A man who is wheelchair bound due to a rare form of muscular dystrophy has revealed how he’s able to make £10,000 a month by working with Fortnite players.
To some people, Fortnite has been a life-changing experience, kickstarting their journey to becoming well-known faces in the community, whether that’s as a content creator, streamer, map designer, or even professional player.
Like many other fans, 22-year-old Ross McLaren, who’s wheelchair-bound due to a rare form of muscular dystrophy, becoming a professional Fortnite player was also his initial dream.
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But even after he realized he wasn’t “good enough” to do so, thanks to the game, he now earns £10,000 a month from his bedroom after quitting school, managing some of the most popular creators in the community.
Ross reveals how his disability enabled him to hone his craft in the gaming world
Ross started his business at just 17 years old when he was still living with his parents, Lesley and Craig. Speaking to the Daily Record, he said, “I really wanted to be a pro Fortnite player, but I realized I wasn’t good enough.”
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SuppliedRoss McLaren seen with professional player Clix.
He then got into video editing for professional players. In the beginning, he worked with small gaming streamers for free while he was still in school. As time passed, things took a different, positive turn.
“By summer 2021, I was making £10,000 per month, and I told my parents I didn’t want to sit my Advanced Highers,” he said. Despite his situation, however, his parents still had doubts and asked him to go back to school, though he quit after just one day.
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Ross didn’t let his disability stop him from pursuing his craft. He explained, “Having muscular dystrophy was somewhat of an advantage for me as it meant I spent a lot more time on a computer when I was younger, as I couldn’t go out and play sports like other kids.”
At some point, he started offering his video editing services to small streamers “for fun.” Just when he was about to give up, he was hit with a golden opportunity. He mentioned that he was able to work with Bugha, who only had about 20,000 subscribers back then.
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Then, one day, Bugha participated in the Fortnite World Cup in 2018 and won $3 million, and his subscriber count reached one million overnight.
Afterward, Ross and his business just kept getting even more similar opportunities, like working with another well-known face in the community, Clix. Top Fortnite streamers certainly earn a pretty penny, and Ross makes money off producing content from lucrative commissions.
Due to his parents’ pressure, Ross returned to George Heriot’s School for one day before calling it quits and getting another massive opportunity, as he was asked to run YouTube star KSI‘s gaming channel, which has over 22 million subscribers.
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Ross is now a freelancer responsible for managing big icons such as Clix and esports org Sentinels. He’s hoping to move to Dallas to be closer to his clients in the future.