The Rise of “Creator Mansions”

In May of 1992, the MTV reality series The Real World first aired. The Real World followed a diverse group of usually seven to eight contestants, strangers to one another, living in one house. While met at the time with mostly negative feedback from critics, The Real World opened the door for other, more popular shows, such as Big Brother, while also being one of the first examples of a “content house”. Today, as social platforms like YouTube, OnlyFans and TikTok grow in popularity, more and more of these “content houses” or “creator mansions” are popping up everywhere, providing influencers the opportunity to collaborate and conquer.

There’s no question that OnlyFans is where the money’s at nowadays. Valued at US$3.15 billion, OnlyFans got this far by taking a 20% cut of every transaction on its site. Sophie Rain, a Miami-based creator, has made over $100 million on OnlyFans, funds she used to co-found Bop House, a creator mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While Sophie Rain no longer lives at Bop House, its legacy has helped experienced and inexperienced creators alike find more views, followers and cash. 

Like with Big Brother, sometimes, tensions flare. Shortly after a feud between Rain and fellow creator Camilla Araujo spilled onto the internet, Rain left the Bop House, Having established herself as Bop House’s top-earning creator, Rain felt she no longer needed other creator’s help growing her following. Despite her exit, the Bop House remains active as an OnlyFans creator mansion. 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country in suburban Los Angeles, California, Creators Inc. is growing its own creator mansion. Andrew Bachman, a wealthy entrepreneur, co-founded Creators Inc. as a talent agency providing support to Los Angeles OnlyFans creators. The Encino mansion has since attracted numerous celebrities, UFC fighters and actors-turned-creators, while also drawing the ire of some neighbors. 

Bachman explains that his neighbors lack an appreciation for his work as an entrepreneur and assume the worst when they see bikini-clad women on his property. “People hear OnlyFans and stop listening… What they’re missing is the difference between a stereotype and an actual creator business, one that works with athletes, musicians and comedians. I don’t blame my neighbors for not knowing that world, I just wish they’d ask before they assume,” says Bachman. Adding,” A bikini isn’t evidence of adult content, it’s Southern California.”

OnlyFans and the “influencer lifestyle” as an idea still manages to grow every year. A 2019 poll found that 54% of Americans aged thirteen through thirty-eight would become an influencer if given the opportunity. Twelve percent of respondents believed they already qualified as influencers. Part of this has to do with the absurd amount of money one can make as an influencer on OnlyFans or any other platform. While traditional college graduates can make about $50,000 a year, most bona fide influencers make that much in a month, without breaking a sweat.  

The content doesn’t always have to be explicit either. Baron Scho, a young man from Texas who now lives at a creator house called Clubhouse FTB (For The Boys) in Beverly Hills, says he got TikTok famous after dancing to Travis Scott’s song “Out West”. Now Scho, close to one million followers, says he’s close to earning, “like seven thousand dollars a week.”

Some naysayers may claim that creator mansions are too noisy, gaudy or, in the case of Bop House and Clubhouse FTB, giving the young adults of OnlyFans and TikTok an inflated sense of self, there’s no arguing with just how successful these influencers have become by joining forces. Churning out content daily is hard work, but with consistent devotion, support of one another and more headlines, there’s no doubt that creator mansions will become more popular as the financial upsides of becoming a social media influencer continue to present themselves.