What made you end this "crazy" life?
"It was thanks to the book Run and Be, which is about a successful marathon runner and which I read while studying at university. I am an extremist, it fascinated me a lot, and I started running. I ran and ran, quit smoking, started cooking for myself, experimented with nutrition, and set my sights on running marathons. I lost the muscle mass gained from the gym and went from 75 kg to 55 kg in 2017. Running fulfilled me so much that I flew to Kenya to train with the world's best endurance runners."
Is this where your career as an Instagrammer began?
"I discovered Instagram and created my very first account when I first traveled to the USA. I flew there for a three-month work stay at a children's camp during my university studies. By that time, I was already running, cooking, and working in the kitchen at a children's camp in Pennsylvania. On Instagram, I started sharing my travels, cooking, running, and active lifestyle."
When did the turning point come when you became successful?
"The journey to 'influencerhood' had several stages, and each of them helped me get to where I am today. Of course, another stage that helped me gain many followers was when I became 'famous' for filming adult movies under a different name. Thanks to that, I created more Instagram accounts, gained around 200 to 300 thousand followers within two to three years, most of whom were from the USA, where adult films from the company I worked for were most distributed."
How did it continue?
"During these years, I traveled both for work and on my own, as I love traveling and met many interesting people, some celebrities, influencers, and gained experience on how to work on IG. Honestly, the biggest success and growth on IG came in the last two years when I stopped working in the adult industry but started dedicating more energy to Instagram, understanding how algorithms work, leveraging the experience and contacts I had gathered over the years, launched my Instagram and grew by another million followers. I write about most of the experiences, tips, and tricks on IG in my Ebook. Currently, I focus more on the Czech Republic/Slovakia, where I have more ongoing projects and companies, and can 'promote' them well."
So, what's the recipe for being a successful influencer?
"I went the trial and error route, but then I connected with people around the world who make a living through social media and they helped guide me. I learned what works well, what doesn't, and how to be successful on Instagram. You have to give people a reason to follow you, so your profile should look a certain way and be interesting. Anyone can be successful with anything, but they have to put in more effort. You have to dedicate yourself to it. Instagram is very smart and works with algorithms, the number of reactions, comments, and many other aspects for each post, not just likes. It's all interconnected, like a puzzle of information and experiences that you have to put together to be successful."
Let's go back to those adult films, which in the Czech Republic are still somewhat taboo. How did you get into that?
"Completely by chance. I don't even remember exactly how old I was, just over 20. I looked good and got offers for various photoshoots. As I said, I'm quite an extremist in life and like to try new things, but that doesn't mean I came in and said, 'I want to shoot gay porn.' Not at all. I got an offer for underwear photoshoots, agreed, and went to Prague for a casting. Then it turned into nude photos and eventually gay porn. I obviously didn't know that at first, but I quickly realized it. It's a tactic some 'scouts' use to recruit straight guys for gay porn. After the photoshoot, there's motivation in the form of a preview of traveling and living in villas, going to parties with sexy girls. Only then does one understand what it's really about. On the other hand, the company I 'got involved' with mostly had straight guys shooting gay porn; it was really just business, and the rest was about traveling, enjoying life, and money. And honestly, the group of people I met there were really cool, positive energy people, and I just went along with it at that time. People who don't see it, don't know how it works, don't understand various things, and just judge it. Many people like to judge and such, but they actually don't know what they're talking about."
Over time, you moved to the internet where people could watch you for money, asking you to do various erotic things. What did you do there?
"In general, I entertained, sang, and interacted with people, advising them on fitness. I gained a lot of fans and actually acted more as a friend or psychologist there, rather than doing anything erotic."
After half a year, you managed to become more successful, and then for a year and a half, you were among the most successful. How does one achieve that?
"There are various competitions where models can earn extra money, so the more time you spend there, the more chances you have to earn. Sometimes I squatted there for 24 hours, then went for a 20 km run, took an hour break, and went again. It was demanding, but I was making a million Czech crowns a month."
Why did you stop?
"I largely stopped online chatting because of my girlfriend, whom I met two to three years ago and with whom I have a fourteen-month-old daughter. I used to spend up to 20 hours a day on chat, which didn't fit with normal life. I wanted to settle down a bit, so I cut it off, and currently, I continue successfully on Instagram as an influencer. I also run businesses with a group of friends, distributing fitness equipment from the Kingsbox brand to the Czech Republic/Slovakia, and we can equip and design a whole gym. I actively create new content on IG, motivate people, and post about my daily workouts, life, and more. In the family business, I work on projects and serve as the financial director. And among other things, I have also invested well."
Into what?
"I once bought silver, a large house, and two apartments from the money I earned from the adult industry, and mainly online chat. I also have some cryptocurrencies, which are risky, so I only invest what I can afford to lose. People used to laugh at me because when I was making a million a month, I wore sweatpants and drove a beat-up car. I told them: First, I'll invest, and when I have passive income, then I'll enjoy the money. Last year, I treated myself to a car, I don't skimp on food or travel, but I don't feel the need to splurge on clothes or other material things."
What do your partner and parents say about your past and activities on social media?
"Naturally, my parents and partner know everything. I told my parents after some time. They weren't thrilled, but they gave me freedom in life. My girlfriend is from the same town, so she knew about it before we got together, and she accepted it somehow. She's probably just annoyed that I spend many hours on my phone and sometimes feel a bit out of touch with reality, in the virtual world. So I try to put the phone down from time to time."
