From the Stage to the Feed: Meet KDCC's Social Media Manager, Hannah Manuit

Outside of YouTube and Discord, the KDCC hasn't had much of a presence on social media. Andrew and I, Ike, had been too busy building the community itself to also build the megaphone for it.

That's about to change with Hannah.

Hannah Manuit is our Social Media Manager, and she's the one making sure the KDCC shows up where creators are already scrolling. Before she was running our accounts, she was building her own. She grew her TikTok past 70,000 followers in the cosplay community, and has since gone on to run social for other creator tools and creator communities.

We sat her down for our creator interview series, and got into everything from her roots as a performer to what she'd tell herself if she could go back and do it again.

Get to know the person now handling the KDCC's presence across platforms.

Hannah's Roots

Before she became the KDCC Social Media Manager, Hannah was the one on stage, not behind the account. We asked Hannah a few questions about her roots.

Who were you before people knew you for what you do now?

"Before I found myself creating content, I'd enjoy crafts and other performance arts. I often surround myself with a community that had common interest in the same things as me."

Was there another life you almost went and lived?

"I loved martial arts, dance, and basically anything that required performing in front of an audience. I always thought that I would be performing on stage to make a living and thought I don't see it happening anytime in the future... I will never say."

Hannah goes on to mention the skills she gained from her previous experiences.

"I often find myself on stage performing in various capacities. I grew up singing and took up dance around high school. I ended up going to school for acting in college and I continue to perform to this day. I had my own hand in content creation when I found a community in the cosplay side of TikTok during the pandemic. And kept all the skills I learned from that to help get where I am today!"

She didn't pivot from performing into content creation since performance can be seen as an extension of creation. Singing, dancing, acting, cosplay... these are different stages with the same instinct to connect with whoever's watching.

Her decision to become a content creator

Trading a planned career for an unproven one is never a clean jump. We asked Hannah what that leap actually looked like.

What was the moment you decided this was your path (creator economy), that you were really going to go for it?

"There were so many people who believed in me and that gave me the push to go for this path."

What was going through your head in the early days, when none of it was proven yet?

"In early days, it was important to me that I had to trust in myself and my skills. There was a lot of doubt but I made sure that I would look forward, look from my mistakes, and to stay resilient."

Who did you tell at first, and why? What about who you didn't tell at first?

"The first person I told was my Dad. He's seen me at different points of my life and has always been supportive in whatever I do. It was harder to tell anyone else that wasn't my Dad because I never knew how they would react, especially because it was different than my original dream."

Hannah knew it was important for her to keep an open mind, and it was no different when she chose this path.

"I learned a lot from my own experience with content creation and choose to apply my skills to help others. When the opportunity came to me, I was going to school for something completely different. I was urged to go into this field by my friends and I gained more confidence the more I worked and haven't looked back since!"

What stands out isn't that Hannah had it figured out early (she didn't). What got her through was staying open to a path she hadn't planned for, and telling the one person she trusted most before telling anyone else.

What actually worked for Hannah

Everyone's got a theory about what makes content take off. We wanted Hannah's, without the mythology.

If you set the theory aside, what actually worked?

"What worked for me was creating content that I was proud and passionate about. It helped with my burnout and kept me inspired."

What do you think you got lucky on, and what did you earn?

"I got lucky on a few videos getting traction and very lucky with all the amazing people I've been able to meet and connect with online. I earned a lot of valuable skills and got some pretty good advice from other creators over the years."

What did you stop doing right before things started to click?

"Things started to click when I stopped doubting myself and stopped worrying about views. What I found important to me were the comments and being able to spark a conversation."

What worked for Hannah was making connections with her community. She found the content that she and her audience liked, so bridging that gap was pivotal to her.

"For my current path, it was definitely luck, but preparedness was definitely a factor. Being able to take advantage of opportunities I was given and making the most of it was a HUGE factor in getting me where I am today. I am proud of the work I do and am grateful for all those who have helped me along the way!"

Luck got her traction on a few of her videos, but preparedness is what her do something with it. That's the part people skip when they only want the highlight reel.

The part nobody sees

The wins are easy to talk about. We asked Hannah about the parts that don't make it into the caption.

Tell me about the low times, the part of doing this stuff where walking away would have been the sensible move or the easy one.

"The low times happen more than I'd like to admit and it all stems from having a lack of control. I've done a really good job of practicing accepting the things that I can't control taking action on the things that I can."

What did you tell yourself to keep going?

"I told myself that hurt is temporary and reminded myself to lean on the people who I can always count on. They'll always hear me out and help me talk through all my issues."

What change did you sit on too long that you wish you had made a year earlier?

"I changed my habit of staying in my comfort zone. I wish I had done it earlier because I have learned so much putting myself in those situation."

Hannah had to remember that there are things she can control and things that are out of her control.

"Trying to focus on problems that are in my power to change, keeps me from getting too overwhelmed. It is something that I am still trying to get the hang of but it's a practice I try to implement daily."

She didn't dress up the low points. Instead, she kept coming back to the same idea—control what you can, let go of what you can't—even when that's easier said than practiced.

The weight of content creation

Growth has a cost, and it's rarely the one people warn you about going in.

What did getting bigger cost you that nobody warned you about?

"There is a bigger cost, but for me, it might look a little different. There was a sort of guilt and responsibility that I had an anxiety about keeping up with."

Was there a point where the thing you built stopped feeling like yours?

"I can't say that there was a point where the thing I built stopped being mine. But I would get overwhelmed with the feeling of needing to show up and create content even when I didn't want to."

How do you tell the work that energizes you from the work that just drains you?

"There is always a sense of pride that comes with the work that fuels me. If the work isn't something I am sharing with all my friends, then it would be the kind of work that drains me. Which, luckily, I don't do often."

There was a point where requests for certain content kept Hannah from doing the things she wanted to do. She felt obligated to continue the content that were doing well on her page and pushing aside what she desired. It was important for her to find a balance to her content so that she wouldn't have to sacrifice too much for clicks and views.

Built to last

Staying in this space long-term means figuring out where the line is before it gets crossed for you.

How do you keep this from swallowing your whole life?

"It's all about balance! Balancing work, my own content creation, and my personal life is really important and something that I work on daily. But it is an important tool to help from swallowing your life."

What did you hand off, automate, or just stop doing?

"There is not much that I have done in terms of hand off or automation. But I do take frequent breaks to help with burn out."

What does a good week look like now compared to a few years ago?

"A good week is when I complete all the things I wanted to do and more! Most weeks aren't long enough to achieve things like this but I do what I can."

Hannah points out that it's easy to get lost in the content creation process and put out as much as you can to the point of burn out. However, the content she made existed because of her, and that meant she needed to put herself first.

"Asking for help can be difficult to ask but I know I surround myself with people who want to support me and assist whenever they can. So I try to remember that I am never alone. As long as I am proud of my work and meeting deadlines that are set, I consider that a successful week!"

She hasn't automated her way out of burnout; that's why she built in the breaks. Sometimes the sustainable version of this work looks less like a system and more like knowing when to stop.

What Hannah would do if she can rewind

Hindsight is easy to hand out and hard to actually use. Anyway, we asked Hannah what she'd tell an earlier version of herself.

If you could hand the earlier version of you one sentence, what would it be?

"You are the best version of you, so don't try to be anyone else!"

What do people starting out in this space rush, that only time can teach?

"Don't rush finding your place and your community!"

What do they lose sleep over that ends up not mattering?

"The numbers don't matter as much as you think. They do matter to an extent, but you need to make sure those numbers are high in the right places."

If there's a thread through all of Hannah's answers, it's that the numbers were never the point. Finding her community was.

Beyond the numbers

Metrics tell you what happened, though they don't tell you what matters. We asked Hannah to set the numbers aside for a second.

What has this work given you that has nothing to do with the numbers?

"Work has given me so many meaningful connections and those connections keep me inspired to do new and hard things!"

How has your idea of winning changed since you started?

"I used to count numbers, but now I feel creating connections is the biggest win I can achieve."

Hannah's answer is a genuine redefinition of what she's actually optimizing for. When "winning" stops being a number on a dashboard, the work tends to get a lot more sustainable.

Turning it around on the KDCC

This is something we do for every one we interview, so let's how Hannah flips it on us.

What are your thoughts on the KDCC?

"KDCC has built a community that is fueled on inspiration and support. One I am truly honored to be a part of!"

If you could turn the tables, what is one thing you would want to ask Andrew Kan and Ike Do?

"What is something you hope to achieve before the new calendar year?"

What is a question you wish more people asked you, and how would you answer it?

"A question I hope to get asked is, 'What is my biggest regret?" And my answer would be, 'I try to live life with no regrets, I believe everything happens for a reason and even the lowest points of my life have challenged me for the better. So to answer, my biggest regret was probably the dairy product I had recently.'"

To answer Hannah's question back at us: before the calendar flips, I'd take "growing the community without losing our personal touch" as a win worth chasing. For a solidified number, I'm aiming to reach 3,000 Discord members before the year ends.

And as for her biggest regret being a dairy product, I definitely understand as a fellow lactose intolerant... but we all know we'll do it again.

Quick rounds of questions

Most overrated advice in this industry?

"Quantity over quality."

A habit you would never give up?

"Turning off the lights when I leave the room."

A mistake you are weirdly glad you made?

"Not applying to my dream college."

Something you were proud of that did not land the way you hoped?

"My latest audition."

The tool or app you would fight to keep?

"Vine."

The compliment about your work that lands the hardest?

"Just a genuine compliment."

What has you fired up right now?

"My iced vanilla berry redbull."

To close

We have one last question, then we'll let her get back to running the KDCC's socials.

What are you building toward that you have not told many people about yet?

"I am building to get better in my craft and creating a community with people who are supportive and where we can share knowledge and experiences!"

You can find Hannah on Instagram and IMDB.

Instagram: @hannuhlorayne
IMDB: Hannah Lorayne Manuit