DIY porn creators rake in cash
The ranks of adult entertainers selling content on sites such as OnlyFans swelled during the pandemic, helping creators take a share in billions of dollars in revenue.
OnlyFans creators had prominent billing at Sexpo Sydney, which has reopened for the first time since 2019. Sexpo will run in Melbourne in November.
Sexpo chief executive Kevin Mack said content creators had always been part of the show, but OnlyFans had emerged from the pandemic as a clear winner, with popular international porn stars such as Johnny Sins now using it as their exclusive platform.
‘‘It’s created the opportunity for independent artists who’ve realised there’s no need for a production company now and for someone else to take a cut of the profit,’’ Mack said.
‘‘They can create most of this on the iPhone now. It gives them a lot of autonomy over their own business.’’
Founded in 2016, British-based OnlyFans is the most prominent clip site, where creators can post photos and videos and charge subscription fees for digital access. The site last year briefly tried to ban explicit content to focus on mainstream material such as music and make-up tutorials, but promptly backtracked. Sex industry analysts estimate that pornography accounts for 98% of content posted on OnlyFans.
A number of Australian OnlyFans creators turned to the platform after losing other work because of lockdowns and seeing soaring demand for online porn from frustrated citizens trapped at home.
Former Married at First Sight contestant Mishel Karen, 51, started her account last year after she was suspended from her prepandemic job with Queensland Police because of her refusal to be vaccinated.
Karen said she was making a six-figure salary producing a variety of sex videos, including a popular line of ‘‘Mummy’’ content where she scolds grown men.
‘‘I don’t really understand it but everyone has something different that turns them on,’’ she said.
Sydneysider Charlotte Starr was working as an escort before the pandemic. When she could not get JobKeeper during the first national lockdown in 2020, she investigated OnlyFans.
She plunged into it fulltime during the Delta lockdown in 2021, making a variety of content for a mostly male audience. She is earning about A$2500 (NZ$2700) a week, replacing her escort income entirely.