Clipt

How Two Roommates Built a $2M Video Editing Business in Two Years

February 14th, 2025

Founded By

Henry Belcaster

Monthly Revenue

$154K

Founders

Employees

58 (est.)

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2022

Customer

B2B & B2C

Founded By
Henry Belcaster: Monthly Revenue
$154K: Founders
2

Employees
58 (est.): Profitable
Yes: Year Started
2022

Customer
B2B & B2C

Who is Henry Belcaster?

Clipt was founded by Dylan Jardon and Henry Belcaster, two college roommates who met in 2015 and combined their entrepreneurial spirits to build a video editing agency out of Chicago, initially leveraging overseas talent and unemployment funds during the COVID pandemic.

What problem does Clipt solve?

Clipt helps creators and companies by connecting them with skilled, overseas video editors, saving them money while maintaining high-quality content creation.

How did Henry come up with the idea for Clipt?

The idea for Clipt emerged from a need that founders Henry and Dylan felt firsthand. They initially started a podcast and required video editing services, but quickly realized that many others were in the same boat, struggling to find reliable and affordable editors. Observing this demand, they began exploring the potential of hiring overseas editors, particularly from the Philippines, where they discovered a wealth of untapped talent.

To validate their idea, they offered their editing services to well-known podcasts like My First Million and All In for free initially, using their own funds and even accruing some debt. This "squatter marketing" method paid off, earning them credibility and attracting paid work from larger clients eager to benefit from their service. They refined their approach, focusing on aligning talented editors with the right clients, growing their understanding of the market along the way.

In the ideation phase, they faced the challenge of being under-capitalized but viewed their credit card debt as a catalyst rather than a setback. By staying flexible and embracing quick decision-making, they overcame these obstacles and confirmed the demand for their service. A key lesson learned was to focus on solving immediate, personal pain points, knowing that others likely faced similar challenges.

How did Henry Belcaster build the initial version of Clipt?

Clipt was developed by Dylan and Henry as a result of their podcast production agency turning into a video editing marketplace. The initial development phase involved hiring overseas talent, primarily from the Philippines, due to cost efficiency and exceptional video editing skills found there. Their tech stack mainly included tools for managing remote work and video editing software but specific software isn’t detailed. With unemployment checks and minimal personal expenses, they funneled their limited resources into building a team that could deliver high-quality video content for large podcasting clients like "My First Million" and "All-In." This process was filled with challenges, including significant financial risk, as they initially funded operations using credit cards and were often at the brink of financial uncertainty.

What were the initial startup costs for Clipt?

Debt and Financing: The founders accumulated $40,000 in credit card debt to fund initial business operations and keep things running while they waited for clients to pay.
Unemployment Funds: They used unemployment checks of $2,470 per month to cover personal expenses and reinvest in building an overseas video editing team.
Team Costs: Their personal team costs approximately $25,000 to $30,000 per month, significantly higher than the $5,000 monthly revenue generated from shorts.

What was the growth strategy for Clipt and how did they scale?

YouTube Shorts

Clipt utilized YouTube Shorts as a primary channel to gain significant traction and growth. With the goal of releasing one highly animated short per day, they managed to amass over a billion views within a year. Their approach was to create concise and engaging 60-second animations that simplified complex ideas in an entertaining way, often described as "South Park for nerds."

Why it worked: The Shorts format on YouTube is designed for quick consumption, catering to viewers' shorter attention spans. By producing high-quality, engaging short videos that delivered educational content with humor, Clipt captured a vast audience. The sheer volume of content coupled with consistent quality enabled them to rapidly increase their subscriber count, reaching 2 million subscribers.

Squatter Marketing

Clipt employed a unique tactic called "Squatter Marketing," where they created high-quality content for big-name clients like My First Million podcast and the All-In podcast without initially being hired by them. By producing unsolicited promotional content, Clipt demonstrated their value upfront and drew attention from these potential clients.

Why it worked: This bold approach of offering free work illustrated Clipt's capabilities and built trust with potential clients. It positioned them as the team behind the content and sparked interest among the networks of these high-profile figures. Consequently, this strategy helped them secure numerous big clients, leveraging the reputation and reach of existing high-profile clients to attract more business.

Networking and Word of Mouth

Clipt's success also stems from networking and word-of-mouth recommendations. They worked with high-profile personalities, and their work was shared across influential networks, resulting in organic growth.

Why it worked: Working with reputable names like Will Smith, Naval Ravikant, and Hasan Minhaj boosts credibility and opens up networks to similar high-profile opportunities. Clipt's collaborations became a testament to their quality, leading to more referrals and inquiries from other influential clients seeking similar services.

Overseas Hiring

They established a team of 50 animators and editors primarily based in the Philippines, which allowed them to maintain high-quality productions at a fraction of the cost of employing local talent.

Why it worked: Hiring overseas not only provided Clipt with access to a large, talented pool of professionals but also kept operational costs low. This financial strategy allowed them to reinvest resources into content creation and business expansion, creating a sustainable growth loop that facilitated impressive scale with limited capital.

What's the pricing strategy for Clipt?

Clipt offers video editing services priced at approximately $2,470/month, leveraging overseas talent to cut costs, allowing creative pursuits with minimal overhead.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Clipt?

Adapt Quickly to Change: Clipt transitioned from an agency to a marketplace and reverted back, learning the importance of speed in testing new business models to find what truly works.
Embrace Storytelling: By focusing on storytelling in their content, Clipt realized that engaging narratives captivate audiences, leading to their viral success.
Leverage Talent Wisely: Hiring top talent overseas helped Clipt balance cost and quality, proving that great people can be found anywhere if you're willing to look.
Partnership Power: The founders of Clipt leveraged each other's strengths, with one focusing on execution while the other ensured perfection, showing how complementary skills can drive success.
Courage to Pivot: Despite initial financial struggles, Clipt wasn’t afraid to pivot or take risks, as shown through their willingness to reinvest profits into new ventures rather than settling for stability.

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