Today we’d like to introduce you to Mansi Bhatia.
Hi Mansi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
“A word after a word after a word is power…”
These words by Margaret Atwood have shaped my body of work. I’m a passionate storyteller at heart and have experimented with various mediums across the communication field. My passion for writing was kindled at the age of 16, which is when I published my first article. I discovered how powerful writing can be, and positively influence decisions in the global world. That is when I decided to become a journalist. Over the last few years, I have written for global media houses such as The Diplomat Magazine, The Caravan Magazine, Stories Asia and worked as a researcher at France 2 Network. While working as an independent journalist, I also focussed on building my communication skills inside the corporate sector and built my profile as a Corporate Communications Specialist at Jindal Stainless – a global stainless steel conglomerate.
Because I had the innate urge to work across different pillars of the media & comms world, I transitioned to the Advertising & PR side and worked with Flint Media in London and then Oijo Media, where I rose to the position of Head of Digital Strategies and handled a large team to execute day-to-day content mapping and execution for online brands in the field of government, fashion, food, events, advocacy and luxury.
Currently, I’m the Co-Founder & Creative Director of The Blahcksheep – a new wave publication platform for change-makers across the world. In addition, I am currently enrolled at New York Film Academy’s Screenwriting Program and am also working on my feature film called Cleo’s Brunch.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Breaking into the male-dominated field of journalism as a 16-year young girl in India was a challenge. I had to work twice as hard to prove my worth to be taken seriously by my colleagues and editors. But, you learn to take things in stride and work with horse blinders.
When I started my social enterprise – The Blahcksheep, there were many obstacles to overcome. As the Co-Founder and Creative Director, I had to balance the artistic vision with the practical realities of running a business, which was not always an easy feat. Both Pooja Bhatia, (Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief of The Blahcksheep) and I have been working tirelessly to establish a platform that truly drives change and inspires action. With a focus on new-wave writing from first-time writers, our aim is to provide a platform for unique and contrarian thoughts.
Building this platform from the ground up has not been easy, as we’ve faced a multitude of challenges along the way. From securing funding and building a team to establishing our brand and creating a presence in a crowded market, there have been many obstacles that we’ve had to overcome. However, despite these struggles, our passion for our mission and belief in the power of storytelling has kept us motivated and driven to succeed. By fostering a community of like-minded individuals and leveraging our collective voice, we hope to create real impact and inspire meaningful change in the world.
Having said that, I would also like to acknowledge some people who made overcoming challenges easier. I have had the privilege of being mentored and guided by several accomplished women in my career who not only made work fun but also taught me to not be afraid of speaking up in boardrooms full of men. I owe it to these fierce women, who taught me everything and are instrumental in shaping who I am today.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Blahcksheep?
We are a new-wave publishing platform for unique, provocative, contrarian voices from across the world. For us, The Blahcksheep is not just a platform, but a community of misfits and rebels. We are proud of how we stand out in a crowd with our awkward sheepish identities. To hold our own in a sea of people is a rebellion of its own. We believe there’s a blahcksheep across races, orientations, gender, ethnicity, culture, national origin, age, or experiences. We are a global multilingual & not for-profit platform aimed at creating a digitized archive of abandoned cultures and forgotten languages.
At a time when media houses around the world are getting increasingly commercialized and biased, The Blahcksheep strives to be a platform for unfiltered voices for people around the world, irrespective of their socio-economic positioning. The Blahcksheep does not believe in the traditional ways of publishing – there is no word limit or format, rather the content and people drive the platform. The hegemony of the English language has curtailed true freedom of expression rather than furthering it. Mainstream publishing platforms globally promote elitism in the garb of “good writers”. Thus, our platform is an attempt to unshackle the colonial hangover masquerading in the global publishing industry as “worthy content” and end gatekeeping in publishing by democratizing the space and making it accessible to all, especially first-time writers, POC, women and other marginalized sections from across the word. You can find out more about us here. https://theblahcksheep.com
Our projects include Path Makers Podcast, Children’s Book Series, Meta Solidarity Collective (a meta verse project) and a Global Translators League. Since we are ethically against paid advertising, we rely on the goodwill of people to keep us independent. It takes time, effort, and resources to keep the lights on this purpose-driven journey, and so we look forward to reader support and donations via Buy Me A Coffee.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I’ve always had a healthy appetite for risks. For me, it is an inevitable step of any successful career as it brings with it opportunities for growth and learning. My risk-taking is evident in my drastic career jumps from my journalistic pursuits to the corporate side and then eventually to digital strategies and solutions. My passion for story-telling and its various mediums makes me relentless in my exploration of this entire industry. I believe that the greatest rewards often come from taking the biggest risks, and I have always been ready to embrace that philosophy in my career. I am also excited to take yet another risk, and share my music alter-ego Vyznn with friends and family this year through the release of my first single, ‘Lemon Carpet.‘
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theblahcksheep.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mansibee/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mansibee/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theblahcksheep
- Other: https://linktr.ee/mansibeex
Image Credits
Abhinav Sharma, Bhumika B and screengrab from Borosil India Ad Campaign.
