When Vikaas Shanker started his media brand in 2020, he did not anticipate the series of events that would lead him to establish a new business focused on digital marketing for small companies. Nearly five years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shanker has transitioned from journalism to marketing and public relations.
Shanker previously worked as a reporter at the Merced Sun Star for four years. He described how changes in the newsroom, including staff reductions and moving into a smaller office space, made it increasingly difficult to pursue in-depth stories.
“I didn’t do it for the pay but, you know, I got married; I was trying to start a family,” Shanker said. “One of the things I liked about journalism was the ability to really go deep into a story — talk to a lot of people and then do a lot of research and really develop a story that’s good for the community. I couldn’t really do that; there were a few stories that I was doing where I was like, ‘There’s a story here, but I don’t have the time to pursue that.’”
He explained further: “I had started my own company. Through that, I was getting leads and then Covid hit.”
Initially begun as a side project, Vikaas Shanker Media became more central after pandemic disruptions slowed his early progress. During this period, he joined an agency for additional experience but kept his business domain name with plans to return later.
“I started looking more into it and talking to some PR people I knew,” he said. “There are people and there are organizations that need to tell people about themselves and I could help do that.”
One significant early project involved creating social media video content for Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto’s 2020 election campaign when traditional campaigning was limited due to pandemic restrictions.
Afterward, Shanker worked at Fresno-based Archer and Hound as social media manager. There he led efforts in public relations, content marketing, social media strategy, online campaigns design, search engine optimization (SEO), and increasing client brand visibility.
“PR, content marketing, social media marketing — those were kind of like my core strengths and what I led over at the agency,” he said.
Following Archer and Hound’s acquisition of Butler Branding in 2024—a move which altered his responsibilities—Shanker decided by 2025 to revive his original venture with greater expertise.
“When I left Archer and Hound I decided this is a great time to start it up again,” he said. “Now I actually have a lot of experience in marketing…and social media marketing and PR and content marketing.”
With Vikaas Shanker Media relaunched recently, his goal is now helping small businesses throughout California’s Central Valley build their online presence using strategies such as social media management, SEO services, website development using AI tools for content creation, and advisory support aimed at strengthening clients’ digital footprint.
“Now I have way more experience and now I know what I’m doing,” he said. “Now I can really do a good job for small businesses in the area, which is what I’m really focused on.”
Currently focusing on raising awareness about his company among potential clients remains one challenge: self-marketing—an issue familiar from his previous work.
“It’s about visibility,” Shanker said. “And so that’s really the hole that I’m trying to fill: digital visibility.”
He stated that relaunching Vikaas Shanker Media brings together skills from journalism storytelling with technical advertising abilities gained through agency work while maintaining focus on serving local businesses.
