#inthespotlight

First LGBT Artist in the Spotlight: Zaakirah Chubb- 

Artist Introduction: 

Hi there! My name is Zaakirah ChubbI'm a 21 year old Muslim who's newly bisexual. I study in Ontario, Canada in theatre and biophysics. I'm a musician, songwriter, and on the side, a poet. 

 Interview:

Over The Rainbow Mag (O.T.R): what where the main influences behind your poetry?

Zaakirah: ummm oh man. To be honest some of it comes from the stuff I read on Tumblr in terms of form or wording in that sense. 

I really love E.E. Cummings. I read his stuff for the first time in my first year of university and I've always loved how his work is spectacularly different than others and aims to be in a lot of ways. and I know that my work isn't like that but it still inspires me and makes me want to work to be a poet like that, if that makes sense!​

O.T.R: That's an incredible aim, you're poetry is amazing! How would you say your sexuality has influenced your poetry? 

​Zaakirah: My sexuality was..really latent and repressed. for a long time. and because I liked boys for a long time I always wrote about boys and it didn't affect my writing for a long time. after I came out and i started really exploring and accepting my bisexuality it began to make its way more into it. And I write about how different this is. writing about it, about girls, allows me to find another way to explore and accept and grow my sexuality because I have so much internalized homophobia

So in that sense my poetry has helped me...express? my sexuality in a way that maybe right now I'm too scared to do or not ready for. 

O.T.R: You're a song-writer too! How has your song writing influenced your poetry? 

​

Zaakirah:it's kind of the opposite! I steal poems I write to make them into lyrics

​

O.T.R: That's so so cool! Have you ever written a song for girl?

​

Zaakirah: Yes I have! I kind of just wanted to write a cute song and then i started thinking about the friend ship i had with one of my friend and how i used to flirt with her, and how really i probably liked her in some way and then it just ended up being a song about realizing i liked girls. but i have not played it for her!! i never do that with my songs, that's damn scary. 

​

O.T.R:

That's so true, it can be terrifying writing for people. 

What would be your dream with song writing and poetry- and what message do you hope your songs and poems give to other LGBT+ people in the world?

​

 Zaakirah: I would love love love to write songs that are poetically strong, in that the lyrics are something that people listen to and feel something strong and relate to as well as the music. In terms of hopes for other LGBTQ+ people... I would be so happy if by being who I am/doing what I'm doing helps someone be okay with themselves. I struggled, and i feel like a lot of people do, with being ok with the whole "I'm queer." and being told that that's abnormal in some way.

Having role models and representation of people in the community who are happy / proud/ successful is important for that I believe.

Another important piece of that is being queer and Muslim. come to think of it, I should write more on it, but being queer and Muslim needs representation and talking about. if I could help someone in that way, show them that they are wonderful and valid and loved that would just be amazing

​

O.T.R : what is it like for you, in your experience being bisexual and islamic. 

​

Zaakirah:Bi and Muslim... I feel alone in the real world about that one because the religion is very homophobic in some ways. thing is, I know there are queer Muslims. I even know there are some in my city, but I don't know where they would be. like me, they probably haven't come out to the community, so I feel uniquely alone. Tumblr has helped with that cuz it's showed me that we do exist in a capacity. maybe we're just hard to find. at least I know there's a gay imam in my city somewhere so that's nice!! gotta track them down!

​

O.T.R: That's a really insightful answer, thank you- What's your experience of being bisexual in Canada, and what's your experience of being muslim in Canada?  Do the two ever clash or collide? 

Zaakirah: Being Muslim in Canada got better after I moved to a big city. the small town was... interesting. a lot of questions about my religion, shocked that I hadn't had bacon or celebrated Christmas ahah ! in Ottawa, my current living place,  I feel more comfortable and less like an outsider because there are more Muslims.

Being bisexual in Canada / Ottawa has been accepting and nice. the city is open. people are comfortable to be out with their partners. in my hometown, before I knew I was bi, it was the opposite. almost no one was publicly out

I'm happy I realized it here and explored it here. maybe my hometown was part of the reason why I repressed my feelings. As far as clashing they haven't much yet other than internally. 

O.T.R: Thank you so much! is their any advice you would give any aspiring poets out there?

Zaakirah: I guess , as i saw on a lovely post, that a) creativity is something that comes and goes. don't be afraid if it disappears for a little bit. second, (and this applies to all arts i think) to never EVER cheat yourself of writing when you want to. don't tell yourself that it's not worth it, that you'll go nowhere. you'd only be impeding yourself and inhibiting your creativity. Iread a julia cameron book that creativity is like a child and we have to take care of it. so third, and i know this is hard because i do it literally all the time, do not destroy something in criticisms. that hurts your little child, if you will, and stops yourself from ever really putting your work anywhere. no work anywhere means no moving forward.

​

Check out Zaakirah’s incredible poetry at http://enrevant-desailes.tumblr.com

From Perfection To Authentic - Crafting Compelling Connections Ft Kionz C

Ever wonder how film makers feel when they see the transition of video production changes through the years from picture perfect high quality productions to now, vlog style?

In this episode of In The Spotlight, I'm super honored to have invited my friend  @KionzChan  to share his crazily inspiring story from being a Multi Award Film Maker, Film Director, Executive Producer to now very famous, especially among our Malay community friends, TikTok's Official #TikTokGuru and Business Coach in the field of Social Media Presence, Business Scaling and Expansions. You Cannot Miss This!

In this conversation, you'll learn about his long journey filled with technically creative pivots and self improvements. Fun fact, he has been posting on YouTube for as long as myself and have endured all the changes on YouTube gracefully over the years before he finally succeeded on TikTok! Most importantly, we talked a whole lot about Monetization too.

Be sure to like, comment, and most importantly share if you find this podcast useful. Thank you very much and advance and Enjoy the Show! Feel free to make use of these timestamps to go to the topics that you're most interested in.

00:00 Intro 01:02 How Did Ray Mak and  @KionzChan  became Friends? 01:55 First Impression? 04:22 What Do You Do On The Internet? 06:13 The True Definition Of A TikToker 07:00 Over 18 Years On Creating Contents and Thousands Of Contents Later 07:40 Learning The Reasons Of Failure 09:55 Who Is  @KionzChan  ? 12:25 Started TikTok, Experiencing The Difference! 14:20 Persistence And Continuous Improvement 14:59 Becoming An Author Too 16:50 The PIVOT 17:50  @garyvee 's Role 21:40 Making A Comeback On YouTube 23:30 Challenges? 25:20 SPEAKING 26:30 TikTok Official Creator 26:50 Forming Habits Lead To Polishing Skills 28:49 Konten Bahasa Melayu 33:06 MONETIZATION and Potentials 36:25 Words Of Wisdom

About In The Spotlight

I have been a content creator for almost two decades now as I've had the privilege to have started when all these platforms started. Over the years, I've made many great friends and have also enjoyed the many blessings from the Internet.

In The Spotlight is a Platform where my amazing content creators friends share their precious experiences so we can all learn together as well. I really hope you like it too.

Last but not least, special thanks to my good friend Kevin Chan for being the catalyst, push, idea and brains behind In The Spotlight.

This podcast was recorded with the amazing new BOYALINK - All-In-One Design Wireless Microphone System from  @BOYA-mic . They are so sleek and easy to use!

Special Discount Link to my Boya Link (Enjoy!) : https://shope.ee/8zgRUMM75J

#inthespotlight #creator #contentcreator

Follow  @KionzChan   YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/kionzchan Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/kionz.c TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@kionzchan Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/andycfk Twitter : https://twitter.com/KionzC

From Enrichment To Empowerment : Navigating Money Matters With Insights

In this episode of In The Spotlight, I'm super happy to introduce my good friend Peter Yong from  @MrMoneyTV . If you've been watching YouTube videos related to money, money education, managing money, basically anything about money, all the way to even currencies, debt, investments, government policies, and many major finance related incidents in Malaysia, you'll most probably stumble upon his videos. They are extremely interesting, detailed, and his channel's insights are wonderful. His videos sometimes tickle our minds and make us ponder on very deep thoughts.

Here, we will learn about his humble beginnings in content creation, it's really something we can't imagine seeing where the channel is now. He also passionately talks about his Co- Founder / Business Partner and their struggles together in building this amazing platform, which then branched into multiple interesting and valuable platforms. Words and sentences cannot fully describe how much I've learned from this conversation and how insightful it is. Please take your time to listen to it.

Be sure to like, comment, and most importantly share if you find this podcast useful. Thank you very much and advance and Enjoy the Show! Feel free to make use of these timestamps to go to the topics that you're most interested in.

00:00 Intro 01:02 How Did Peter Yong and Ray Mak Became Friends? 01:42 First Impression 03:31 What Is Mr Money TV About and What Is The Niche? 04:20  @FAQShow   @areweokbymmtv  and Future Plans 05:13 The Humble Beginnings Of Mr Money TV 08:13 Co-Founder / Business Partner 11:30 Struggles and Tough Times 16:00 Naming Mr Money TV 19:09 Haters, Challenges, How Do You Overcome Them? 24:18 Words Of Wisdom

About In The Spotlight

I have been a content creator for almost two decades now as I've had the privilege to have started when all these platforms started. Over the years, I've made many great friends and have also enjoyed the many blessings from the Internet.

In The Spotlight is a Platform where my amazing content creators friends share their precious experiences so we can all learn together as well. I really hope you like it too.

Last but not least, special thanks to my good friend  @KevinChanBazi  ( http://www.youtube.com/kevinchanbazi ) for being the catalyst, push, idea and brains behind In The Spotlight.

This podcast was recorded with the amazing new BOYALINK - All-In-One Design Wireless Microphone System from  @BOYA-mic . They are so sleek and easy to use!

Special Discount Link to my Boya Link (Enjoy!) : https://shopee.com.my/BOYA-LINK-BOYALINK-Wireless-Lavalier-Lapel-Microphone-for-iPhone-Android-DSLR-Camera-Youtube-Live-Streaming-i.2735188.23445201496?sp_atk=88ac2dc3-5f0d-40a3-8846-e66f9f0d7682&xptdk=88ac2dc3-5f0d-40a3-8846-e66f9f0d7682

#inthespotlight #creator #contentcreator

Follow  @MrMoneyTV  ,  @FAQShow  ,  @areweokbymmtv   YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/@mrmoneytv TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@mrmoneytvchannel Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/mrmoneytv Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/mrmoneytv Twitter : https://twitter.com/mrmoneytvchnl

From Startups To Stardom : Turning Struggles Into Success

In this episode of In The Spotlight, I have the true blessings of having my very good friend for almost a decade,  @hubertceo , to share his story of perseverance and persistence in turning all his struggles into successes in this brutal yet rewarding online world of opportunities.

In this episode, you'll learn about some of the secrets and essence of algorithms of the most popular social media platforms, how he mastered the art of data, information and analytics, I promise that you'll love it. I'm learning a lot from him too!

Be sure to like, comment, and most importantly share if you find this podcast useful. Thank you very much and advance and Enjoy the Show!

00:00 Intro 01:36 About  @hubertceo   03:03 Hubert's Niche 03:30 Inspiration VS Aspiration 06:50 Is this something you're Passionate about? 09:59 Early days on YouTube and Instagram 13:09 How Did Hubert Lee and Ray Mak became Friends? 18:25 Challenges of being a Content Creator 22:49 Difference between Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok 25:51 YouTube Time Stamps 27:22 Instagram Algorithms 30:32 Turning Point 38:33 Going Viral 41:11 How you deal with Haters? 48:13 Words of Wisdom

About In The Spotlight

I have been a content creator for almost two decades now as I've had the privilege to have started when all these platforms started. Over the years, I've made many great friends and have also enjoyed the many blessings from the Internet.

In The Spotlight is a Platform where my amazing content creators friends share their precious experiences so we can all learn together as well. I really hope you like it too.

Last but not least, special thanks to my good friend  @KevinChanBazi  ( https://www.youtube.com/kevinchanbazi ) for being the catalyst, push, idea and brains behind In The Spotlight.

PS : Special thanks to my very good friend  @websterku  for connecting us almost a decade ago through a really fun Halloween party!

#inthespotlight #creator #contentcreator

Follow  @hubertceo   TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@hubertceo Instagram : https://instagram.com/hubertceo YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/hubertceo Twitter : https://twitter.com/hubertceo Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/hubertceo