After graduating from NUA with a BA in film back in 2017, Oli Hosier tried to go the traditional route, looking for any entry-level runner job, but struggled to find any leads. That’s when he turned to photography, a skill he had developed during his time in university, and began “shooting portraits, weddings, music, things like that… Anything that [he] found interesting.”

But then COVID happened, and “no one could afford a photographer. That was probably the last thing on people’s minds.” So, much like the many other freelancers who found themselves out of a job, Oli had to pivot, crediting the pandemic for the sudden rise of OnlyFans “and adult content in general.”

“I had a friend who did OnlyFans,” he recounts, “and I said do you mind if I pick your brain on the business side of it? I was very curious about how I could implement the skills that I had and get a piece of that pie. I came to it from a monetary standpoint, but I wasn’t ready to do adult content, so I found this thing called boudoir.”

Boudoir is a style of photography that focuses on “empowerment of the body,” photographing subjects in intimate and sensual settings. As boudoir photography appeals to a primarily female demographic, Oli acknowledges his need to create a safe space for the women who came into his studio. “[These women] are going to be nervous when contacting you because they’ve never done anything like this before. There was a lot of pressure to come across very genuine, more relatable than you would [need to] if you were a female. During 2023 I managed to get my own studio space, did that for about a year…”

A hard financial year and a creative rut is what first pushed Oli to give up his studio and enter the world of pornography, realizing that there was “a lot more money in porn than there [was] in boudoir.” However, as of right now, OnlyFans is just a means to an end for him, as he remains first and foremost a filmmaker.

“My goal at the moment is to create erotic art,” he tells us. “I want to make films more than pornos. Although straight-up porn does sell really well financially, it’s not something I have a huge passion in making. What I do have a passion for is storytelling.

“I think all I want is financial freedom and creative freedom. At the same time, and I want to do that in the best way that I enjoy.

“I’m trying to build a portfolio that tells stories on the intimate side of things. Imagine you’re watching, like, 50 Shades of Grey, but more of a shortened down version of that. It’s got more of a cinematic tone to it, as if you’re watching a short film as opposed to watching a porno when you when you click on my work. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

We ask him to describe his typical shooting day, and he emphasizes the administrative side of the job.

“When you approach someone for a collaboration, you would want to build that rapport like you would any other business opportunity. Networking is very big like it is in any other business.

“I always relax at the beginning of the shoot, just chat to them. Coffee, tea, and then we go through the legal stuff. We go through a lot of consent forms and contracts… There’s a performer checklist that I have, which basically goes through the yeses and nos of what you’re comfortable doing on camera,  what you’re not comfortable doing.

“Due to the Online Safety Act—which had a massive hindrance on the industry recently—you have to do you have to take a photo of the ID, front and back, you have to have a photo of them holding the ID, and a photo of them holding the consent form that they’ve signed. Once all that legal stuff’s done, you’re good to shoot. I’m also looking at introducing another final consent form, basically saying everything we’ve done today has been fine.”

Throughout the interview, the conversation repeatedly returns the ‘traditional’ aspects of the job. From networking at conferences, to paperwork, to the gender pay gap, Oli makes it clear that OnlyFans is a job like any other. However, when asked about his favourite aspect of his work, he laughs.

“I’ll be honest, sex is fun,” he says, reminding us that his work is less conventional than a traditional job in entertainment. “That is a good thing to look forward to, especially if you have a really good connection with someone, [because] it comes across on camera better.

“But the most enjoyable part is making it, and seeing this idea come together. I just get so nervous, and I’m such a perfectionist as well. I want it to be the best I can make it. I just want it to be the best I can make it.

“[I love] the storytelling part of it, but that’s coming from my filmmaking interests. A lot of people go into the industry for money, but it’s also quite empowering, you know. Having that sexual freedom.”

Despite his clear passion for his work, Oli is also quick to tell us that it is “not all sunshine and rainbows.”

There is, of course, the question of a digital footprint, which is often the first that comes to mind when considering the porn industry.

“Once you put yourself on the Internet, it is there forever,” Oli says, echoing one of the main warnings that comes with the porn industry. “It doesn’t matter if you remove it, it stays in some capacity.”

Beyond the obvious, however, he also talks about having to work the social media age, complaining about having to make “stupid TikToks and Instagram Reels just to stay relevant,” reminding us that, albeit working in the sex industry, OnlyFans is still a form of content creation, and comes with many of the same responsibilities as those of a social media influencer.

However, old stigmas remain regarding the industry, especially in Norfolk, where the population is older and more conservative than certain areas in London, where sex culture flourishes.

“Norwich could do more, when it comes to sex. […] I heard Norwich wants to get rid of all sex or adult themed venues by, like, 2030 or something,” he laments. “I don’t know if they’re going to do it, but it shows that some higher powers still don’t like that it exists.

These stigmas are further pushed when it comes to his personal relationships. Oli namely recalls a recent date he’d been on, where the woman had expressed a clear dislike in his profession, something that caught him by surprise given their closeness in age.  

Where it is less surprising, however, is his parents’ reaction:

“I’m very close to my mum so I told everything,” he explains. “She’s not overly keen that I do it but she goes ‘as long as you’re being safe.’ My dad [on the other hand] is a little more conservative, an old school man. He’s doesn’t want to hear it, but ultimately what I’m doing is I want to do.

“I think it’s important to not care too much about what people think when it comes to this stuff, because at the end of the day, what you’re doing is completely normal. Sex is normal, and filming sex is normal.”

Image credit: Oli Hosier @shot_by_oli