Growth Industry | 2

Summary

OnlyFantasy – Season 3, Episode 2: "Growth Industry"

Release Date: May 21, 2026
Host: Leon Neyfakh, with OnlyFans creator and comedian Gracie Canaan
Guests: Kayla Parcells (Creators Inc.), Belle Grace (OnlyFans creator), Michael Eisman (COO, Echelon Agency), Creator Z, Chloe Yummy, more
Theme: An insider look at the business of OnlyFans—how creators build brands and businesses, the role of agencies, and the ever-blurring line between intimacy, profit, and performance.

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Episode Overview

In "Growth Industry," Leon Neyfakh and Gracie Canaan explore how OnlyFans has evolved into a "new Hollywood"—a potent, sprawling business where the promise of intimacy, fantasy, and real economic power have turned creators into entrepreneurs. This episode investigates both the wild success stories and the unglamorous grind underpinning this billion-dollar ecosystem. At its heart, the episode probes a contemporary human question: if connection is mediated by a screen, can it still be authentic?

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Key Discussion Points

1. Inside the OnlyFans Content House (00:14–05:54)

• The episode kicks off with a visit to the Creators Inc. content house in Encino, California, managed by Kayla Parcells.
• The house is described as a “modern Playboy Mansion," designed more like a set for lifestyle, beauty, and brand content than a traditional site for adult filming.
  • "A wework, except it's a mansion with photogenic lighting and a pool." (01:20, Host)
• Kayla emphasizes her agency's commitment to safety and empowerment:
  • "There is a dark, scary place that women can fall into. And this is a really wonderful, safe, supported... Fifth wave feminism is what I like to call it." (04:55, Kayla Parcells)
• Creators Inc. is positioned as not just managing OnlyFans careers but helping clients expand into fashion, skincare, and even trucking businesses.

2. The Reality—The ‘New Hollywood,’ Branding, and Making it Big (05:54–11:44)

• For many, OnlyFans is both an economic lifeline and a golden ticket: "This is the new Hollywood and basically if you're going to set yourself up for the rest of your life, this is your opportunity." (05:47, Kayla Parcells)
• Creators like Chloe Yummy and Creator Z describe the supportive, familial atmosphere but also the unvarnished hustle behind achieving stardom on OnlyFans:
  • "Here I was playing professional girlfriend, making my 6k a month and standing in front of a 19-year-old with over a million followers... Chloe seemed powerful, feminist icon or not." (07:31, Host)
• Despite the headlines about millionaires, 75% of OnlyFans creators reportedly make less than $300/month (09:05).

3. Scaling Intimacy vs. Mass Production of Desire (09:44–11:29)

• Kayla draws a parallel between today’s parasocial relationships and old-school celebrity culture:
  • "Why do people want to talk to folks online? Why? They want to interact with a fan base or a celebrity. It's a friendship, right? It's a pen pal." (09:44, Kayla Parcells)
• The hosts ponder:
  • "On OnlyFans, that closeness is the whole point. It's supposed to make men feel like the women they're following... are attainable." (10:22, Narrator)
• The tension: scaling a business that supposedly thrives on personal connection.

4. Belle Grace: From Amateur Couple to OnlyFans Pro (13:11–21:23)

• Belle Grace’s story illustrates the DIY evolution—starting OnlyFans with her husband, then going solo after realizing the potential market during the COVID lockdowns.
• Belle’s learning curve: from sexual naiveté to setting firm boundaries (like removing "open to fetishes" from her bio after extreme requests).
• She describes the relentless self-promotion needed on non-OF platforms, noting:
  • "The hardest thing about OnlyFans, what people don't realize, is actually just promoting yourself... and you have to do all that without getting banned several times and starting again. And that is the hardest part." (20:52, Belle Grace)
• A viral TikTok brought her $3k/month to nearly $39k/month in four months (22:18).

5. Diversity and Niche Markets on OnlyFans (23:14–24:50)

• OnlyFans accommodates creators of all shapes, ages, and backgrounds, with anecdotes about disabled creators, septuagenarians, and multi-generational families.

6. The Rise of Agencies & Data-Driven Hustle (24:58–34:23)

• Michael Eisman (COO, Echelon Agency) frames OnlyFans as the "modern equivalent of the American dream":
  • "We're talking, you know, creators making anywhere from 100 to $500,000 a month... it's the modern equivalent of the American dream." (24:58, Michael Eisman)
• Agencies promise creators data analytics, software tracking, and 24/7 optimization.
  • "We use special software that monitors the account 24 hours a day... that gives us that data in order to optimize sales." (30:41, Michael Eisman)
  • Best times to post are "5 AM to 9 AM" due to men’s testosterone cycles; evenings are for relationship maintenance (31:23–32:08).
• But not all creators want to give up control:
  • "I just completely ignore them... I 100% know that I do not want anyone running my page." (32:45, Belle Grace)
  • She questions whether agencies can authentically scale intimate creator-subscriber bonds.

7. Intimacy, Boundaries, and the Cost of Connection (34:23–46:16)

• For creators like Belle Grace, the most valued subscribers don't just tip, but relate to her as a person:
  • "For them to stand out, they talk to me like I'm a person, so they know I've got feelings, they know I've got a life, and I'm not just some kind of thing behind a computer screen." (35:53, Belle Grace)
• Belle describes her friendship with a top subscriber, "Simon"—from regular chats and twerking videos to identifying a testicular cancer risk during a paid video call, prompting Simon to seek medical treatment (38:02–41:01).
• The emotional stakes blur: Belle knows Simon’s real identity and sends him gifts, but their friendship exists in a digital bubble. Both trust and secrecy are foundational:
  • "I know everything. I know how old he is... I could ruin his life. I mean, I will not. But you know, I mean, I have that much information on this guy." (43:43, Belle Grace)
• The emotional double-life is highlighted by questions about Simon's wife and how the fantasy world of OnlyFans impacts real-world relationships.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kayla Parcells on Empowerment:
  "Fifth wave feminism is what I like to call it...you're making this something much more positive." (05:03)
• Host on Aspiration and Comparison:
  "Here I was playing professional girlfriend...and standing in front of a 19 year old with over a million followers...Chloe seemed powerful, feminist icon or not." (07:31)
• Belle Grace on OnlyFans Realities:
  "The hardest thing about OnlyFans, what people don't realize, is actually just promoting yourself... and you have to do all that without getting banned several times and starting again. And that is the hardest part." (20:52)
• Michael Eisman on Wealth and Alternatives:
  "Wealth and income inequality is at an all-time high. You know, if you're an 18-year-old right now...it doesn't sound nearly as appealing as I can make some viral videos and show my dick online. And boom, now I made more money in a month than I would have made as a doctor in a year." (29:19)
• Belle Grace on Independence:
  "I just completely ignore [agency offers]... I 100% know that I do not want anyone running my page." (32:45)
• On Friendship, Boundaries, and Trust:
  "For them to stand out, they talk to me like I'm a person...They're not constantly asking me for sexual stuff. They know I'm a person." (35:53)
  "I know everything...I could ruin his life. I mean, I will not. But you know, I mean, I have that much information on this guy." (43:43)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:14 – Arriving at the Creators Inc. content house; introduction to Kayla Parcells
• 05:54 – “This is the new Hollywood”: On what OnlyFans means to its top earners
• 13:11 – Belle Grace’s journey: beginnings and boundaries
• 21:23 – Belle’s viral moment and jump in income
• 24:58 – Agencies and the corporatization of OnlyFans
• 30:41 – Data-driven creator strategies (analytics & best posting times)
• 34:23 – Why creators turn down agency representation
• 35:53 – Defining meaningful fan-creator relationships
• 38:02 – Belle notices Simon’s health issue; pushes him to see a doctor
• 41:01 – Simon’s testicular cancer diagnosis and surgery
• 43:43 – On trust and knowing secrets of fans’ real lives
• 46:16 – Cliffhanger: When “fantasy” collides with reality, a subscriber’s wife enters the story

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Tone & Style

The episode’s tone is conversational, curious, and generous with insight—balancing humor (professional girlfriend, “bikini away from being a Creator’s Inc. girl”) with pointed critique of the economics and emotions at play in the OnlyFans ecosystem. The hosts are self-aware, alternating between awe at the industry’s potential and skepticism about its costs and complications.

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Summary

“Growth Industry” offers a complex, behind-the-scenes look at the business of OnlyFans, highlighting the tension between scalable, professionalized operations and the individual emotional bonds that drive the platform’s success. Through up-close creator stories and industry insiders, the episode shows how what began as amateur bedroom business has become a battleground for control, authenticity, profit, and the new rules of digital intimacy. The lines between fantasy and reality—and between business and relationships—have never been more blurred, or more lucrative.

Next Episode Tease:
A subscriber’s real-life partner steps into the story, and the collision of fantasy and reality gets very personal.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Narrator]

Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Only Fantasy early and ad free. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.

[Host]

Oh, it's definitely that house. Which is funny because it's like all the houses around it are just regular ranch homes.

[Narrator]

Last summer, our team flew out to Los Angeles, the home of the adult entertainment industry.

[Host]

Look at that.

[Narrator]

Whoa. It's all black.

[Host]

That is not discreet. And in this moment, we were pulling up to a huge, huge house in the middle of an unassuming neighborhood in the Valley. To anyone not in the know, it might have looked like any regular old mansion, but to me, it was the modern Playboy Mansion.

[Kayla Parcells]

We're here.

[Creator Z]

Creator Z.

[Narrator]

When we walked up to the house, we were greeted at the gate by a woman in California casual attire, pink jean cut offs, Doc Martens, and a Creators Inc. Baseball captain.

[Host]

And don't forget the most important LA accessory of all, a dazzling, perfect smile.

[Kayla Parcells]

Welcome to Creators Inc. I'm Kayla Parcells, co founder and coo.

[Creator Z]

And where are we, Kayla?

[Kayla Parcells]

We're at our content house here in Encino, California.

[Narrator]

Creators Inc. Is an agency that represents some of the most successful creators on OnlyFans. And this was their content house.

[Host]

Imagine a wework, except it's a mansion with photogenic lighting and a pool.

[Narrator]

A pool that no one was actually swimming in, by the way. Which was telling because more than anything, this place was a set designed so that every corner, every room could serve as an attractive backdrop for photos and videos.

[Kayla Parcells]

We can kind of do anything in this space and just having it be that canvas for what our creators want to do and use their vision and ideas and we make that come to life for them.

[Narrator]

We were here to get a glimpse of the day to day operations of elite creators and the teams of professionals who support their careers. We wanted to see how the business of OnlyFans was conducted.

[Host]

I've never been one to covet the glamorous influencer life, but in the weeks leading up to this trip, we'd been reading about and talking to creators who were bringing in wheelbarrows of money each month. And seeing those numbers made me hungry. Not just to make money so I could pay the bills, but for real wealth, like prosperity. Because as an of creator, it actually felt within reach for me for the first time in my life. So stepping in into this house, I was like Eve looking at the apple. Which I guess made our girl Kayla the ultimate creator.

[Kayla Parcells]

I never do interviews. I am strategically the person out of the picture. You know, I Hide in the background. It's not about us. It's about our creators and letting them shine and making sure we give them the best opportunity.

[Narrator]

Kayla, a former gymnastics coach at MIT turned entrepreneur, presided over the scene. Kind of like a benevolent race. She gave us the grand tour of the place where on any given day you can find young women from the Creators Inc. Roster and a few men working out, shooting videos and lounging.

[Kayla Parcells]

This is our spa. So if you're into the cold plunge and the infrared sauna, this is your place. The cold plunge is a very popular spot, especially today when it's 100 degrees.

[Narrator]

I couldn't help but notice Gracie's eyes light up every time Kayla showed us another amenity at the house. A few feet from the cold plunge, there was a pop up shop of Creators Inc. Bikinis because apparently it was LA swim week.

[Kayla Parcells]

You were coming to shoot for CI Swimwear. I thought you were like someone from the arc.

[Host]

I mean, if you're asking, you want

[Kayla Parcells]

to, since you're here, we'd love to have you, but I really thought that's what you were.

[Host]

If my co workers weren't right here, I feel like it would be so, like, do you guys want to go away for 45 minutes? No. But I'll be literally like, I'm here often, so I'll hit you up. And also, maybe you want to work with us.

[Kayla Parcells]

Yeah, come.

[Narrator]

You okay? Gracie, be honest. How badly did you want to do this photo shoot when Kayla asked you?

[Host]

Oh, my God. Could you tell? Yes, I was. I couldn't help it. I was so embarrassed how badly I wanted it because I was like, one bikini away from being a Creator's Inc. Girl.

[Narrator]

That's right. 10ft from stardom.

[Host]

10ft. Pics from stardom.

[Narrator]

Sorry, not to ask a rude question, but, like, do people film sex here too?

[Belle Grace]

No.

[Michael Eisman]

Okay.

[Narrator]

Is that a rule?

[Kayla Parcells]

I prefer it that way.

[Narrator]

It was funny how awkward it felt to bring up sex as if it wasn't at the center of the Creator's Inc. Business model. Though, honestly, walking around the house with its pastel color scheme and ample nooks, you wouldn't know porn had anything to do with it.

[Host]

I mean, ample nooks sounds pretty porny to me. But to be clear, I don't think Kayla meant there was no nudity allowed in the house, just that actual sex on camera was frowned upon. They definitely keep the creators ink house clean on purpose. Kayla told us she regularly invites family members of creators to come see the house so they can be reassured that their daughter or sister isn't being forced to work out of some shady brothel.

[Kayla Parcells]

There is a dark, scary place that women can fall into. And this is a really wonderful, safe, supported Fifth wave feminism is what I like to call it.

[Host]

Fifth wave, yeah.

[Kayla Parcells]

Where we're kind of flipping that and you are making this something much more positive.

[Host]

I'm going to be honest, this house wasn't really giving me Audre Lorde vibes. And much like those parents Kayla mentioned bringing to the house, we were definitely getting the shiny, rosy version of OnlyFans. But still, I believed Kayla when she said she wants more for her clients than just being famous as OnlyFans creators. She told us Creators Inc. Has helped women launch skincare lines and fashion brands. She even introduced us to one woman who had used her OnlyFans income to start a trucking company back home in Texas. The way Kayla sees it of is simply the best way for these women to bankroll their ambitions, whatever they may be.

[Kayla Parcells]

This is the new Hollywood and basically if you're going to set yourself up for the rest of your life, this is your opportunity.

[Narrator]

Hollywood felt like the opposite of what I thought OnlyFans was supposed to be. Instead of focusing on building one on one genuine connections between creators and subscribers, here was a factory churning out hyper curated and highly produced images of so called authentic living. Of course, that didn't mean Kayla was wrong. It just made me think OnlyFans stardom was more complicated than I'd realized.

[Host]

It was right around this time that Kayla spotted a young woman sitting on a couch and scrolling through her phone.

[Kayla Parcells]

Call me. What are some of the best parts of being a creator at Creators Day?

[Creator Z]

I literally love that everyone's accepted and like when I was a small creator with no followers, they just treated me like I was the biggest creator ever. And I just love all of the girls here and also the guys. Like they're all so respectful and it just feels like a big family.

[Host]

Chloe Yummy, as she calls herself online, had long platinum blonde hair and was dressed in pink leggings and a matching bra, which, there's no other way to say this, made it almost impossible for me to not look at her giant boobs.

[Narrator]

Weird. I didn't notice this.

[Host]

Uh huh.

[Narrator]

Talking to Chloe Yummy made me feel old more than anything and if I'm being honest, kind of judgmental. Like here was a woman, a girl really. She was definitely younger than my little sister, whose appearance and affect and Persona had all been surgically optimized for attracting male attention.

[Creator Z]

Jack Doherty I was just On a yacht with him and like it was really fun. That was like one of the best days.

[Host]

I could see Leon's little judgment cogs turning, but I personally found myself kind of in awe of Chloe. We couldn't have been more different, obviously, but I respected the potency of, and I hate this word, but it's inevitable in this business, her brand. Here I was playing professional girlfriend, making my 6k a month and standing in front of a 19 year old with over a million followers on social media and lord knows how many subscribers on OnlyFans forking over their cash. Thinking back on my 23 year old self, terrified about my student loan debt, Chloe seemed powerful, feminist icon or not.

[Narrator]

So when you come to the house, what are you usually here to do?

[Creator Z]

Well, today I'm doing Snapchat all day, so just taking a bunch of pictures. Like we just went to get Matcha and I did a workout on Snapchat here. The house is so beautiful that it's like everywhere is great backgrounds for of and then also collabing with the girls. It really, really helps you grow on OnlyFans.

[Host]

Yeah, I want to follow you. Yeah, I'll follow you too.

[Narrator]

While Gracie and Chloe exchanged socials.

[Creator Z]

You're so cute.

[Kayla Parcells]

Thank you.

[Narrator]

I turned back to Kayla. I was suddenly cognizant of her position, not just as a den mother, but as a gatekeeper to a realm of fortune and fame that just didn't used to exist. Somewhere along the line, OnlyFans millionaire became a thing that a young person could try to become.

[Host]

Try being the operative word here. The vast majority of the 4 million creators on OnlyFans aren't in that realm. OnlyFans isn't particularly transparent with data, but based on a crowdsourced chart shared with us by a creator, it appears that roughly 75% of creators on the platform make less than $300 a month.

[Narrator]

But that doesn't stop them from dreaming. Especially when young women see news stories about creators making millions overnight and TikTok videos of them partying with famous musicians and athletes. Which is why I think Kayla had called it the new Hollywood. The difference is this time the stars really are just like us.

[Kayla Parcells]

Why do people want to talk to folks online? Why? They want to interact with a fan base or a celebrity. It's a friendship, right? It's a pen pal. And yeah, I think that's. This is the modern day fan mail.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Kayla Parcells]

I mean, why did people go follow Elvis Presley? Right, to get a signed autograph in the front row. Like, why do I follow somebody on Instagram. It's the same thing. I want to be inspired and get to know the creator themselves and feel like I'm having that exclusive insight that behind the scenes, all access pass. That's why it's called OnlyFans, right?

[Narrator]

All right. The Elvis comparison didn't seem right to me at first. The whole thing about Elvis was that he was larger than life, a force of nature that people could never really get close to. On OnlyFans, that closeness is the whole point. It's supposed to make men feel like the women they're following and chatting with are attainable, that they are, if not quite the girl next door than at least the girl at the bar who would normally never talk to them.

[Host]

But it's true that a lot of these girls next door want to be Elvis. They want to blow up and become rich and famous off the exact kind of parasocial devotion that we typically associate with megawatt mainstream stars. And I hate to admit this, but I get it. What I wanted to know was what does it take to get to that level and what does it cost?

[Narrator]

And if the product you're selling on onlyfans is one on one attention, what happens when you try to mass produce it? Is it really possible to scale intimacy?

[Host]

This is only fantasy. Episode 2 Growth Industry.

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[Narrator]

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[Audible Announcer]

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[Narrator]

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[Audible Announcer]

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[Belle Grace]

How does that sound?

[Narrator]

Perfect. Stay where you are. That's good.

[Belle Grace]

Yeah. Okay, I'll stay here.

[Host]

Don't move.

[Belle Grace]

I won't. Thank you.

[Host]

Belle Grace, not her real name, has long red hair and a reserved smile that makes her look hard to impress. Not to typecast all redheads, but she reminds me a little bit of Joan from Mad Men. If in the OnlyFans business, landscape creators Inc. Was comparable to a tech giant, then Belle Grace would be more of a mom and pop shop. She was exactly how I pictured the typical OnlyFans creator before I'd started my own page. A regular girl who'd stumbled into it and built it from the ground up.

[Narrator]

When Belle Grace first got on OnlyFans at the beginning of 2020, she was 25, working in England as a healthcare aide and engaged to the man she would eventually marry.

[Belle Grace]

I've been with him now for 12 years. So, yeah, I think everything that I've learned, we've learned together, probably.

[Narrator]

Belle and her husband actually started on OnlyFans together. She says they did it just for fun. They weren't desperate for cash, but they liked to travel and figured if nothing else, maybe they'd make a little extra money to spend on trips. So they posted a sex tape and a few pictures.

[Belle Grace]

We literally just didn't really have a name. We were just down as like. I think it was like, I don't know, something really cringy, like horny couple or something. I don't know, something really random like that. And we were just filming really amateur stuff. We had no professional equipment. It wasn't even really thought about, does this look good? Is it okay to post? It was just like, let's just do what we normally do and just post.

[Host]

Wasn't long before Belgrace found herself receiving all kinds of attention she hadn't bargained for.

[Belle Grace]

I would say I've always been like a sexual person. But When I started OnlyFans, I found out that I was also very unaware of a lot of sexual fetishes. I thought I knew a lot, and it turned out I absolutely knew nothing. So when I first started, I didn't know what bareback was. Then I had subs coming in and asking me to make videos such as Jois. I was not prepared, and I didn't realize I wasn't prepared.

[Host]

Leon, I want to salute you for stopping the interview at this point and asking what a Joi was very brave of you.

[Narrator]

I salute Belgraves for indulging me.

[Belle Grace]

Okay, so JOI stands for jerk off Instructions. So that could be going fast, going slow, not touching himself, giving a countdown when to come, or just not letting him come at all. Yeah, absolutely. Anything. It's all in My control.

[Host]

Belle could also control what kind of content was on the menu for her subs, her subscribers. And there were certain boundaries she wouldn't cross when it came to special requests.

[Belle Grace]

In my bio, I put open to fetishes and I quickly removed it because I was getting. I was then getting people that wanted me to piss and shit. And I was like, is this even a thing? Like, is this a thing? So I quickly removed that from my bio

[Narrator]

after a few months. Belle and her husband were only making two or three hundred dollars a month. Part of the issue was they never had enough time to film content because he worked 12 hour shifts at a warehouse job. So they decided it was time for Belle to go solo. That was when she came up with her stage name and started a new account. Was that like a painful. Was it a painful separation? Obviously you stayed married, but did you guys have to like, was it kind of a fight to be like, actually, I'm going my own way?

[Belle Grace]

No. I think he knew if we wanted to continue doing OnlyFans, I'd have to go solo with it. But when I did go solo and he really. It didn't really have much to do with it, like messages or anything because he worked a lot and he was hardly ever own. When he did check messages and he seen how I was speaking to these other men, it was like, I don't like this and I get. And I got it. And that was very difficult for him.

[Narrator]

The chatting specifically, because. Were you doing much chatting? When it was a couple page, yeah,

[Belle Grace]

we was doing chatting. But I think because he was a part of that, it was okay. But when he's done a 12 hour shift at work and then he's found out that I've made this guy come online, it's a bit like, whoa, you know.

[Host]

The timing of Bell getting on Onlyfans as a solo performer couldn't have been better. It was the beginning of COVID Terrible for the world. Incredible for Belgrace's bank account, for those

[Belle Grace]

guys that did get furloughed and they were at home by themselves. They was lonely. And obviously people wasn't allowed out and they weren't allowed to see anyone. So in Covid times, it was probably the busiest time for OnlyFans and the people, people spending money.

[Host]

Unsurprisingly, data shows that there was a sharp spike in feelings of loneliness during the pandemic and in the years since, you've probably heard a lot about how men in particular are suffering from a loneliness epidemic. According to a Pew Research survey conducted in 2024, men and women are actually experiencing loneliness at the same rates. The difference seems to be in how they deal with it.

[Narrator]

That Pew survey found that women are more likely than men to seek emotional support from their friends, family members, or mental health professionals. And though the same number of men and women report having at least one close friend, women tend to communicate with those friends more often, whether that's talking over FaceTime, texting, or interacting with each other on social media.

[Host]

Of the roughly 6,000 people surveyed by Pew, 4% of the male respondents admitted to turning to online platforms or communities for emotional support, which doesn't sound like a lot, but 4% of the adult male population in the United States is actually over 5 million men. And I would guess back in 2020, some of them were talking to people like Bell, who at the time was still working her day job as a health care aide.

[Belle Grace]

And I was picking up so many work hours. I was sleeping at work, and then when I was home from work, I was working on OnlyFans. So I was just working constantly, all the time. But I was kind of like chasing the money. Nothing was open. I couldn't go anywhere. I couldn't do anything sociable. So when I wasn't at work, like healthcare work, I was chasing what I could on OnlyFans. Like, I got addicted to it.

[Host]

Despite the surging demand, success on OnlyFans wasn't automatic. For creators like Bell, the real challenge wasn't making content, it was getting people to see it.

[Narrator]

An important thing to note about OnlyFans here is that unlike other social media platforms like Instagram or TikTok, of has no algorithmic feed that suggests content for its users to look at. I was kind of shocked when I realized this. Like, people don't go on OnlyFans to look around and stumble upon someone they think is hot or interesting. They go in with a link or a name they've already found somewhere else, right?

[Host]

So if you're a subscriber who's into, say, Busty Redheads, typing Busty Redheads into the of search bar wouldn't lead you to Belle Grace's page. The way to do it would be to go on Reddit X or Instagram, look for Busty Redhead creators, and then follow the breadcrumbs in hopes of finding their of. And sprinkling those breadcrumbs where people can find them is arguably the most challenging part of the OnlyFans hustle.

[Belle Grace]

The hardest thing about OnlyFans, what people don't realise, is actually just promoting yourself so you have to be on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and you have to do all that without getting banned several times and starting again. And that is the hardest part.

[Host]

Promoting yourself relentlessly posting free content on all those platforms to drive people to your OnlyFans page is a grind. But Belgrace was obsessive about it and it paid off eventually. Her page was generating enough income that she could leave her day job.

[Narrator]

And then In December of 2020, one of her TikTok videos went viral.

[Belle Grace]

I remember it was New Year's Eve and I'd had a bit of a stressful day. I can't remember why. And I was like, let's just get in the hot tub. Let's have a couple of drinks and let's just go and chill. And I signed on to me OnlyFans. And these subs kept coming in and coming in and coming in. And it must have lasted. It lasted for ages. And I was just like, oh, my God, this is like absolutely, like life changing. It couldn't have happened at a better time of me, like, leaving work and then going viral. It just like, kind of like topped it all off. Like, I always believe that things are just meant to be, and I just think that was just meant to be.

[Narrator]

According to Bell, the video got 58 million views, which translated into a massive jump in profit on OnlyFans.

[Belle Grace]

Yeah, so I can actually pull up my stats. Just give me a second. So September I did $3200. In October, $4900 in November, I did $8200. December I did $14300. And then. Are you ready for this one? This was my biggest jump. In January 2021, I did 38,945. Yeah. So.

[Narrator]

As word spread about the potential windfall that could come your way on OnlyFans, more and more regular folks were signing up in hopes of striking gold. Then celebrities started getting in the mix. Former child star Bella Thorne joined the platform and made a million dollars on her first day and $2 million in her first week.

[Host]

The platform exploded. OnlyFans creators earned $3.9 billion in 2021, an increase of 115% from the record setting year before. The number of users, meanwhile, swelled to 188 million. And they weren't just coming to OnlyFans to see your garden variety T and A. The site quickly revealed itself to be a destination for people with all kinds of kinks and fetishes. I post burping videos.

[Creator Z]

I know it's a niche, it's a niche market.

[Narrator]

Honestly, this is the one time I wish this were a video podcast, because that burp is even more amazing when you see who it's coming out of. But the point is, the platform truly had something for everyone. It also proved hospitable to people traditionally left out of sex work, like this disabled creator.

[Creator Z]

I like corn.

[Belle Grace]

Eating corn with my disabled hands is a little hard, but I love corn. If you like disabled bodies, give me a follow.

[Host]

To clarify, corn is a code word for, you guessed it, porn. It's a fun euphemism that people use to sidestep the social media police. The creator landscape was so vast that there was even a family with three generations of women, all with OnlyFans accounts, which sounds like the coolest Thanksgiving ever. Impressively, there were even some septuagenarians, which means people in their 70s. I had to look that word up.

[Creator Z]

I hope someone will volunteer to come and fuck me. This is getting ridiculous. I'll show you a good time, I promise. We have new New Lingerie

[Narrator]

Pretty soon, there was no denying that OnlyFans had grown into a powerful economic force, and men in suits started to notice.

[Michael Eisman]

We're talking, you know, creators making anywhere from 100 to $500,000 a month. That's what caused my jaw to drop. I was shocked because, you know, it's the modern equivalent of the American dream.

[Raza Jafre]

Foreign. I'm Raza Jafre, and in the new season of the Spy who, we tell the story of Dr. A Q Khan, the spy who sold nuclear secrets to Iran. He was the scientist spy who stole nuclear technology from the Netherlands and used them to give Pakistan a bomb. But he didn't stop there. He became a black market atomic salesman, the fix it man for rogue states seeking nuclear weapons, including Iran, Libya and North Korea. And that left the CIA and MI6 in a race against time to put him out of business before the world's most wayward regimes get hold of the world's most destructive weapons. Follow the Spy who Now Wherever you listen to podcasts, you can also listen to the full season of the Spy who Sold Nuclear Secrets to Iran early and ad free on Audible.

[Audible Announcer]

Whether you're exploring your current fascinations or discovering new ones, Audible has all the stories that'll introduce you to your most fascinating self, tap into a whole new world of heated conversations with a saucy romantasy series, become your friend group sci fi expert on the latest blockbuster book to screen adaptation, or find unexpected reveals through the exclusive episodes of a viral true crime podcast. However you choose to Listen. Audible keeps you fascinated so you can be just as fascinating all in one easy app. With plans now starting at $8.99, you'll get access to over 1 million audiobooks and podcasts, including trending bestsellers, the hottest new releases, and exclusive podcasts you won't find anywhere else. Sign up now to become a member and get any audiobook every month, plus exclusive podcasts. Plans now start at 899. Audible. Be fascinated, be fascinating.

[Michael Eisman]

I have been standing in a line, I want to say at a store and I had heard a girl behind me talking on the phone and she was like, yeah, all I do is just post a few naked pictures of myself. I made $10,000 last month and then I started hearing her talk about the fact that it was OnlyFans. And I remember just thinking to myself, oh man, I definitely made the wrong career choice.

[Host]

This is Michael eisman. Back in 2021. He was in between jobs after working in the legal weed industry and the considerably less glamorous world of manufacturing.

[Michael Eisman]

I saw this ad for a company that was looking for an operations manager. They said that they were in social media marketing and so I went out for it to see what was what and I got there. They told me what I was interviewing for. My eyes, you know, bugged out of my head and my jaw dropped. But then I ended up getting roped in and I've loved every minute of it since.

[Host]

Michael is currently the COO of an LA based agency called Echelon, where he and his team provide various services to OnlyFans creators in exchange for a percentage of their revenue that can be anywhere from 10 to 25% depending on the client.

[Narrator]

Echelon is a boutique agency, but Michael's first foray into the world of OnlyFans started at a much bigger agency called Unruly. At the time, there were only a handful of other companies like it, including Creators Inc. Whose value proposition to OnlyFans creators was that they could grow their audience and help them make more money from the content they were making.

[Michael Eisman]

Anyway, people are tired of getting a cookie cutter approach to the media that they consume. They want something that feels authentic and real, and I think that OnlyFans is a symptom of that desire.

[Host]

Michael said he wasn't necessarily thrilled with the fact that OnlyFans had become such an attractive option for young people trying to make a living. But with the job market being what it is, he said, there's no avoiding that reality.

[Michael Eisman]

Wealth and income inequality is at an all time high. You know, if you're an 18 year old right now saying, hey, I could become a doctor, but I'll go into debt by a quarter of a million dollars and then grind in difficult conditions with constantly shifting landscapes, whether it be medical regulation or budget cuts or whatever, it doesn't sound nearly as appealing as I can make some viral videos and show my dick online. And boom, now I made more money in a month than I would have made as a doctor in a year.

[Host]

As we've learned, when done right of is an effective shortcut. But for all the glitz and glam that we'd seen at the Creators Ink House, I still didn't know what exactly an onlyfans agency would do for someone like me.

[Narrator]

I mean, in some ways these companies are the same as any other type of talent agency, right? Where the company books a gig for its client and then takes a portion of the fee. The difference is that with onlyfans agencies, the goal isn't one off bookings, it's about bringing in consistent revenue from subscribers.

[Belle Grace]

Right?

[Host]

And the more subscribers on a creator's page, the more money rolls in and the closer you get to buying your disapproving mother a house. So, yeah, I understood the basic proposition, but I needed data, details, facts. So naturally I was excited to ask a man to explain it to me.

[Michael Eisman]

We use special software that monitors the account 24 hours a day, seven days a week, records exactly when every single sale takes place, and then that gives us that data in order to optimize sales. So that's another example of, yeah, this is what agencies are able to provide that clearly they're not going to be able to get this doing it individually.

[Host]

So now instead of me or Belle Grace sitting in our bedrooms figuring out what our subscribers want through trial and error and anecdotal evidence, someone like Michael can tell us with actual analytics how to optimize our page and make a bigger profit for us and the agency.

[Narrator]

What are some of the things you've learned from the data?

[Michael Eisman]

Mornings from say about 5am Till about 9am Are some of the busiest times on the platform because that is when most men's testosterone spikes.

[Narrator]

I'm listening.

[Michael Eisman]

That's the reason why most men wake up with morning wood. And so they're the most sexually driven at that time. And they're more likely to come to the platform looking for spicy content. And then we find that in the evening and afternoon hours is when we get a lot more of the conversational stuff. And that stuff's equally important. Like just because they're not there to necessarily buy spicy content. Maintaining those relationships with that person then means that the next morning when they wake up, they're going to buy something because they have that relationship with you. And now they're horny and they want to do something about it.

[Narrator]

Michael told us that in the years since he got into the business, the number of agencies and management companies operating in the United States has exploded. It's impossible to say how effective these agencies are in the aggregate, but there's no question that the best of them can take a creator from a relatively modest four or five figures a month to a strong six.

[Host]

So life changing money. Which is why five years out from the OnlyFans gold rush, getting signed to an agency and essentially going pro can seem like the only way to truly make it on the platform.

[Belle Grace]

And yet I get messages every single day from agencies, but I never reply.

[Host]

Here again is Belle Grace.

[Belle Grace]

I just completely ignore them. I've had DMs before saying, oh, we'll fly you out to LA and we'll do this and we'll do that. I 100% know that I do not want anyone running my page.

[Host]

One side effect of Bell's early success after going viral was that it forced her to triage the demands on her time and make strategic decisions about how much attention to devote to which subscribers. But as an independent creator, Bell didn't have the data that would help her maximize her revenue. So we wanted to know why, after all this time, was she still doing it on her own? How had she resisted the Eve's apple of agency representation and all the riches that come with it?

[Narrator]

Part of it, Bell said, was that she wasn't trying to cut anyone into her money. But surely if so many others had decided it was worth it, the math must work out, right? It seems like the argument that agencies would make right, is that we can increase your revenue so much, we can scale you up so, so much that these percentages are not even going to matter.

[Belle Grace]

It just worries me because I think, how are you going to do that? Because I, I know how to do that and I know that I need to get myself out there on social media and potentially go viral in order to do that. So how are you going to do that without me? Like, and that's what don't line up to me. It just, it doesn't, it just doesn't quite make sense. And also, I generally just don't believe that's what OnlyFans should be about. Like, someone signs up to an OnlyFans page because they want to get to know the person. They don't want to speak to an agency.

[Host]

I mean, that's the same reason for me. And also, there's a small part of me that's like, oh, would I sort of sell out to potentially quadruple my savings?

[Belle Grace]

Yeah, I get that. But also, you got to think that if the. If it doesn't work out with the agency, potentially the ruined your whole page.

[Host]

Yeah, it's your company. It's your baby.

[Belle Grace]

Yeah. That's your name. That's your name on there. And there's no going back.

[Host]

I got what Belgrace was saying. I've learned over time, especially as my subscriber count has gone up, that keeping up with your page on your own can be difficult. You have to make time to chat and get to know all your subscribers. Bel says she has at least 2000 at any given time. How many subscribers would you say you talk to on a regular basis? Like once a week or more?

[Belle Grace]

I've got a handful of fans that I talk to every day because I do answer my messages every day, but I always get like five or six that are there every day and asking how I am and general. General chitchat, mostly.

[Host]

The few people that Belle talks to almost every day are people that truly seem to understand that she's more than just a pretty face on a website

[Belle Grace]

for them to stand out. They talk to me like I'm a person, so they know I've got feelings, they know I've got a life, and I'm not just some kind of thing behind a computer screen or behind their phone screen. What, they can have a wank over and just disappear. Obviously, I know they're there for the sexual needs, and that's what only fans is, but they're not constantly asking me for sexual stuff. They know I'm a person. And, you know, some people just don't even realize that I eat food because they just don't think with the brains that. And that's what makes them stand out. They treat me like a person.

[Narrator]

Among this select group of Bell subscribers is a man we'll call Simon.

[Belle Grace]

When he first subscribed, he was very quiet. He didn't actually speak much, just used to ask me for aspics. He didn't really ask for much. He was quite easily pleased. Just a few aspics and he was happy. He literally said that he got obsessed with my ass, and that's how he joined my only fan. And then that's literally how it started.

[Narrator]

For a while, Simon was just another ass man who subscribed to Bell's page and tipped well for twerking videos. He didn't seem to be much for chitchat.

[Belle Grace]

It took him probably about six months to actually have conversations with me properly. And it was just general chit chat every day, like, what have I got planned today? What is he doing? Is work okay? Just very, very general, normal stuff. How you'd have a conversation with a friend and obviously, obviously he's tipping for cheeky aspics and joining my live shows in between all that. So it wasn't like he's been subscribed a week. Like it took a while for this to build up and him talking every day and he opened up over time,

[Host]

as Bell got to know more and more about Simon, she started to feel a genuine bond with him.

[Belle Grace]

He's got good humor, he's funny, he likes what I like. Film wise, for example, he's a similar age to me, so like I feel like we're on the same level of just a lot, a lot of things in life.

[Host]

Daily chats between Bell and Simon turned into monthly video calls, which Simon paid extra for. And it was during one of these video calls that Bell noticed something unusual about Simon's naked anatomy. One of his testicles was a lot bigger than the other.

[Belle Grace]

You couldn't miss it. It was like one really wasn't there. I didn't know if he actually had one or not.

[Narrator]

You thought maybe he had just the one.

[Belle Grace]

Cause you couldn't because it, I didn't know.

[Narrator]

And you could see it because, sorry to be whatever literal here, but like you could see it because,

[Belle Grace]

because a lot of times he just put the camera where his dick was and that's all I could see. Okay, so it was very much filling up my screen.

[Host]

Belle continued to notice Simon's enlarged testicle on their video chats. It wasn't really any of her business, but as a former healthcare worker, she felt a nagging urge to say something.

[Belle Grace]

Do you know when you just get this feeling that you're just not quite sure of? You know when you just have these like silly little conversations with yourself? I'm like, should I just ask him about it? Shall I say something? And then like after one of video calls is then like finished and he's coming, you know, he's satisfied. We're both like naked still at this point. And I'm like, oh, well, you know, what else you got planned for today kind of thing. And we just had a little couple of minutes like chit Chat. And I was like, you know, can I, can I ask you something? Like, we're good friends. Like, I feel like we know each other. Like, have you got one ball, you know, bigger than the other? And he was like, yeah, yeah, I do. And I was like, is that normal? Like, has it always been like that? Like, yeah, it's not a problem. I'm like, yeah, but have you ever had it looked at? And for me to say that he must have known that maybe he should have got it looked at or he must have known that something weren't right because he was like, well, maybe I should get it looked at. And I was like, yeah, like, you really need to do that then, like, go and see a doctor.

[Narrator]

Bell said she had to push Simon a couple of times before he finally made the appointment and went to see a doctor.

[Belle Grace]

He messaged me after his doctor's appointment and said, doctor's had a feel and the doctor doesn't think something's quite right. And the doctor wasn't happy about the little one.

[Narrator]

Oh, yeah. Oh, that's a twist.

[Belle Grace]

Yeah. So, yeah, so he sent me the message to say, you know, it's confirmed, that's cancerous. And I was like, you know, how you feeling? Like, I'm so sorry. Like, how you feeling? He was like, you know, I don't think it's kicked in yet. Like, I don't feel like it's real. So I feel like he was very much in shock. Like, I've never met this person in real life. I just speak to him every single day on the Internet. So of course I've got like the connection there of like being worried for him because of course I want him to be okay. Because the worrying thing was was that it was the aggressive form of cancer that can spread. So he's just so lucky that it didn't leave it any longer because it could have spread

[Narrator]

within two weeks. The doctor had removed Simon's problematic testicle and was able to prevent the cancer from spreading. Did you feel like you'd saved his life?

[Belle Grace]

He says, I did, but I don't want to be that extreme about it. I'm not that big headed.

[Narrator]

Would you be willing to say, like, roughly how much you think he has spent on you over the years?

[Belle Grace]

I can open it up.

[Narrator]

Oh, really? Oh, wow. Data.

[Belle Grace]

Just give me a second. I think when I click on it, it gives me what OnlyFans has already taken. So it's not actually how much he has spent. So you'd need to add 20% onto it. So I can see that. He started on December 31, 2020, which is like I said when I went viral. And he has spent 43, $915,000 at 20%.

[Narrator]

Is he your number one or other people who spent a lot more? He's your number one?

[Belle Grace]

Yeah, he's my number one.

[Narrator]

And after his diagnosis and the surgery, you guys just kept talking, right?

[Belle Grace]

Yeah, we talk every day. Every day.

[Narrator]

So he. He's a friend. He's someone who is like part of your life.

[Belle Grace]

Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah. I would definitely class him as a friend. Yeah.

[Narrator]

But not a. Not an online boyfriend?

[Belle Grace]

No. I mean he's married, you know, which you might not have expected, but does

[Narrator]

your husband feel away about you having this like consistent daily interaction with him?

[Belle Grace]

No, he's fine with it. Like I like with that close, I'll send him Christmas presents and I've sent him birthday presents for the last few years. Like that's what I mean by like the kind of friendship as well. Like it. It's just not long back since been his birthday and I sent him a nice little. Little birthday gift and he's fine with it.

[Narrator]

So you. I mean, you know where he lives?

[Belle Grace]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

Does he know where you live?

[Belle Grace]

No.

[Narrator]

Okay. I just love the idea. I mean, I feel like some people are so scared of the Internet that they would like never ever want someone out there, especially someone they met on a. You know, on a website like OnlyFans, to know where they live. I don't know. There's a trust there that you're indicating, is there? That is rare, I think.

[Belle Grace]

Yeah. I know everything. I know how old he is. Well, I know his date, birth. I know his name. I know that he's married. I know what her name is. I know where he works. I know everything. I could ruin his life. I mean, I will not. But you know, I mean, I have that much information on this guy. Guy that. Yeah. So he's got to really trust me.

[Narrator]

It boggles my mind that Simon is willing to trust someone who is essentially a stranger with this potentially life ruining secret. Someone he's never even met in person. It's also wild to me that Simon could have had this whole medical drama play out. And yet the people who know him and love him know nothing about Belle's role in it. Like, there's this person he talks to almost every day and who according to Belle, Grace, he sends tips to practically every morning so she can buy herself a coffee. And the people who know him in real life don't even know she exists. Unfortunately, Simon declined to speak with us for this podcast so we couldn't get his version of the story. And of course there is another big perspective.

[Host]

We're his wife's Belgrace seemed positive that Simon's wife does not know about his relationship with Bell on OnlyFans, nor about the amount of money he's spent on her over the years. And look, I definitely have rose colored glasses when it comes to my subscribers and I've kind of taken for granted or at least at face value what these men tell me online, but I know I'm only getting one side of the story. My subscribers and I exist in in a sort of alternate universe together, a collaborative fiction that we've created in an only fans bubble. But when that fantasy world collides with the real world, things can get messy. Trust me. So basically what happened is I get a new subscriber and I message them and I'm like, hey person, what brings you here? And they go, well, I'm in recovery for breast cancer and the wife of a subscriber. And they were like, it's this person. And I was like, holy shit, this is probably the person I know the best on here. That's next on Only Fantasy.

[Narrator]

Listen to Only Fantasy on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Only Fantasy early and ad free right now, join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.

[Audible Announcer]

Whether you're exploring your current fascinations or discovering new ones, Audible has all the stories that'll introduce you to your most fascinating self. Tap into a whole new world of heated conversations with a saucy romantasy series. Become your friend group's sci fi expert on the latest blockbuster book to screen adaptation, or find unexpected reveals through the exclusive episodes of a viral true crime podcast. However you choose to listen, Audible keeps you fascinated so you can be just as fascinating all in one easy app. With plans now starting at £5.99, you'll get access to to over 900,000 audiobooks and podcasts, including trending best sellers, the hottest new releases and exclusive podcasts you won't find anywhere else. Sign up now to become a member and get any audiobook every month, plus exclusive podcasts. Plans now start at £5.99 audible. Be fascinated, be fascinating.