Representatives of Victor Valley College say students’ addiction to scrolling on TikTok may not be time wasted.
TikTok users responsible for “clipping,” or editing the best scenes of movies and TV shows for social media, are going so viral that they are being offered jobs by major studio productions. The most notable success comes from fan edits of Canadian hockey show “Heated Rivalry.”
HBO, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery, hired fan editor @uhbucky full-time after her edit titled “Previously on Heated Rivalry” hit 4.6 million views on X. The 25-year-old, who is known publicly only by her first name Melanie, was previously working in financial consulting before HBO “DM’ed her,” Newsweek reported.
According to the outlet, Melanie had belonged to fan fiction forums since she was 12, and started editing fan fiction content when she was 17 using Final Cut software. She built a following in popular Harry Potter and One Direction fandoms online, producing cinematic trailers.
Now, she has turned her favorite pastime into a paycheck.
This new wave of content creation-turned-paying career broadens the virtual employment possibilities for youth already familiar with social media software and leaves much room for speculation.
For many industries, employment requirements include three to five years of experience if applicants do not have a relevant degree. Various sources, including the National Library of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics, report 12.6 as the average age of new social media users. By the time these creators graduate from high school, they will already have the experience needed for a successful clipping career, if using the same job requirement logic.
Victor Valley College representatives shared this information with their students via the April 2026 newsletter. Administrators are aware that a vast majority of their students are active on social media. Instead of resisting the fast-growing creator economy, they are offering students practical guidance on how to transform social media habits into a paycheck, reflecting a broader shift as higher education adapts to the rising creator economy.
From fans to professionals
An Ogilvy survey found that 86% of Gen Z individuals belong to a fandom, highlighting how inseparable fanfiction content is becoming in popular culture. The Heated Rivalry fan hire was among the first of many similar projected hires as major studios catch up with the marketing trend.
Victor Valley College’s newsletter highlighted additional fan edit hires, contributing to the argument that this new employment opportunity is on the rise.
Last year, Lionsgate Studios hired 15 TikTok fan editors to push now-viral clips of movies “Twilight” and “Creed.” A fan-made edit of the 2015 boxing drama hit over 200 million views on TikTok and coincided with a 29% viewership spike on Prime.
The result? A snowball effect of collaboration between content creators and notable studios.
Variety reported that Felipe Mendez, 26, manages the Lionsgate account and reached out to around 250 editors on TikTok. Mendez is a member of UTA’s Next Gen team, which helps well-known brands reach younger demographics by “leaning into what they don’t understand about Gen Z.”
The power of TikTok as a cultural force is undeniable. Edits of 2010 show “Suits” gathered hundreds of millions of views online, spurring a spin-off show in 2023. True crime fan edits and reinterpretations of the Menendez brothers’ trial and 1996 documentary have been largely credited for helping spark renewed interest, leading to a 2024 Netflix documentary and a shift of public opinion regarding the influences of the case.
Warner Bros. partnered with TikTok’s Spotlight campaign during its promotion of “Dune 2,” teaming up with 90 content creators to promote the movie. The fans created more than 260,000 Dune-related videos in the weeks before and after the movie debut, Variety reported. Warner Bros. representatives have since stated that TikTok is an invaluable tool for the studio’s marketing.
Partner with TikTok’s Spotlight program or TikTok Shop and get paid
TikTok’s Spotlight program operates via the TikTok Shop. It’s designed to help creators with 1,000 to 5,000+ followers sell products, receive incentives for high-quality content and earn commissions on TikTok Shop sales. The program is only available to Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum badge creators with more than 1,000 active followers.
After the Platinum level is Ruby. According to TikTok, the Spotlight Creator program is designed to help creators develop only until they reach the Ruby stage, the next chapter in the content creation journey.
The “Ruby” program on TikTok generally refers to a high-tier status within the TikTok Shop Affiliate program earned by creators generating over $60,000 in monthly Gross Merchandise Volume. Because these profiles already yield such a high volume of revenue, which means their videos reach a broad enough audience, brands are more likely to collaborate with Ruby-affiliated users.
Achieving Ruby status allows creators to gain perks like early access to products, higher sample limits, and increased brand collaboration. Here, content creators can batch make videos for brands, charging them as much as they see fit per video.
McKenna is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Students addicted to TikTok may capitalize on the pastime, VVC says
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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