Gen Z’s fan edits are a staple of internet culture. Movie studios are finally buying in | CNN Business

When Melanie, also known as “Uhbucky” on social media, posted a fan edit of “Heated Rivalry,” she didn’t know it would lead to her dream job. “I watched (the edit) so many times, it kind of like lost any spark to me,” Melanie, 25, said, referring to her minute-long video condensing the six-episode, steamy hockey romance. The series streams on HBO Max in the United States. The fan edit gained 4.6 million views on X and blew up on Instagram, TikTok and even Threads after it was posted on December 28. This year, Melanie left the world of financial consulting to edit trailers and promos full-time at HBO, who she said reached out to her via DM saying they loved her edit. (CNN and HBO share the same parent company, Warner Bros Discovery. HBO did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.) As eyes turn from big screens to vertical video and seemingly everyone has a streaming platform now, movie studios are buying into the fan-edit frenzy to reel in a new generation of franchise enthusiasts. Movie studios are shifting their marketing priorities to reach the lucrative Gen Z and millennial groups – and hiring young, digital-native editors to make fan edits. Lionsgate, HBO an