When 19-year-old Immanuel “Manny” Kelly (@mannythemanzz) strolls across the UMass Lowell campus, heads turn not because of celebrity fanfare, but because students never quite know if they’re about to become part of his next skit. With a phone camera in hand and a mischievous grin, Manny morphs into his now-famous “Disney Channel bully” persona: over-the-top, loud, and delightfully absurd.

In just two weeks, his TikTok following doubled from around 700,000 to 1.5 million. His clips, set in classrooms, hallways, and dining halls, capture the mix of awkwardness and amusement that defines college humor in the TikTok era. Yet, behind the scenes, the freshman creator isn’t just chasing laughs. He’s building a creative blueprint that blends storytelling and business acumen with a sense of purpose.

A Creator Who Grew Up on Disney

Before TikTok fame, Manny’s world revolved around sports. 

“I played a lot of football, basketball, and track,” he recalls. “That was my main thing. But even then, I’d make little skits for my family to watch.”

His first upload dates back to seventh grade: a dance filmed on his mom’s iPhone 5. But it wasn’t until his junior year of high school that he began thinking strategically about his content. A friend and fellow creator, known as Chase, gave him advice that changed everything: find a niche.

“I was trying to think ‘what could bring people together,’ something everyone enjoys, but hasn’t been done already,” Manny says. “And then I thought, everyone watched Disney.”

He began experimenting with archetypes pulled straight from childhood television: “the nerd,” “the friend,” “the villain,” and most famously, “the bully.” What started as playful impersonations soon grew into a signature style that fuses nostalgia, satire, and improv, resonating across generations. 

“People just thought it was really cool,” he says. “And I had a lot of fun making it.”

Finding Meaning Beyond the Views

For a while, Manny saw content creation as a hobby. But that changed after receiving an unexpected email from a former camper he’d once mentored as a summer counselor.

“She said she saw my videos and thought they were hilarious; they made her smile,” he says. “It kind of made me realize the impact that I can have on people. It’s more than just views or wanting to be big. It’s about genuinely making people’s days better.”

That message shifted his outlook. 

He started investing in better equipment, scripting scenes, and managing his time between classes and content. “I bought a new phone, made schedules for my day, and wrote out genuine scripts,” he explains. “I wanted to make sure what I was doing was professional and made sense.”

Building the Skit Machine

Manny’s creative process blends discipline with spontaneity. 

“After I post a video, I start thinking of the next idea that same day,” he says. “I’ll sleep on it, then write the script in the morning.” Once an idea sticks, he sends it to a group chat of friends to see who’s available to join.

Filming, he says, can take anywhere from five to forty minutes, depending on how long it takes to find the right person to prank. “I want to make sure it’s someone who won’t have a bad reaction,” he explains. “If they look like they’re in a rush or don’t want to be bothered, I won’t approach them. Everyone has to feel comfortable. That’s my number one priority.”

While much of his content follows a loose script, the best moments come from improvisation. “Usually, I’m the one improving if someone messes up,” he says. “I used to do improv in high school, so it comes naturally now.”

From Theater Kid to Actor in the Making

Comedy wasn’t always his plan. “I did theater my senior year of high school after getting injured in football,” Manny says. “At first, my friends made fun of me for it, but it ended up being just as fun as sports.”

That unexpected detour became formative. 

“I always wanted to be a professional athlete, but in the past year I’ve really leaned toward acting,” he shares. “It’s hard to tell from the comedy pranks I do, but my main goal is to one day convert my social media career into an acting career.”

Breaking Out of the Box

Despite his viral success, Manny is aware of the creative risks that come with repetition. 

“You can’t do the same thing over and over for years,” he admits. “Yes, I’m like the Disney guy on TikTok, but sooner or later I’ll have to switch it up. Every creator eventually has to evolve.”

That awareness stems from trial and error. “I tried video games once … terrible reaction,” he laughs. “I tried just talking about life. It didn’t do well. People see me as that Disney-oriented guy.”

Even so, he refuses to feel trapped. “I would like to make other things, and I still might,” he says. “Every creator feels a bit boxed in unless their content is purely based on their personality.”

Part of what’s kept his audience loyal is his ability to be himself on camera. “I used to not show my face at all,” he admits. “I’d put on a mask, add text to the screen, and hide behind that. Now it’s all about showing who I am and just being myself. I used to be insecure. Now I’m confident in who I am.”

Cracking the Code to Monetization

For all the viral fame, Manny’s biggest challenge hasn’t been creative. It’s been financial. 

“It’s incredibly difficult to start genuinely making a stream of income from content creation,” the creator says. “Many creators people assume are making money aren’t making anything.”

He’s blunt about the realities of short-form platforms: “TikTok makes it hard to monetize unless your videos are over a minute long, but every time I post something over a minute, it gets fewer views. I tested it many times. It’s unfair to creators.”

This year, things finally began to shift. “I got monetized on YouTube and received my 100K plaque. Now I’m close to 300,000 subscribers,” he says. “YouTube’s my most consistent revenue stream.”

He’s also started accepting brand deals, but with caution. “I don’t do gambling promotions,” he notes. “My audience skews young, and it doesn’t make sense for me to ever endorse that. I’m doing a slime ad soon instead.”

Lessons From the Business Side

As brand offers started rolling in, Manny realized how many creators get underpaid. 

“A lot of companies will try to lowball you,” he says. “If a creator has even 100,000 followers, there’s no way they should only be getting a $100 or $200 deal. I’ve seen creators with a million followers making $500. It’s sad.”

His advice: “Know your worth. A creator with 500,000 followers should be getting a couple thousand per deal, and creators with over a million – depending on their view ratio – should be earning between $6,000 and $10,000 or more.”

He’s learned the importance of having representation. “I signed with a talent agency recently. They’re pitching me to different companies,” he says. “They take a commission, not a flat fee. You should never pay a manager up front.”

For creators still waiting for their first brand deal, Manny suggests taking initiative. “Reach out,” he says. “Make a business email and put it in your bio. Contact companies you’d actually want to work with, even smaller ones. People have business emails for a reason. They check them.”

The Reality Behind the Curtain

What surprises Manny most about the creator economy is how hard it is to sustain. 

“People think creators make a ton of money, but most of them have jobs outside of content,” he says. “Only a fraction can live off short-form content alone. You have to convert it into some form of business or another career.”

For Manny, that future points to acting. “Sometimes content creators are taken seriously in the acting industry, sometimes they’re not,” he reflects. “But I’m hoping I can convert this into something more long-term.”

Balancing college, creativity, and career building hasn’t been easy, but Manny remains optimistic. His next goal is simple: consistency. “I want to start making a steady flow of income,” he says. “I hope to post four times a week, though it’s getting hard with school.”

As for the next chapter, he keeps his ambitions clear. “I want to start my acting career soon,” he says. “The main goal is to convert what I’ve built here into something lasting.”

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