Lionsgate’s Bold Move: Hiring TikTok Fan Editors to Revolutionize Movie Marketing!

Imagine a movie trailer adorned with bold neon text and vibrant filters, all set to a hit track by Dua Lipa. What if this trailer was created by a young person from the Philippines or Brazil using unauthorized video clips? What if the actual storyline of the movie was completely overlooked?

For those who frequent TikTok, it’s likely you’ve come across numerous fan-made video edits. These are creatively assembled montages that blend scenes from movies or TV shows with contemporary music. While some serve as celebratory compilations, others take on a meme-like nature or offer imaginative reinterpretations that deviate significantly from the original content. A notable example is #SydCarmy, a collection of edits that reimagines the strictly platonic leads of “The Bear” as romantic partners.

These fan edits have garnered millions of views, sparking active engagement among communities of enthusiasts for various shows and films, from “The Summer I Turned Pretty” to “Barry Lyndon.” Briana McElroy, who directs global digital marketing at Lionsgate Films, describes these edits as “love letters from fans,” which also double as cost-free promotion.

Major film studios like Hulu and Paramount+ have taken note of the significant viral traction these TikTok videos achieve and have begun incorporating fan edits into their official marketing strategies. Lionsgate, for instance, regularly shares fan-made edits of both new releases like “The Long Walk” and classics like “Divergent.”

“Our digital marketing team operates as if they are fans themselves,” McElroy explains. She notes that while Lionsgate utilizes “legacy agencies” for a more refined approach on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, their TikTok strategy is to produce content that resonates authentically with the platform’s user base.

However, there’s always the risk of seeming too eager to connect with internet culture, potentially coming off as the overbearing “cool mom.” To avoid this, Lionsgate has opted to employ actual viral fan editors rather than attempting to mimic them. Felipe Mendez, who oversees the Lionsgate TikTok account, has reached out to roughly 250 editors, assembling a team of about 15. “We’re engaging with artists who already have a fan following, asking them to continue what they’re doing but in collaboration with us,” Mendez, 26, asserts.

Mendez, part of UTA’s Next Gen team, has a history of helping brands like Axe and PBS connect with younger audiences. He advocates for embracing aspects of Gen Z culture that may be unfamiliar to traditional corporate leadership. “To succeed on TikTok, your content needs to be a bit detached from your typical brand identity,” he suggests, adding that brands should be willing to engage in self-deprecating humor. For instance, a Lionsgate edit humorously paired a scene from “The Hunger Games” with Flo Rida’s provocative song “Whistle.”

Mendez recognized the impact of fan edits years ago when TikTok videos of the TV show “Suits” were hitting hundreds of millions of views, which helped reignite interest in the series, making it the most-streamed show of 2023 and leading to a spinoff.

While it can be challenging to directly link fan edits to increased viewership, Mendez points to the comments on a “Creed” edit, which accumulated 195 million views and 19 million likes. Comments like “Guess I’m watching ‘Creed’ today” and viewership spikes following these posts serve as testament to their effectiveness. A “Creed” video edit coincided with a 29% increase in viewership on Amazon Prime, as reported by Luminate.

Can these fan-driven edits also translate to offline engagement? Lionsgate is testing this with a planned re-release of “Twilight,” spurred by a successful fan edit campaign. The company has created nearly 40 edits since last summer and anticipates attracting a new generation of fans who were born after the original release.

McElroy emphasizes that the marketing strategy extends beyond mere box office returns. “Our objective with sharing ‘Twilight’ on TikTok was not driven by immediate financial gain, but rather to foster and maintain a community,” she states.