Creator in focus: Girish Shivakumar, founder of Mission Shunya
A conversation with cleantech evangelist and creator of the Mission Shunya podcast, Girish Shivakumar
As promised in the last newsletter, I have an interaction with Girish Shivakumar, the one-man team behind the cleantech and sustainability-focused podcast, Mission Shunya. A cleantech professional with a decade-long experience in solar power, energy storage and electric mobility, Girish has been interested in the decarbonisation of the global economy.
Girish first started blogging about cleantech in 2012, but slowly saw the value in podcasts. Starting in 2017, Girish wanted to create awareness around themes such as sustainability, how our actions have an impact on climate change and what can we do to minimise that. He started producing content for his podcast since 2017.
Edited excerpts from the interview follow.
How did the idea of 'Mission Shunya' come about?
I enjoy my work and I wanted to create awareness around the themes of cleantech and sustainability because everyone needs to be aware of the impact of climate change in their lives. Rather than talk about the big picture featuring top leaders as I did in my first podcast, Emerging Tech Radio, I wanted the message to resonate with the general public. I hope the stories I feature, make the public feel good about the global decarbonisation and maybe inspires them to take actions.
‘Mission Shunya’ addresses a niche segment, so how do you go about spreading the word of your podcast?
The message around cleantech is slowly gaining mainstream attention, getting across to the general public. Since my podcast is generally featuring guests who work in this space, the first level of awareness is through the social media channels of the guest, their company and my social media channels. The second level of distribution is through people who pass on the message through links or word of mouth. The third-degree discovery happens when people searching for some topic land up on podcast pages related to the topic they are searching.
What is your larger objective with 'Mission Shunya'?
The larger objective is to inspire people to take small actions that have a positive impact on the planet.
Do you work with any of the podcasting networks in India or is your operation an independent one? If independent, how big is your team and how did you build it?
Like most of the podcasters in India, I’m a solo production house. It’s not my source of income so I don’t look for commercial gains. But, I’m connected to the Indian podcasting community to discuss the technical subjects from time to time.
How do you go about selecting the guests for each episode as cleantech is such a vast sector?
Does the guest align with the podcast theme?
Does the guest have a good story to tell? Is their work creating an impact in the space?
Or if I have got any good recommendation or reference from my network I consider that as well.
In general, I have a list of topics I want to discuss in the channel so I’m usually quite open when it comes to looking for potential guests or topics of discussion.
Could you talk me through your podcast workflow: how long does it take from the recording to the publishing of the episode?
It takes about an hour or so for me to zero in on the guest and discuss the topic and set up the recording. The recording typically takes 45 mins to 1 hour on average. Depending on the quality of the recording, it could take 2-3 times the time duration of the recording to edit the contents. It takes another hour or so to publish it and create some accompanying media for release and spreading on social media channels.
Could you tell me about some challenges you faced while setting up the podcast and how you overcame them?
Identifying a good recording tool for remote interviews was a challenge and learning to use the editing software to make the recording good was a challenge. (Podcasters) Network helped in deciding the tool and videos helped me in getting better at content production.
Covid19 lockdowns have forced everyone to stay indoors. In such a scenario, how easy or difficult is it to produce your podcast?
Since my podcast has always been remote interviews, there has been no difference in terms of podcast production. In fact, time flexibility has enabled better production. However, since most of the stories feature entrepreneurs and change agents, the current uncertainty in people’s lives and businesses, in general, has meant people are not in a great mood to discuss business during these times on podcast or any medium in general. They prefer to focus on their work. There are a few other guests whom I have featured who have openly spoken about Covid19 and the impact it has on the sector.
What are some of the improvements you have seen in the cleantech industry in India since you began your podcast?
Since the start of the podcast, it’s been good but since 2011, when I started work in the space, the growth has been phenomenal. The awareness has also been high. Large scale projects are being spoken about by government officials including the PM from time to time. Paris Climate Deal, the climate movements, etc., have given people more reasons to follow this space.
What are your thoughts on the Indian podcasting industry?
The industry has witnessed strong growth. New players such as HubHopper have come to focus on podcasting. Network-produced shows like IVM, Jio Saavn, Audible Suno, Eplog have created more buzz. But a global player like Audioboom, which was one of the early players in India, has decided to focus outside of India at this point. But, I’m optimistic about the way this space is evolving.
If some reader wanted to start a niche podcast like yours in their area of interest, what are some tips you would give them?
If you are starting a podcast just to get a kick and get some social media attention, then please drop the idea. People will stop listening to your show if they don’t feel you are doing justice to the show in terms of quality of production or content.
But, if you are really passionate about your work and are looking at podcast as a medium to speak about it, then it’s for you.
On the other side, if you are keen on a media career, please join in. There is a good vibrant community willing to support you to get started.
What are some of the podcasts you like to listen to and why?
I started listening to the podcast from Freakonomics, because of the book. I still continue with that. I listen to business podcasts like Masters of Scale because of the production level of the shows.
The other podcasts I follow include The Musafir Stories, The Passion People Podcast, Writer and Geek etc. I also like the Suno India productions run by a group of journalists.
Finally, if you wanted to ask a brand new listener to try out two episodes from your podcast to give them a taste, what would those be?
Episode 18: What it takes to live an eco-friendly lifestyle?
Episode 30: Sustaining the cleantech momentum in the post-COVID-19 era
I hope you enjoyed this chat with Girish Shivakumar. Do give Mission Shunya a listen. I’ll bring another creator next time.
Till then, happy listening.