The world is filled with fascinating occurrences. This week all the talk was about a rat transporting a piece of pizza down subway stairs. But tomorrow it could be a small airplane in trouble. Or a tsunami. Or–let’s dream big–a UFO. The question is: How can you monetize a Mobile Video?

If you keep your wits about you, you’ll pull out your phone, shoot the event, giving some attention to framing and steadiness. And then?

Easy to share it with your friends–real or virtual. But if you have a car payment due or if you want to buy some gear for your moviemaking, you may want to sell your work.

Lucky for you, as mobile technology has evolved so has the means of monetizing the video. You can contact a media distribution company and make a deal that will pay you whenever your video is displayed–whether on YouTube (via ads) or when incorporated into someone else’s video.

That’s what happened in the case of the celebrated Pizza Rat. A company called Junkin Media bought the rights from the filmmaker Matt Little.

If you post a video online, you might not even have to contact a distributor. Places like Junkin have staffs constantly searching for monetizable video. As Junkin puts it: “We find the most unique and compelling videos that the Internet has to offer. As soon as we discover share worthy footage, we work quickly to get it cleared and ready for third-party use….We help video creators gain control of their content in an otherwise turbulent digital world. Our staff puts your video in front of the right people, while simultaneously tracking down any unauthorized use of your video.”

So all you have to do is keep your eyes open and your mobile close at hand.