How freelance editors are driving the creator economy

A new wave of jobs is transforming India’s over ₹3,500 crore creator economy. As social platforms become full-fledged media businesses, freelance editors have become partners for creators and brands alike.

- Pratishtha Bagai [e-mail]

When the world’s biggest YouTuber launches a startup for editors, you know the edit room has gone mainstream. MrBeast, touted the world’s biggest YouTuber with the most individual subscribers, over 448 million, recently launched Vyro, a platform that connects creators and brands with freelance video editors, called “clippers”. Vyro institutionalizes a role once considered behind-the-scenes, highlighting how vital post-production has become in storytelling.

India, which tends to follow US digital trends, is witnessing a similar surge. Demand for freelance editors has increased, especially for short-form and branded videos lifting incomes to more than triple in the past year. Creators on Instagram and YouTube now often credit their editors publicly, a meaningful sign of the rise of specialized creative labour.