Bedford creator named as recipient of TikTok's new Creator Fund

A rising TikTok star and comedian from Bedford has been named as one of the early recipients of a new £54 million TikTok Creator Fund.

Sherice Banton, a comedian who shares her take on the world on her TikTok page will be able to benefit from the fund, which will open for applications on September 1.

The 26-year-old, @ShericeBanton, performs impressions of the characters in her life and delivers entertaining visual comedy to keep the TikTok community laughing, nothing is off limits for Sherice.

The TikTok Creator Fund gives talented individuals the opportunity to turn their creativity into a career.

Sherice said: “I've always loved creating videos on TikTok as it's really allowed me to come into myself and have fun with different ideas, so it is so great to see them invest back into us.

"It's quite flattering to be honest to have the content we create be recognised in this way; it's definitely motivated me to push myself more as a creator”

This new European fund will start initially with $70 million (approx. £54 million) in the first year, which is expected to rise to a total of at least $300 million (approx. £231 million) within three years.

Tens of thousands of creators in Europe will be eligible for the fund.

From Tuesday 1 September, creators will be able to apply to receive funding through the TikTok Creator Fund.

Users must be 18 years or older, meet a baseline of 10,000 followers, have over 10,000 video views in the past 30 days and post original content in line with TikTok's Community Guidelines.

All eligible creators will be able to apply in-app for the Creator Fund and will receive the funds in regular monthly installments based on the performance of their content.

Rich Waterworth, TikTok general manager EU said: "Creators are the lifeblood of TikTok, surprising us every day with the imaginative ways in which they interpret everyday life or inspire us to try new things.

"As we celebrate two years in the UK, we wanted to recognise the huge amount of time and energy our creators put into making great content, providing long-term support for our community through the Creator Fund.

"We hope the first recipients of the Fund will show others what's possible - whether you're a long-time TikToker or brand new to the platform, we want to give creators the opportunity to turn a hobby into a viable career path.

"We're excited about how the Creator Fund can help to further support our creators and nurture the next generation of creative talent on TikTok.”

To see Sherice's TikTok page, visit: www.tiktok.com/@shericebanton.