How one of the biggest political TikTokers actually makes a living

I met Vitus “V” Spehar — the look down Under the Desk News — a twelvemonth agone successful Washington, DC. I was connected determination with The Verge filming the TikTok legislature proceeding on with interviews with senators and contented creators for a Verge video astir the looming ban. And erstwhile we interviewed V extracurricular of the Capitol, V said that TikTok was utile for channels similar their ain — a quality transmission that was started due to the fact that they didn’t judge accepted quality sources were accessible capable to younger audiences. V’s TikTok transmission present has 3.1 cardinal subscribers.

Every weekday, V sifts done quality websites successful hunt of six to 8 stories they deem important capable to stock with their audience. V past condenses each communicative into a bite-size snippet, crawls nether a desk, and creates a 90-second video that highlights the happenings of the day. It’s this ritual, which started connected January 6th, 2021, that has propelled V into TikTok governmental fame.

But that fame comes with immoderate unsocial challenges. Under The Desk occupies a tricky abstraction that positions V determination betwixt quality anchor and net personality. So portion V reports accusation to millions of people, they presumption their followers arsenic a assemblage — 1 that they attraction astir and sometimes springiness proposal to. And erstwhile you mates that with the immense disagreement successful US politics, it is simply a look for a full batch of backlash that V progressively has to woody with.

In the latest occurrence of my caller creator-focused video series, I walk a time with V to fig retired wherefore the hellhole they proceed to bash it and, much importantly, however they consciousness astir the looming prohibition that threatens their main subscriber base.