What were you doing when you were a 6-year-old kid? For one boy, Nihal Raj, who hails from India, it's learning how to cook. The aspiring chef, who has become a social media star, loved it so much that he started his own YouTube channel where he shares his recipe and cooking videos. One of the foods he prepared attracted the interest of Facebook, which willingly paid $2,000 for it.
Nihal Raj, who is also nicknamed Kicha, began cooking at the age of four after observing his mother. He started preparing desserts since this required minimal cooking skills. His mother, who is a baker, initially let him do the simplest recipes.
In 2015, Kicha started KichaTubeHD as he was inspired by other kids who shared what they love to do on YouTube. At first, Kicha shared toy reviews and unboxing new acquisitions, but the YouTube channel soon found its identity as a cooking channel. But little did he know, he would become a social media star for it.
BGR reports that Kicha uploads a recipe video once a week, which is then also shared on his Facebook page. It was there that Facebook representatives saw his video on making mango ice cream. The company called up Kichal's family and asked if they could use this for a promo ad on the social site.
BGR further reports that Facebook paid Rs 67,800 or ($1,000) for the video and another Rs 67,800 for Kicha as a talent. The deal does not hold Facebook exclusive rights to the video.
Mashable reports that while there are tons of videos being shared on Facebook, the social site found Kicha's to be "a great fit" to what Facebook was planning to do. The opportunity for this social media star has opened doors, but the young chef's parents are making sure that he doesn't spend a lot of time doing this. The most time they allow him to record the videos is at least two hours every week.
Here is the video that caught Facebook's interest. Watch Kicha's take on making a simple and homemade mango ice cream: