Mummy Daily, the channel became 'Mums Daily.'
Family
Neethu hails from Puthukad in Thrissur district. Her husband Johnson, a native of Pathambuzha in Poonjar works as a nurse in London. She had moved to London with Johnson after their marriage. Liam, a class nine student, Jayden, who studies in standard eight, Nathan who is in class six and Megan, a class one student are the couple’s kids. Neethu says her kids support by not making any noise when she is shooting videos. Similarly, Neethu ensures that they are comfortable before filming or editing her cooking videos. So, sometimes it would be past midnight when she finally gets some time to do this. "Johnson would delete the negative comments that come under the videos before I see them. Even a tad bit of negativity would hurt us as I am doing it with such passion and honesty. Sometimes, my son too would delete such messages as he doesn't want me to get upset," concludes Neethu.
