An award-winning adult star who once worked 40-hour weeks at McDonald’s while still in school says she now grafts even harder running her global content empire.
Kay Manuel, 23, from the Gold Coast, Australia, started selling videos on Snapchat in 2020 before discovering OnlyFans during the pandemic.
Before she ever picked up a camera, she was juggling lessons with full-time fast-food shifts.
“I was doing 40 hours at work and then trying to go to school as well,” she told NudeNewz.
“I would literally wake up, leave school early to get to work and then be at work until midnight or 1am, go home, sleep for a few hours, wake up and repeat the same thing again.”
Now The creator, who has won six Australian adult industry awards including best content creator, works up to 18 hours a day and owns 15 phones to manage her business.
“There is no freedom,” said Kay. “I work way more than I would work in a nine to five.
“There are days where I debate going back to a nine to five – this is ridiculous.
“If I’m not making content, I’m having meetings. I answer emails every day. I’m thinking up ideas of what I need to do next in terms of social media content.
“I have 15 phones and people all around the world that work for me, that rely on me to pay them.”
Kay says she spotted the potential in adult content creation when she was just 18 years old.
“My brain just saw like, oh my God, there’s unlimited money to be made,” she explained.
“There’s no salary cap. The more effort you put in, the more work that you put in, most of the time you’re going to reap more rewards.
From Fast Food to First Class
When she started earning online, even making a thousand pounds felt life-changing compared to her fast food wages.
“That grand was a lot of money because at McDonald’s I was making the very minimum wage,” she said.
“I just thought, oh my God, this is a step up. If I devote more time – fantastic.”
Now Kay has developed a passion for luxury aviation and refuses to fly economy on long-haul flights.
“I really like luxury flying – private jets, first class suites,” she said.
“I won’t get on a flight longer than five hours unless it’s first class. There’s actually no way.”
Building a Business Empire
Kay is no stranger to media attention, having been published in Forbes three times and landed a Maxim magazine cover – which she describes as her favourite achievement.
She is currently filming a documentary series for an Australian streaming service, and has invested her own money into filming a pilot episode for a potential reality show.
“I’m trying to start doing a podcast, YouTube channel, Kick streaming,” she said.
“Literally I do not have enough time in the day. Now I need to employ this person to do this for me – I need a videographer. It’s just never-ending.”
The creator also runs promotional events at Schoolies – Australia’s equivalent of UK Freshers Week – with mascots and branded merchandise.
“These mascots just for one night are costing me like $1,200,” she revealed.
“I’ve got five girls wearing my little tops with my logo on them, handing out business cards.”
Like other creators, Kay says the key to success is treating content creation as a serious business venture.
Who Is Kay Manuel?
Kay Manuel is close friends with fellow Australian creator Bonnie Blue.
The pair started doing Schoolies events together in Australia and have since travelled the world for similar events, including Freshers in the UK and Spring Break in Cancun.
“We talk every single day – I love her to bits,” Kay said of her friendship with Bonnie.
Kay has also performed at large-scale events in Melbourne and says she wants to continue expanding her reach internationally.
“I’ve gained quite a big following base in the UK since doing Freshers,” she said.
“When I look at my statistics on my socials, the UK is actually at the very top, which is crazy to me.”
Family Reaction
Kay says her grandmother, who helped raise her, has come around to her career choice.
“She had a bit of a problem to start with,” Kay admitted.
“It wasn’t like I’m getting kicked out – it was just like, why would you do that?
“But as time has gone on, she’s like, ‘Have you made money this week? Have you paid your taxes?'”
Her friends from high school have been supportive since the beginning, with many now amazed at how far she has come.
“They go, holy fuck, you’ve made it huge,” she said.
“Coming from what I would think is a small town to now living where I live and travelling the world non-stop – they’re like, it’s unbelievable.”
What’s Next for Kay?
Kay says she is focused on continuing to grow her brand both in Australia and internationally.
She is also being recognised on the street more frequently at home.
“I literally had an Uber driver message my Instagram saying ‘I drove you today’,” she said.
“I’ll get Instagram messages with photos of me walking to the gym. I kind of love that.”
With her documentary series in production and plans to expand her media presence, Kay shows no signs of slowing down.
“I’m striving to push myself continuously,” she said.
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