KATHMANDU, Jan 30: Creators Mela 2026 opened in Kathmandu on Friday, with the venue packed with young people scrolling less and listening more intently.
The venue was already crowded since the morning. Students, professionals, small business employees, and full-time creators took notes as they moved between sessions. Throughout the first day, around 11,000 aspiring and budding creators came together, showcasing how rapidly Nepal’s digital creator space is growing.
The two-day event, hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Nepal, is part of a multi-city platform that has already visited Chitwan and Nepalgunj. This year’s theme, “From Vision to Venture,” marks a clear shift from simply creating content to understanding how creativity can actually pay for itself.
Day 1 of Creators Mela 2026, held at Aloft, Thamel, leaned heavily into that reality. Workshops and panel discussions went beyond the superficial stories of creators and delved into questions about money, mental health, ethics, and sustainability. One of the most popular sessions of the day was an AI workshop titled “From Idea to Output in 10 Minutes” led by Ashwin Neupane, a technology-based digital creator. This session discussed how creators can use AI tools responsibly, covering everything from providing the right context and prompts, to understanding counter-prompts, to recognizing AI-generated content.
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Among those in attendance was Vishwa Paudel, a 25-year-old pharmacist by profession. He said he attended the session not because he plans to leave medicine, but because content and AI are becoming inevitable across disciplines.
“Even if you’re not a full-time creator, it’s important now to know how to use these tools. Content creation is no longer limited to influencers,” he said.
That feeling was shared by many who were present. Shikha Niraula, 23, and Twinkle, 29, who work at a Kathmandu-based trading and import company, said they were encouraged to participate in the event by their seniors at work. They say the goal is to create more understandable content as companies increasingly rely on digital platforms for visibility. “We’re not creators ourselves, but content is now part of how companies communicate, and we’re here to learn it,” Twinkle said.
Throughout the day, the panel touched on what life is really like for creators today, ignoring curated feeds and talking as authentically as possible about income instability, algorithmic pressures, and burnout. Sessions on financial fundamentals for creators, ethical comedy, tourism-focused content, mental wellness, and even art therapy reflected the expanded breadth of the conversation.
The main highlight of the Kathmandu edition is the Pitch for Success platform. There, selected creators will present their business ideas directly to company executives and receive live feedback and mentorship. This approach is one that emphasizes promoting events toward long-term careers, rather than instant wins online.
Creator Mera will continue her busy schedule for the second day on Saturday, January 31st. Upcoming sessions will include workshops on how brands choose creators, building influence beyond follower counts, pricing and knowing your worth, separating long-term wins from short-term wins in content creation, AI and authenticity, using music correctly in content, managing digital stress, securing your first brand deal, and more.
The panel discussion will also explore how creators protect their originality, what truly gets brands’ attention, the hidden strategies behind viral posts, and the global challenges shaping the creator economy.
