TikTokIt's been just over two years since TikTok arrived in the UK. And the amazing reception we’ve had in that short space of time speaks volumes about the nation of creators that we are.
The UK’s creative prowess is almost without parallel in variety and influence around the world. We see this creativity, wit and ingenuity day in and day out on TikTok.
In the last few months, creators from all walks of life have contributed to TikTok's diverse range of entertaining, inspiring and even educational content.
Where else could you see Andrew Lloyd Webber share his West End 'Phantom of the WAPera' remix of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's global hit WAP, The Met Office teaching us about the differences between types of cloud, or some exceptional Dad dancing for a good cause as the Outta Puff Daddys get us all up and dancing to raise awareness of prostate cancer?
Nowhere else. In the UK, it starts on TikTok.
Our commitment to creators
Our community of creators, streamers, viewers, and fans have propelled unique content into memorable cultural moments and movements. From arts, to food, to beauty, fashion and film, our creators have invented original content to entertain and inspire us, making TikTok a key part of British culture.
That's why we're committed to nurturing an environment where their talent, ideas and creativity can flourish, both on TikTok and beyond. The recent launch of our Creator Fund in Europe was just the first big step.
Now, we're taking it further with our new campaign - 'it starts on TikTok' - a love letter to our creator community.
Shining a national spotlight on our beloved creators
Over the next six weeks we'll celebrate British talent that was born on the platform - from @cheethamswithdreams, raising awareness about cerebral palsy, through to @doctor.emeka, a doctor and Nigerian Prince who creates videos about interesting medical facts and health advice, among many other talented creators.
We're going to tell their stories and showcase the heroes of our platform, helping them to grow their audience and putting them in a national spotlight with a high-profile advertising campaign across TV, on digital platforms and at iconic sites up and down the UK.
You can see our new TV ad, which aired for the first time at the weekend and runs throughout September across the UK, below.
'It starts on TikTok' is a celebration of our creative community for making TikTok a ubiquitous part of everyday life, bringing joy, entertainment and humour to millions.
When we say it starts on TikTok, we mean everything from those magic little moments of inspiration through to cultural impact. We hope these incredible and creative people inspire and entertain the next generation of UK creators.
Meet the creators being profiled for their incredible TikTok profiles and videos:
@doctor.emeka (149.2k followers) - From a young age Emeka Okorocha knew that becoming a Doctor was his calling. He comes from a family of medics, including his grandfather who was a doctor, father a medical consultant, and siblings who are all medical students. He’s also a Nigerian Prince, third in line to the throne in his province. Whilst studying medicine he was featured in the BBC documentary “Junior Doctors: Blood, Sweat and Tears’, which shone a light on his tough job as a foundation year doctor. Since then his popularity has continued to grow, which he’s channelled for good by sharing helpful medical advice to his growing social media audience form the importance of wearing a face mask, to helpful tips to getting a better night's sleep.
@Catburnss (621k followers) - Cat Burns is a young singer from South London, who burst onto the UK music scene back in 2016. Whilst studying at the critically acclaimed Brit School she released her first EP, Adolescent, which captured the raw realities of teenage life, and stormed into number 11 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart. Since then she has gone on to be named ‘Track of the week’ on Radio 1Xtra, MSG’s ‘Up & Coming Artist of the Month’ and released her debut single ‘Sober’ in 2018. After travelling around universities and building her social media presence, her fanbase grew and grew, with over half million TikTok followers and counting. She posts TikTok music videos of her latest tracks as well as mashups of popular songs and the odd TikTok challenge.
@abbyrartistry (11.5million followers) - Abby arrived on the beauty scene back in 2013, posting makeup tutorials, beauty blogs and special effects makeup videos to her social media. She gradually began building a following with her unique style, but it wasn't until makeup mogul @JamesCharles featured her on one of his ‘sister takeovers’ that she really went viral. Now she is one of the leading British beauty bloggers posting incredible transformation videos of characters of TV and film, as well as glam makeup looks.
@cheethamswithdreams (185k followers) - Becky is a 23 year old children’s nurse and her 25 year old sister Hannah was born with cerebral palsy. In Hannah’s case, her cerebral palsy means she cannot walk or talk but is completely aware of her surroundings and is intent on living life to the fullest! The pair love showing what it's like to be sisters, while also raising awareness of the condition by hosting Q&A about their relationship and cerebral palsy. They believe having open and honest discussions about disabilities will help to open up the conversation with the wider public, inspire and spread awareness of cerebral palsy. You can also find them playing pranks on one another and taking on the latest TikTok challenges and dances.
@arshsoni10 (7.2million followers) - Arshdeep Soni is part of the growing community of TikTok magicians. He’s got tricks that’ll blow your mind and jokes that’ll make your sides split. He’s part of the Magic Circle - a magical society that’s been around since 1905. Arshdeep's content inspires many other young magicians to give it a go, while his cutting edge tricks, magic learning sessions and pranks entertain users of all abilities.
