The episode opens with Utkarsh talking about what creativity means to him. He shares his earliest memory of being creative and how he got into writing with his anonymous blog. Utkarsh talks about how he wanted to pursue a career in journalism and writing but then realising that it wasn’t something he wanted to pursue professionally. We chat about his career choices as a software engineer and then working in policy. He later talks about his start-up GameAway.in, a cloud gaming company. We also talk about validation, cancel culture and books. Utkarsh also shares his thoughts on influencer marketing and the impact of AI on creative careers. The episode ends with a personal essay written & narrated by Utkarsh.

Utkarsh is an entrepreneur, coder and occasional writer currently living in Mumbai. He's the founder of one of India's top cloud gaming firms, and spent several years living in California, where he also studied and got a degree in Computer Science and Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley. In his free time, he likes to read, stay fit, travel and help care for the street cats in his area. You can find him on X (Twitter) @DalalUtkarsh and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/utkarshdalal/

Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/

Mentions: Toptal, YouTube, Influencer Marketing, TikTok, Instagram, Patreon, Gaming, Elden Ring, Netflix, AWS, Amazon, Shark Tank, ChatGPT, New York Times, Dall-E, Sally Rooney, Normal People, Why Nations Fail, Fooled By Randomness, Thinking Fast And Slow, The Dawn Of Everything, David Wengrow, David Graeber, Yuval Noah Harari, Early Indians, Tony Joseph, Roald Dahl, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Septimus Heap, Angie Sage, Enid Blyton, Atomic Habits, James Clear, Yes Theory, Fireship, Game Makers Tool Kit, Monty Python, Hidden Brain, NPR, Blackadder, The Walking Project, The Internet Freedom Foundation

Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com

Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot