From Creator to Storyteller: 7 Lessons from Parakram Rana on Digital Growth
From Creator to Storyteller
27th October 2026, Kathmandu
From Creator to Storyteller: What Can We Learn from Digital Creators?
Discover the journey from content creator to storyteller through Parakram Rana’s insights at Tribhuvan University’s TikTok Masterclass. Learn how building authentic connections, maintaining patience, practicing responsible storytelling, avoiding misinformation, and setting online boundaries can help creators build a lasting, meaningful community in today’s digital landscape.
The shift from creator to storyteller teaches us that audiences no longer want content. They want connection, depth, and purpose. A creator focuses on making a lot of videos, following trends, and counting views.
A storyteller focuses on the story itself, the feeling it leaves behind, and the community it builds. In Nepal, where young people now learn and discover ideas on platforms like TikTok, this difference matters more than ever.
At a recent TikTok Masterclass at the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (CDJMC), Tribhuvan University, content creator Parakram Rana shared how he made that shift. His journey offers lessons for journalism students and anyone who wants to tell stories well.
To understand this journey firsthand, we can learn from Parakram Rana. His story began in 2020, during COVID. “I’d like to thank TikTok for coming into being around that time and the stars aligning in such a way that I started using it when I was back home in Nepal during COVID,” he says. Had he started a year earlier or later, he would have been in Mumbai and might have stayed there. His audience kept him in Nepal. A community he had created through his stories and his authentic personality. All the love and adulation received from so many people in Nepal was really what made him stay back, he claims.
Along the way, he learned that growth takes time. Success doesn’t come overnight, and patience always pays off. If he could guide his beginner self, he would offer simple advice. “I’d tell my younger self to have patience and, most importantly, trust in yourself that it will all work out!” he says. “Just be consistent and have faith!” Skills like editing, content, and camera angles come with experience, and over time every creator finds their own way.
He also learned that a storyteller doesn’t have to show everything. The cheerful, chirpy Parakram that audiences see online is only one part of who he is. Offline, he describes himself as a homebody who enjoys his own company as much as he enjoys socialising, and there are days he would rather not meet anyone and simply stay in his room.
He can be quiet, emotional, and moody like anyone else, and he doesn’t always feel upbeat. He doesn’t show this side online, and that is completely okay. One’s personal feelings are theirs to keep, and no one owes their audience every mood. For young creators, this is an important reminder.
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His content has also made a real difference. “There have been grandparents who said that they saw my content and finally understood and accepted their grandchildren for their sexual orientation, and that always makes me giddy with joy.” Stories like this show how far a single video can travel, and how it can reach people in their own living rooms and start conversations that families struggle to have. With that reach comes responsibility. For Parakram, it means knowing when to stay quiet. “If I don’t have much knowledge, it’s best not to always have something to say just for the engagement.” He keeps his content simple and to the point, and speaks only about topics he understands.
He is concerned that misinformation is common among creators in Nepal, and that little action is taken against those who spread it. He has experienced this himself, when people accused him of false stories that had no truth. His example is a lesson for journalists and creators alike: once people trust you, being accurate matters more than being first, and silence is better than guessing.
Visibility also brings hate, and his advice is honest. “You cannot expect validation and love from each and everyone, so what I can say is that to be mindful, mean well, take accountability if you make mistakes, but just keep going on!” As a creator’s audience grows, he says, some people will not like what they see.
They may not like the content, or the person making it, or the fact that the person is growing and speaking up at all. No one can be fully prepared for this, and it is easy to be misunderstood. It hurts, and he doesn’t pretend otherwise. But he believes the right response is to stay thoughtful, mean well, own up to real mistakes, and not let other people’s negativity decide how far you go. He also doesn’t leave it to willpower alone.
He protects his peace with TikTok’s tools. “The creator care mode and filter keywords are lifesaving, and that has kept me going throughout this journey.” These features help him manage the negativity that comes with a public profile, and he encourages every creator to use them too.
For anyone starting, the lesson is practical. Criticism is part of being visible, but you are allowed to set boundaries, use the safety tools available to you, and protect your mental space so that you can keep creating.
What we can learn from Parakram: consistency and patience matter more than quick success. Real connection comes from caring about your audience, and responsible storytelling means being accurate, honest, and kind, even when it is not easy.
For anyone who creates, whether you call yourself a creator or a storyteller, Parakram’s journey teaches a simple lesson. Your audience is not a number but a group of real people who trust you with their time and attention. The tools and platforms will keep changing, but the storytellers who last will be the ones who create with care.
For more: From Creator to Storyteller
