Many influencers begin their careers on social media not sure of what to expect, and ultimately grow their careers beyond what they could’ve ever imagined. Emmanuel “Manny” Carre, of @Callme_manny on TikTok, is one such creator.
After just moving from Africa, Manny wanted to find something he enjoyed and was passionate about. He started creating content by himself at the age of 13, focusing on comedic-styled videos. Manny recognized a crucial aspect of content creation, making the videos for yourself. “At first, when I was making those videos, it was not really funny, you know. It wasn’t funny to everybody but I had a blast making them.”
Although Manny had other passions, such as soccer, he decided to pursue content creation after dealing with some health issues. Luckily, this ended up being the kick-off to his career, opening him to opportunities like brand deals, collaborations, and stand-up comedy shows.
Manny has been especially inspired lately to keep growing his career, pushing him to work harder to continue to get the attention of brands and reach a bigger audience. He highlights that creating content can be especially tricky sometimes, but he has found what works for him and his viewers, particularly his series on TikTok called “African Dad,” which he has noticed the algorithm has boosted his posts since this series began.
Manny just recently hit two million followers on TikTok, the main platform where he posts his content. Although he always made content for himself, he found joy in making content for others and keeps working hard to make content for his viewers. He emphasizes that although this is a great milestone, he wants to keep growing. “Now that I have two million, I’m trying to get like 2.1, and 2.2”
This milestone has also enhanced his career in other ways, such as stand-up comedy shows that he has gotten the privilege to be a part of. He recently participated in Miami Improv, which he says has been one of his favorite accomplishments thus far in his career. “I worked really hard to get there. I put the time in and rehearsed every night with my creative partners.” Although Manny constantly expresses his love for content creation, something about standing in front of an audience to perform is new and exciting, especially because he gets to show his skills to an audience outside of TikTok.
While Manny loves to create content online for his viewers, and now does shows in person, he notes they are very different and have different ways of pushing his career and passion. He mentions that stand-up comedy is right in front of you, meaning there are no cuts or doing it over as he would when filming for TikTok. However, for online content, if the algorithm does not allow for his content to always reach as many people, he knows it’s time to try something new. “On social media, if a joke doesn’t hit, you’re gonna be like ‘Alright, it’s okay. Maybe the algorithm didn’t push it,’” and it allows him to try again.
Along with these achievements, Manny has a great support system that has been dedicated to helping him throughout these jumps in his career. “I don’t do it just for myself, I do it for the people that have helped me every single day.” Manny’s friend and creative partner, Sean has especially been a big part of Manny’s career and support system. He notes that Sean, along with the rest of his creative team, have been there with him through brainstorming ideas, and even practicing and creating content at any hour of the day.
Manny has a very positive attitude when it comes to creating his videos and pursuing his career, even when times are tough. “Do it because you love it. Do it because you just truly love to make videos.”
Check out Manny on his socials!
