Client work comes first
For most AI filmmakers the first real income is client work, not ad revenue. Platforms pay later and pay less. What brings enquiries is a small portfolio of strong pieces.
- Commercials and brand films for companies.
- Sponsored reels, once you have an audience a brand wants.
- Tool spotlights for AI software companies.
- Previz for productions planning a shoot.
- Teaching: sessions, templates, courses.
How I package these is on Work with me.
Build the portfolio that sells
- Make spec ads for the kind of brand you want, and call them spec.
- Three to five finished pieces beat thirty experiments.
- Show the process. A breakdown proves you can do it again.
- Make it easy to reach you: one page, the films, a contact.
YouTube
| Level | What you need | What opens |
|---|---|---|
| Early access | 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in 90 days, and 3,000 watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days | Fan funding |
| Full | 1,000 subscribers, and 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days | A share of ad revenue |
YouTube has announced higher requirements for new applicants from 1 February 2027: 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 watch hours or 20 million Shorts views. Check YouTube Help for the current numbers before you plan around them.
The rule that matters for AI
YouTube’s inauthentic content policy, in force since July 2025, says mass-produced or repetitive content cannot be monetised. AI is allowed when the work shows the creator’s own vision. Generic, templated AI videos are not eligible.
In practice: a channel that pushes out one-prompt videos in a fixed format is what the rule targets. A film you wrote, directed, cut and sound-designed is not. Disclose realistic AI content when you upload.
Instagram in India
| Feature | What you need |
|---|---|
| Gifts on reels | 500 followers and a professional account |
| Creator Marketplace, for brand deals | 1,000 followers and a public professional account |
| Subscriptions | 10,000 followers and a professional account |
All three need you to be 18 or older. Bonuses are by invitation only. Treat Instagram as the place clients find you, more than the place that pays you.
Own something
Platform rules change, as the YouTube note above shows. Keep a website and a contact address that are yours, and build at least one thing you sell directly, such as 1:1 sessions.
Price the work, not the tool
A client pays for the idea, the direction and a finished film they can use. They don’t pay for how long the generating took. Quote by scope, length and where the film will run, and never promise views.
Tools, prices and platform rules change often. Everything here was checked in November 2026; confirm on the tool’s own page before you rely on it.