Meet Nivi Shrivastava, a seasoned lifestyle journalist, digital creator, and founder of msjunebug.com, an online platform where young writers and brands get to tell their real stories.
Don’t complain, don’t explain — keep working and the real story will be out soon. Spoken like a true journalist, Nivi Shrivastava swears by these words not only in her career but in life as well. Having worked as a senior journalist in prominent newspapers and media houses, Nivi is now a digital writer/influencer who creates informative and niche-driven content for her audience. She uses the art of storytelling to kindle hope and change lives.
Her parents have been a constant support system, especially her father. Nivi believes that “good parenting and an empathic upbringing can make a huge difference in a person’s life”. It was their support and encouragement that has her touching new heights every day.
Nivi was 21 when she started working as a full-time journalist. She completed her journalism degree from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) and landed a job right after at a prominent newspaper. She lived in South India for a while and then moved to New Delhi. After quitting her first job, Nivi started writing online blogs anonymously and soon they received a lot of traction. She collaborated with various well-known hospitality and luxury brands. Although she graduated in print media, digital became her passion.
Her love for writing and technology led her to experiment in blogging. It soon turned into a credible platform for the readers. This also honed her blogging and social media skills. Although she worked professionally as an independent journalist in newspapers and portals, the blog helped her build a unique identity for herself. What started as a side hustle has now become the means of livelihood and meaning of life for her.
While working at the media houses, she always craved independence to show her own creativity. After working for 8 years as a print journalist, Nivi took some time off to introspect. That when she realized she wanted to be free as a writer, individual, and a woman. That’s when she used blogging and social media to narrate her stories. It gave her the freedom she always desired.
Her website, Msjunebug gives writers and up-and-coming brands a space to tell their stories. As mainstream media is full of paid ads and fake news, Nivi strives to keep her website authentic and ad-free. She creates genuine content to inform and educate her readers. This is what makes her platform stand out from the competitors. msjunebug.com covers niches like hospitality, luxury, fashion, food, and lifestyle segments. They post only what they truly believe in. It is an eclectic mix of editorial and commercial stories. It caters to the audience that wants to read good and non-promotional stuff. She tweaks her stories and content in a way to reach a younger audience.
Nivi takes pride in being trained by veteran editors, who follow old school reporting and writing ethos. She is also grateful to her mentor ‘Asmita Agarwal’ who shaped her writing and ethics as a media professional. “The fact that people love authentic opinions and novel storytelling makes me believe that writers have a bright future”, she says. Nivi instills a hope for the budding writers and bloggers who want to make a career in journalism.
When asked about her ultimate success mantra, Nivi says, “Be patient and do not run after instant success, a good mix of smart work and hard work will always take you ahead in life”.
