Reece Feldman admits that he broke a couple of rules on his way to becoming the go-to TikTok consultant for Hollywood studios.
The 25-year-old behind the @guywithamoviecamera account — which has more than 2 million followers on TikTok — started working on reality shows in 2020, soon landing a gig as a production assistant on the fourth season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He began posting behind-the-scenes videos of his life on set, which, as he can admit now, was definitely not allowed: “It was a calculated risk that I almost got fired for. I made one video there as a test thing, and I was like, ‘Well, this could either be the end of my time here or it could be the start of something cool.’ And it was the latter, thank God,” Feldman recalls. “The video got millions of views, and Prime [Video] reached out and was like, ‘Don’t do this again, but do it with us.’ ”
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That collaboration has now expanded to include partnerships with nearly every studio and streamer in town, as Feldman is hired as the Gen Z authority on entertainment. He creates content from red carpets and press junkets — enlisting A-listers to take part in viral trends and comedic skits — and is often flown to sets to film behind-the-scenes videos. His TikTok with Christopher Nolan in support of Oppenheimer (showcasing the film’s 11-mile-long 70mm print) raked in more than 10 million views, and videos with the Scream 6 cast (particularly star Jenna Ortega) reached more than 27 million views — two experiences that Feldman counts as highlights of the past year. He also created content for Barbie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Fast X, Cannes, the Golden Globes and the Oscars.
Feldman has formal contracts with Paramount and Prime to create content for their entire slates, while other studios reach out for one-off partnerships around specific projects and events. Though he won’t disclose his rate, noting it varies by company and the range of work, he says, “I am no longer working paycheck to paycheck, which is nice.” When it comes to creating the actual content, which is split between being posted on his personal account and a studio’s or streamer’s, Feldman says it’s a collaborative process that he views as a “one for them, one for me kind of thing,” acknowledging that sometimes the marketing teams he’s working with don’t fully comprehend internet humor. “They’re like, ‘I don’t understand, why would this person do this?’ And I’m like, ‘It doesn’t matter. I would have to walk you through three years of internet memes to get you to [understand] why this is now funny — or not even funny, like an ironic funny,’ ” he says with a laugh. It’s clearly paying off in views. “People today are super media literate — or at least people of my generation are fairly media literate — and they know when they’re being advertised to, but they’ll accept being advertised to if it’s in their language, if it’s on their terms and we’re not trying to con them,” Feldman continues of why he thinks the videos are translating.
Though he’s in such high demand, the creator stopped studio partnerships for the past few months in solidarity with the SAG-AFTRA strike. He joined the picket line in NYC on a weekly basis and cut back on posting, pivoting to some fashion content in the interim. But he’s not too worried that studios will hold a grudge now that the strike has ended: “A lot of creators, their goal is to work in the industry. I think studios understand that a single deal or something like that would jeopardize their future to work in guilds.” (Feldman spoke to THR before the union and AMPTP agreed to a new contract on Nov. 8.)
Feldman himself has aspirations to one day be a writer and director, with a particular interest in horror and comedy. He’s making the most of his access, admitting that when he’s on set filming content, “I’m wearing two hats: one to do my job but then also to learn, just sponge everything.” But for now, he’s earned the trust of Hollywood that “I’m there to help their movie, their show — whatever it is — to succeed, to find an audience. Regardless of whether or not it is my favorite movie or my favorite show, I know that someone will appreciate it; they just need to find it.”
This story first appeared in the Nov. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
