When videographer and photographer Sukhjot Singh slid into Shagun Patel’s Instagram DMs with a collaboration request in June 2022, she was pleasantly surprised by his professionalism. At the time, Patel’s career was on the rise as a fashion creator and model, especially because of her involvement with the first South Asian New York Fashion Week. The 27-year-old said many men had messaged her with less than savory intentions, but she trusted Singh instantly. She was also intrigued by his portfolio.
“I had never experimented with video; I was shooting predominantly photo content, so I saw this as an opportunity to do something different,” she told Business Insider.
When they met up a month later to shoot content for a brand, they talked for hours. They started dating soon after and have been together ever since.
Today, Singh has 42,400 followers across Instagram and TikTok, while Patel has 102,800. Even though they each have their own careers, the couple often collaborate on projects, her as a model and him as a videographer.
To date, they’ve produced content for brands that include Skims, Nike, Tanishq, Chiffon & Spice, and Tilted Lotus. Many of these projects wouldn’t have been possible without their media kits, each with a well-detailed biography, campaigns, photo examples, engagement analytics, and a breakdown of their services.
“We work really well together because we play different roles when we market ourselves to brands,” Singh said. “Shagun is an amazing communicator. She’s really great with people, so she’ll usually pitch for both of us, and then I’ll get into the technicalities of the job and obviously show up to shoot.”
To rate or not to rate? That’s where they differ
Singh studied finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship in college but got his “first big break” in the creative space during an internship when a local startup asked him to create a website and a video. He’d never done that type of work before, so he stayed up all night watching YouTube and taught himself the basics.
“That’s when I realized I could make so much more money producing content than I would if I got a ‘regular’ job,” he said.
Now, the 30-year-old packages his rates clearly on his media kit in his services section; an Instagram collaboration that includes a post, reel, and stories starts at $750. He also offers a full “content creation” package starting at $3,000, which is a compilation of raw video footage and photos. For brands who want end-to-end production, there’s a commercial package for $5,000.
“Listing them out from the beginning helps a brand determine if they can afford my work or not,” he said. “It helps me filter out leads and saves having a lot of conversations or meetings with people whose budgets don’t align.”
Patel believes the opposite.
“I feel like I’m lowballing myself if I put rates on there,” she said. “I find that if the brands start the conversation about compensation, which they do if I don’t show how much I charge, then I’m more likely to negotiate a higher amount.”
They each play a specific role when reaching out for collaborations
Before she became a full-time creator in 2022, Patel worked as a project manager at Meta. Even though she left the corporate world behind, she explained how her work experiences helped her deal with different personalities and ask for what she’s worth, which helps her now when communicating with brands. She emphasizes this in the About section of her media kit, too.
“Your story is such an important part of the unique value you bring to a collaboration,” she said. “We’re competing against a lot of white creators in this space, so I lean into the fact that we bring some much-needed South Asian representation.”
Patel said a brand will usually first reach out to her to model or create content; she’ll then bring up Singh’s name and discuss the value he could bring as a videographer. She’ll be in charge of communicating with the brand, from pitching content ideas to negotiating the exact compensation.
She’ll hand the reins over to Singh if there are more technical discussions about the campaign.
“He’s one of the best storytellers I know and asks really thoughtful questions about what the concept needs to be,” she said. “His creative vision is on another level, and I feel like that helps us charge more for our work.”
Singh said he and Patel sometimes make a joint media kit, which they did with Chiffon & Spice, their first paid international brand campaign. It lays out the exact content they’ll shoot.
“We close the deal by selling them a vision,” he said. “Sometimes, you have to show people what they want before they know it themselves.”
Patel and Singh each shared their exact media kits.
Here’s Patel’s 7-page media kit:
The first page reads:
Hello! I’m a Bay Area-based South Asian Content Creator who courageously left a full-time position as a Project Manager in big tech to pursue my creative dreams. My content revolved around fashion/styling, modeling, skincare/beauty, lifestyle, and travel.
My mission is to fill the representation gap I experienced while growing up, empowering South Asian women and emerging creators to embrace their confidence. I put my heart & soul into creating high quality engaging content. Check out my work on Instagram and TikTok! I look forward to collaborating with you 🙂
Instagram: 72K
TikTok: 32K
For inquiries: [email protected]
The second page shows Patel’s following. It reads:
Account Insights
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71.3k followers
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9.4M accounts reached
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398k accounts engaged
It also includes graphics depicting her audience’s demographics:
Page three describes the services Patel offers brands:
Services
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Instagram
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Reels (15s, 30s, 60s)
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In-feed Static Post (Single, Gallery)
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Story (Single Frame, Multiple Frames)
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Product Review
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Exclusive Brand Content
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Giveaway or Promo
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Link in Bio
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TikTok
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TikTok (15s, 30s, 60s)
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Product Review
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Exclusive Brand Content
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Giveaway or Promo
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Link in Bio
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Transitions|Outfit Try on|Trends|GRWM|Creative Productions|Travel Shoots|Other Creative Ideas|Come Up With!
*these videos can be applied to jewelry and beauty
The rest of the media kit showcases Patel’s previous brand partners and images of her work.
Here’s Singh’s 4-page media kit:
Page one reads as follows:
@ssjot is a freelance commercial filmmaker & content creator that specializes in shooting fashion campaigns around the world. His projects have taken him to Hawaii, Morocco, Paris, & more.
His experience working with a wide range of clientele including Nike, Kia Motors, NYFW, Paris Fashion Week, and many more; makes him an extremely versatile creators.
Whether you’re looking to partner with him on bring a social media campaign to life or hire him to produce video and photo assets for your brand, he is the right man for the job.
Instagram: 32K
TikTok: 10k
For inquiries: [email protected]
Page three reads:
Services offered
Sukhjot’s commitment to excellence is evident in every project. He brings a professional touch to every collaboration, whether it’s an Instagram campaign or a comprehensive creative campaign. Utilizing top-of-the-line equipment, including a Canon R5 and a Red Digital Camera, Sukhjot ensures premium quality in all his work.,
Instagram Collaboration: (Starting at $750)
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Static Post: Captivating imagery that resonates with your audience
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Reel: Engaging short-form video that tells your story
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Stories: Dynamic, immersive stories to connect with your followers.
Full content creation package: Starting at $3,000
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A complete collection of raw video footage & photos for you to use for social media content. (Not edited: an entire dump of raw video & photo content.)
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A diverse array of high-resolution images, both product-centric & model-focused, shot on Canon R5
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Vertical cinematic video content suitable for stories and reels
Commercial production: Starting at $5,000
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