Why Hollywood is paying this 17-year-old up to $20,000 to boost film trailers with TikTok edits

• Amid Mohamed is the 17-year-old founder of Viral Cartel Inc.
• His company creates social media campaigns for film studios using TikTok edits.
• The Clio Entertainment Awards shortlisted a "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" film edit from Mohamed's company.

The odds of anyone sitting through a two-minute film trailer while scrolling through TikTok are abysmal, a challenge that studios are grappling with in the age of short-form content.

"When you see a trailer nowadays, it just fades into the background because most people are just scrolling," Amid Mohamed, a 17-year-old based in Dubai, told Business Insider.

That's why companies like Viral Cartel Inc., the digital marketing and creative agency Mohamed founded in 2024, when he was just 16, are becoming a go-to tool for studios trying to break through on TikTok. Viral Cartel Inc. helps studios generate hype around their films and TV shows on social media in a language that young audiences understand: "edits."

Edits are clips of films, TV shows, and other media that are assembled by editors — either fans or professionals — into short, eye-catching montages paired with music. Many edits are based on a popular IP, so a well-crafted edit can generate organic engagement from fans that translates to millions of views and likes.

Mohamed said that stylized edits, rather than traditional trailers, are a more effective way to capture young viewers' attention on social media sites like TikTok. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that TikTok is one of the most popular apps for teenagers, ranking second only to YouTube.

"Trailers have become a scene pack for editors to clip up and flood TikTok," Mohamed said. "Edits aren't just an amplifier anymore. They're part of the process that makes a trailer blow up."

A flashy "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" edit created under Viral Cartel Inc. hit TikTok in January. As of December, the edit has 68.9 million views, 7.8 million likes, and 1.3 million saves. The Clio Entertainment Awards, which recognize top marketing and communications in the entertainment industry, shortlisted the edit this year.

Mohamed's company has also created campaigns for other popular films, including "F1."

Studios like Lionsgate have hired TikTok creators to design their edits for the platform, showing that a new era of marketing is upon us.

From basketball to marketing

Although Mohamed has gone all-in on his creative agency, he initially aspired to play professional basketball while living with his family in Sweden. At 14, he began taking videos of himself shooting hoops and posting them to TikTok, which compelled him to learn video editing and study what creates viral content.

"It also has to be something different," Mohamed said. "When you see someone hooping outside in the snow, of course, people are going to start sharing it. What is he doing? Who hurt him?" Mohamed said.

Around that time, Mohamed discovered that there were companies willing to pay creators like him to promote songs in their videos, sparking his curiosity about the business of going viral online. Mohamed wanted to know more about how that industry worked, so he secured freelance marketing work to get better insights.

"I noticed I was pretty good at making movies go viral through edits, so after that period, I went straight into starting Viral Cartel," Mohamed said.

He said he initially struggled to get the attention of potential clients due to his small portfolio.

"I started trying to reach out to studios, but I didn't get any responses," Mohamed said. "Nobody looks at a 16-year-old and trusts him with IP, so I had to build up a case study. "

He began working with companies and creating film edits for free as a way to build credibility. He soon began connecting with agencies that looked to capitalize on the popularity of edits.

"A studio hires a big agency, and then that agency hires the gunpowder — the guys who actually make things trend," Mohamed said.

Viral Cartel has amassed a network of over 2,000 creators who receive commission for designing edits. Mohamed finds potential creators through social media and often reaches out via DMs.

"I pay them commission after I see they posted deliverables," Mohamed said.

He typically accepts projects that pay around five figures. A recent social media campaign completed by Viral Cartel paid $20,000. Business Insider verified the related documents.

Creating community

Through these efforts, Mohamed also recognized the opportunity to create an online editing community. So, he developed Loopgate, an international editing competition for creators.

"To put it simply, it's editing as a sport," Mohamed.

Loopgate's most recent competition began in December, when creators were encouraged to make edits based on "Kill Bill."

The winner, chosen by the community of creators on Discord, receives the Viral Award.

Viral Cartel Inc. is just a year old, but Mohamed already has dreams of expanding his reach and services. That includes building up Loopgate.

"I see it going very far," Mohamed said.