My identify is Aly Mohamed, and my journey as a digital creator started in 2023 with one thing quite simple: my love for The Lion King.
As we speak, I’ve constructed a group of greater than 50,000 followers on TikTok, 20,000 on Instagram, 3,000 on Threads and greater than 10,000 YouTube subscribers.
However my journey didn’t start with success.
It started with horrible edits, sleepless nights, errors, a stolen account and the painful expertise of watching months of labor disappear.
And by some means, shedding nearly every little thing grew to become one of many issues that made me stronger.
How My Digital Creator Journey Began
I didn’t start as a gifted video editor.
Nobody does.
I used to be horrible.
I used to be very unhealthy.
My journey began on an odd day once I was scrolling by means of TikTok and got here throughout an emotional Lion King edit.
It affected me a lot that I closed TikTok and determined to look at The Lion King (1994) once more.
I wished to relive the feelings I remembered from childhood.
After watching it, I realised one thing I hadn’t recognized earlier than.
The Lion King franchise was a lot greater than I believed.
I didn’t even know The Lion King II: Simba’s Delight existed as a result of it was launched on dwelling video slightly than receiving a conventional cinema launch.
So I watched it.
I cherished it.
Then I began looking for The Lion King 2 edits.
Ultimately, I found edits from one other childhood favorite of mine, The Lion Guard.
That despatched me down one other rabbit gap.
I made a decision to rewatch your complete present.
And after ending it, I believed:
Why don’t I begin making edits too?
So I did.
From Templates to Creating My Personal Edits
At first, I made small edits.
Typically I used templates as a result of I used to be nonetheless studying.
However finally, I realised one thing:
The edits weren’t as satisfying once I was merely utilizing another person’s work.
I wished to create one thing that was genuinely mine.
So I began studying.
I saved experimenting.
I saved posting.
I saved enhancing.
I posted nearly day-after-day.
Then one thing occurred that gave me a purpose to imagine I may really construct one thing.
I reached 1,000 followers on TikTok.
It won’t sound like an enormous quantity at present, however to me, it meant every little thing.
It confirmed me that folks have been watching.
Folks have been connecting with what I created.
And most significantly, I realised I had an opportunity.
I may proceed rising.
I may enhance my expertise.
I may show myself locally.
When One Viral Edit Modified Every thing
In August 2023, just a few days after one in all my edits went viral and I reached 10,000 followers on Instagram, I made a brand new pal.
She would finally develop into one of the vital essential individuals in my journey—for each the higher and the worst.
At first, our friendship was odd.
Then she advised me she was from Egypt, identical to me.
That instantly gave us one thing in frequent.
Over the following few weeks, our friendship grew.
We began speaking day-after-day.
Typically nearly nonstop.
However because the friendship grew to become stronger, I began spending much less time enhancing.
Then she provided to assist.
She requested if she may create some edits for me, ship them to me, and let me submit them.
At first, I believed this might be an enormous assist.
So I agreed.
She began making extra edits.
I posted them.
Then her edits started going viral.
Every thing appeared regular.
Till at some point, she requested me for entry to my account.
She mentioned it was about belief.
She wished to check whether or not I trusted her.
I refused.
I had solely recognized her for 3 months.
Why would I give somebody my password?
Months handed.
She requested once more.
And once more.
Then one night time, whereas I used to be on trip, she requested once more.
It was round 4 a.m.
I used to be drained.
I used to be barely maintaining with messages and every little thing occurring on my accounts.
She advised me she had many edits prepared and that logging into my account would make issues simpler than sending every little thing to me.
I felt pressured.
So I gave her my e mail and password.
Then I went to sleep.
I had no thought what I might get up to.
“Your E mail Has Been Modified”
After I awakened, I checked my cellphone.
Then I noticed the notification.
“Your e mail has been modified.”
The password had additionally been modified.
I had been locked out of my very own accounts.
Every thing I had constructed out of the blue felt prefer it was gone.
I skipped breakfast.
I couldn’t take into consideration anything.
I simply wished to repair what had occurred.
I attempted logging again in.
Once more.
And once more.
And once more.
I saved failing.
Ultimately, I managed to regain entry utilizing Instagram’s two-factor authentication (2FA).
Fortunately, I had my e mail linked to the account.
That additional layer of safety helped me get again in.
After I lastly recovered my Instagram and TikTok accounts, I found that an enormous quantity of my content material was gone.
Months of Work Disappeared
Days.
Weeks.
Months of labor.
Gone.
A whole bunch of TikTok movies had disappeared, together with edits that had gone viral.
All these hours spent enhancing.
All these sleepless nights.
All these moments once I selected to maintain working as a substitute of sleeping.
It felt like somebody had erased a part of my journey.
I used to be lucky that Instagram had a Not too long ago Deleted function that allowed me to recuperate lots of the movies that had been deleted.
TikTok didn’t have the identical function for me on the time.
A lot of what I had constructed there was merely gone.
Even my username was modified.
I needed to wait a complete month earlier than I may change it again.
And even then, another person had taken the username I had used earlier than, kioncub.
I modified it to .kioncub.
Then the username state of affairs saved altering for nearly a 12 months.
At one level, I couldn’t even decide on a username that felt prefer it represented me.
It was irritating.
However I saved going.
I Determined to Work Alone
After every little thing occurred, I decided.
I might work alone.
I didn’t quit on TikTok.
If something, I grew to become much more motivated.
I wished to enhance my expertise.
I wished to learn to create higher content material.
And I wished to show to myself that I may rebuild with out relying on another person to take care of my artistic id.
I confronted her about what occurred.
She denied it.
She mentioned her cellphone had been hacked.
However I didn’t imagine her.
After I felt sure that she wasn’t telling me the reality, I blocked her.
For some time, that was the tip of the story.
Or so I believed.
The Apology That Got here Years Later
Firstly of 2026, she despatched me a really lengthy message.
She advised me how a lot she regretted what she had carried out.
She admitted that she had been egocentric.
She mentioned life had taught her loads.
She had additionally made on-line pals who finally did comparable issues to her—and even worse.
This time, she appeared genuinely serious about repairing our relationship.
However issues had modified.
I had already discovered higher pals.
Pals I now take into account household.
Typically individuals depart your life and later return with an apology.
You’ll be able to settle for the apology with out giving them the identical place in your life once more.
What Shedding My Accounts Taught Me
Shedding my accounts taught me classes I’ll always remember.
1. Don’t Give Somebody Your Password As a result of You Belief Them
Belief is just not a purpose to offer somebody full entry to your digital id.
You’ll be able to belief somebody and nonetheless have boundaries.
Your account belongs to you.
Shield it.
2. Use Two-Issue Authentication
My expertise confirmed me how essential 2FA and account safety will be.
Two-factor authentication gave me one other strategy to show that I used to be the reliable proprietor of my account.
In case you are a content material creator, don’t wait till one thing goes fallacious earlier than securing your accounts.
3. Shedding Your Content material Doesn’t Imply Shedding Your Potential to Create
This was in all probability the most important lesson.
Somebody may take away my movies.
They may change my username.
They may delete months of content material.
However they couldn’t take away what I had realized.
My expertise have been nonetheless mine.
And so long as I may create, I may rebuild.
4. Your Neighborhood Is Larger Than Your Account
An account is efficacious.
But it surely isn’t your complete id.
The individuals who genuinely assist your work can comply with you once more.
The abilities you’ve developed stick with you.
Your creativity stays with you.
Your story stays with you.
5. Setbacks Can Make You Extra Impartial
Earlier than shedding my accounts, I relied on another person to assist keep my content material.
Afterwards, I grew to become extra impartial.
I realized to rely alone expertise.
I grew to become extra intentional about my artistic id.
Typically the setback you by no means wished forces you to develop into the individual you wanted to develop into.
Three Years Later, I Am Nonetheless Creating
Now, three years after shedding my accounts, I’ve by no means stopped studying.
I’ve grown right into a recognised editor inside my group—not as a result of every little thing went completely, however as a result of I refused to cease.
As we speak, I’ve:
- 50,000+ followers on TikTok
- 20,000+ followers on Instagram
- 3,000+ followers on Threads
- 10,000+ subscribers on YouTube
Threads is especially fascinating as a result of I reached 3,000 followers with out even posting something.
That was once I determined to take the platform severely and begin posting commonly.
And YouTube?
Passing 10,000 subscribers was one thing I as soon as solely dreamed about.
Now I’ve carried out it.
I Began as a Horrible Editor
After I look again at the place I began, I nearly can’t imagine how far I’ve come.
I used to be a horrible editor.
I used to be studying every little thing from scratch.
Then somebody took away an enormous a part of what I had constructed.
I misplaced nearly every little thing.
However I didn’t lose myself.
I didn’t lose my skill to create.
I didn’t lose the teachings I had realized.
And I didn’t lose the willpower that made me begin within the first place.
Shedding my accounts didn’t finish my story.
It grew to become a part of what made me who I’m at present.
Now I’ve come additional than I ever imagined.
And I’m not completed.
I’m nonetheless studying.
I’m nonetheless creating.
And I’m nonetheless constructing.
