MANILA - More and more Filipinos venture into the online market for additional income, and creatives and hobbyists are finding a haven in social media and live streaming platforms for that extra buck.

Jemima Nabong, 40, manages her family's wholesale fish supply business in Pampanga, but wants to earn money of her own.

"Hindi naman natin alam ang mangyayari in the future, okay rin 'yung meron kang extra income. Hindi naman lahat ng businesses nagla-last. So if ever na may mangyari, meron kang back-up," Nabong said.

(We don't know what will happen in the future, so it's better to have an extra source of income. Not all businesses last, so it's good to have a back-up.)

She turned to her passion for the culinary arts, selling baked goods from their family home.

Recently, Nabong found a better outlet for her skills in the kitchen: live streaming.

She said she first heard of Kumu from a friend in an online plant interest group who had shifted their online activity to the live streaming platform.

Nabong started by posting dishes she would cook at home on Kumu, which eventually earned her an invite from the growing cooking community in the platform.

She started contributing to the community, fondly called by its users "Kumunity", in January. Within 10 months, she earned badges as a cooking content creator, rewarding her with more exposure.

With over 3,000 followers, averaging at 2,800 viewers watching an average of 43 hours of her streams in a month, Nabong spends at least an hour with her viewers in a live stream at least three times a week.

As content creators like Nabong engage with viewers in their live stream through comments, viewers can send them "gifts" equivalent to earning "diamonds," points convertible to cash.

Nabong sets up a tripod with a small ring light on a small corner of their dining area an hour before her live stream schedule. One phone is attached to the middle of the ring light, the camera facing her cooking set-up. She props a second phone by the wall, the front camera facing her.

With barely any space required, Nabong was able to carry out an hour's worth of live stream from the safety and comfort of her home.

In that hour she spent cooking ginataang gulay for her family's lunch and making conversation with her viewers, Nabong was able to earn over 21,000 diamonds from over 800 viewers, which is equivalent to about P470.

When her diamonds reach 50,000, Nabong will be able to cash out her earnings equivalent to P1,000 direct to GCash or her bank account.

Nabong knows she has a long journey ahead of her to get her break.

"Sana mabigyan pa ako ng chance na mag-stream sa iba pang channels ng Kumu, to get experience, and more exposure," she said.

(I hope I get more chances to stream in channels that can give me more experience and more exposure.)

In Kumu's thriving "creator economy, some 1,700 creators are "financially sustainable", earning about P20,000 a month while some earn as much as $3,000 (P176,801), Kumu founder James Rumohr said during the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines' (IMMAP) Digicon Valley 2022.

• Some Filipinos earn up to $3,000 a month as creator economy thrives on Kumu

"In the time where some Filipinos don’t have certain job opportunities because of the pandemic, people found Kumu to be a place where they can actually find some success and get some income generating pathways because of livestreaming," he said.

Among those who discovered Kumu when the pandemic hit the country was nursing student Rasbi Claveria.

“Sabi ko, 'Sige, try ko lang muna to'. Tapos, pagka-start ko mag-live, biglang dumami yung nanood sa akin. Sobrang natuwa ako kaya na-engganyo ako na magpatuloy," she said.

(I just wanted to try it out. When I started live streaming, a lot of people started watching, and I started to enjoy doing it so I kept at it.)

Claveria began live streaming on the app in March 2020 and by the following month, she had already qualified for a payout. She celebrated her birthday in April using her income from Kumu.

Claveria often sings in her livestreams. She used to do gaming streams as well.

Shared that she began just as any new streamer would: with no particular content in mind and barely any equipment. She remembers streaming as early as 6 a.m. to get the best morning light, and resorting to using solar lamps for an evening stream. She even streamed doing house chores, talking to her viewers while she washed dishes or did laundry.

After Claveria gained a following on the platform, she started earning as high as P100,000 per month on her first year.

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Rasbi Claveria always makes it a point to greet her viewers as they come into her stream, and thanks supporters who send gifts which convert to cash. Courtesy: Rasbi Claveria

Currently, Claveria goes live on Kumu from her room, with one decorated corner of the space as the background to her various streams. With just one smart phone, a mic, a pink neon light behind her, she keeps her viewers entertained by taking song cover requests.

Now that she’s in her final year in nursing school, the 23 -year old has had less time to stream, which she admits affected her Kumu income.

On its 4th anniversary, Kumu already has over 6.5 million hours of live streams watched every month. While this might mean more engagement for streamers like Claveria, more creators have also saturated the platform, dividing viewers’ attention.

“Pati mga artista, sikat na vloggers… Parang, 'ito lang kami eh, tapos yung tatapatan namin, sobrang, ang daming mga followers nito, kilala sila eh'. Parang ang hirap makipagsabayan. So ‘yung ibang streamers, pinanghihinaan sila,” said Claveria.

(Even celebrities and popular vloggers use Kumu now. We're not as popular compared to them, and they have such huge followings. It can be hard to keep up, and some streamers get discouraged.)

Nevertheless, without giving specifics, Claveria said what she earns from Kumu these days is still enough to put herself through college, and pay her bills and food as she lives alone in Mindanao.

She also helps her younger sibling's school expenses, and pay for bills and groceries for her mother and younger sibling in Batangas in the house which she secured the downpayment for from her Kumu earnings.

At one point, Claveria thought she should focus on streaming, when Kumu proved lucrative for pioneers like herself. But she knew she would be better off with a degree, and streaming could stay as her secondary source of income.

Despite the demands of time and energy from nursing school, Claveria allows herself just an hour to rest after arriving home from classes, and then goes live to check in and allot time for her viewers.

Kumu has also provided a platform for Claveria to get gigs as a host and product endorser.

While Claveria's success story on the live streaming platform may prove enticing, she reminds would-be streamers to view the Kumunity beyond a side hustle.

"Kailangan ‘yung mga supporters, kailangan hindi lang ‘yung tingin mo sa kanila ay may makukuha ka. Kailangan gawin mo rin silang part ng life mo, ng journey mo," she said.

(You shouldn't treat your viewers as cash cows. They're part of the community. They should be part of your life and your journey.)

“Nung naka-ilang months na, hindi ko na iniisip yung kitaan, kasi parang hinahanap na rin ako nung mga tao. ‘Uy, bakit hindi ka na nagla-live?’ o ‘Nasaan ka na, Rasbi? Hinahanap ka na namin.’ Masaya ako kasi nawawala ‘yung stress nila pag pumupunta sila sa live ko. Sobrang saya raw na ilalagay lang nila yung phone nila sa gilid habang pinapanood ako, tapos nagco-computer sila,” she added.

(After several months, it wasn't just about the money anymore. The viewers were the ones looking for me, seeking out my live streams, 'Why aren't you online? We miss you.' I'm happy because my streams help relieve their stress. They tell me that I keep them company while they're working, with their phones on my stream propped up beside their computers.)

For Claveria, Kumu became a safe space to hang out online. Beyond a source of income, she shares how some viewers would open up to streamers in comments, seeking companionship and advice.

“Malapit na ako makapagtapos ng pag-aaral ko, [nasa Kumu] pa rin ako. Talagang [Kumu] ang nagtaguyod sa akin," she said.

(I'm about to graduate, and I'm still with Kumu. It helped me put myself through school.)

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