Say hello to Dino Kyriakides, a Joburg boy who used OnlyFans to help launch his media career
Side hustles and new forms of entrepreneurship have become integral to many South Africans' lives as they seek to bolster their income amid the rising cost of living. One popular revenue stream among young people is the adult online content creation platform, OnlyFans.
The platform was founded in 2016 by Tim Stokely and is a content subscription service based in the UK.
The platform, initially known for its use by sex workers creating and selling pornography, has evolved over the past few years. It now hosts a diverse range of content creators, including fitness experts, feet models, reality personalities, actors, musicians, and more.
In 2021 OnlyFans reached a valuation of $1 billion, according to Bloomberg.
In September 2022, the Financial Times reported that owner Leonid Radvinsky received around $500 million in dividends in a two-year period from 2021 to 2022.
Forbes noted that Radvinsky paid himself nearly $500 million in dividends in 2022 and 2023 as users spent around $5.6 billion on the website.
Are South Africans taking advantage of this platform?
IOL Business reached out to a former South African OnlyFans creator to find out more about his journey with the platform and what his plans are for the future.
Dino Kyriakides was a content creator on the OnlyFans platform for several years after he discovered that corporate office life was just not in his life plan.
Kyriakides said that he grew up in Johannesburg but noted that he is an “international soul at heart” with most of his life experience coming from having lived overseas.
“I got into OnlyFans when I knew I had more to give the world than just working a corporate job in an office. I was ready to live in my truth as a social media influencer and wanted to explore how OnlyFans could help launch my career,” he explained.
Kyriakides said that he began his page while living in the United States. He knew that because he had a significantly large social media presence on TikTok and Instagram he could capitalise on that target audience.
“With the rise of OnlyFans and job loss during Covid-19, I knew I could capitalise by selling content,” he added.
A burgeoning industry
The Joburg native explained that the OnlyFans content creation industry in South Africa is lagging compared to the rest of the world.
OnlyFans is a burgeoning industry in SA and Kyriakides said that he sees himself as a pioneer in the space.
His intention was always to use OnlyFans as a stepping stone to become an entertainer and influencer. The platform was meant to boost his social media presence.
Kyriakides said that he had a long-term plan to not only monetise his social media platforms but hopefully become a larger entertainer holistically.
“Using OnlyFans properly is lucrative and finding your niche makes you stand out, it is a perfect leap to boost a personal brand when you’ve got the attention of the right audience,” he added.
Pros and cons of OnlyFans
When asked about the pros of OnlyFans, Kyriakides said that because South Africa is an untapped market, there’s lots of potential to grow into something extremely successful.
“With the dollar/rand exchange rate, it makes doing OnlyFans in South Africa very lucrative. Other pros are the brand growth, intentional or unintentional,” he said.
There are, of course, cons to using OnlyFans, according to Kyriakides.
He is not fond of dealing with the lagging views of South Africa when it comes to adult content creation and the inconsistent income stream.
Kyriakides also acknowledged the conservative nature of South Africans, especially in the media and entertainment space.
“Another con is that OnlyFans limits you tapping into other media platforms because of how South Africa views adult content creation.”
So let’s talk money
When asked how much money he has made in the last financial year on the platform, the content creator said that he has made over a million rand.
“OnlyFans, however inconsistent, can be extremely lucrative when selling content and building relationships with fans and has made me over R1 million a year.”
In terms of marketing his content, Kyriakides said that he has marketed his brand and business using social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and X.
He loves that he can be fully in control of his content and has executive control in creating an authentic narrative for myself and his image.
He emphasised that using these social media platforms allows him to have a “global reach and fanbase” all over the world and not just in South Africa.
Where to next...
Kyriakides maintained that OnlyFans has always been a stepping stone or launch pad for the entertainment industry in the US and abroad.
Earlier this month, he decided to leave OnlyFans.
“The platform was a stepping stone into my next venture in social media. I now want to redirect my content aimed at the audience that I’ve already built to establish a lucrative business as a social media influencer,” he delineated.
“Like any other evolving entertainer that has different eras in their careers, my intention now is to create content that my followers can relate to and learn from as well as expand and build my platform to be able to sell products, as I close the chapter on my OnlyFans era”.
Kyriakides maintained that OnlyFans allowed him to start a small business, providing the flexibility to avoid a standard 9-to-5 job and focus on building his social media brand.
“I have progressed by building numbers on the social media platforms with the goal of ultimately becoming a general lifestyle influencer. I’m sure the goal of every OnlyFans creator is to expand beyond the brand and have a reach on other platforms such as Patreon or YouTube”
He said that in five years he would like to be a successful social media influencer and reality TV personality. He would like to move into film, both in front and behind the lens.
The content creator and entrepreneur also would like to have a diverse portfolio of products for the consumer, including skincare products and underwear for men.
Lastly, he noted that giving back was also something important to him.
“I also see myself having a successful non-profit that deals with sex education and health for young South Africans,” he concluded.
IOL BUSINESS