Manner Culture

Manner Culture Ltd., also known by the Chinese name 微辣文化 and the Portuguese name Manner Cultura Lda., was a Macau-based entertainment and digital-media company. Founded in June 2013 by Sixtycents, Jacky Lei, and Nathan Lam, it developed from a small creative partnership into one of the most visible Cantonese-language online video operations associated with Macau. Its principal output consisted of short comedy videos, often lasting from several seconds to a few minutes, distributed through social networks and online video platforms. The company built its identity around everyday observations, exaggerated misunderstandings, relationship humor, workplace situations, and conversational jokes drawn from the experiences of ordinary Cantonese-speaking audiences. The founders initially experimented with music videos and rewritten-song performances. Their early production, Back then, attracted online attention but did not immediately generate advertising work, while the time and cost of producing longer videos proved difficult to sustain. After Sixtycents studied internet personalities and new-media businesses during a 2015 visit to Taiwan, Manner shifted toward compact, rapidly produced comedy clips designed to produce an immediate reaction. This strategy produced the breakthrough video When buying ice cream, don't be distracted, a nine-second McDonald's skit in which a customer distracted by her mobile phone takes the ice-cream portion from a cone. The clip spread rapidly on social media, adding tens of thousands of followers and helping establish Manner as a significant Macau-originated video brand. Following the breakthrough, Manner produced a continuing stream of short-form comedy and developed a roster of performers whose screen personas represented friends, colleagues, classmates, and family members. The company also expanded its commercial activities. Advertising became its principal source of revenue, and it produced sponsored work for brands and institutions including Alipay, the Hong Kong Police Force, and Royal Dansk. By 2018, approximately 80 percent of its advertising revenue was reported to come from Hong Kong companies or organisations. Manner distributed material through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Sina Weibo, Meipai, Miaopai, Sohu, and iQIYI. Reference material reported three billion cumulative video views and more than 3.5 million followers across its platforms by 2018, and described the company as one of Southeast Asia's largest YouTube channels. Reported revenue exceeded HKD 10 million in 2017. Manner expanded into Hong Kong in August 2018 after receiving a seven-figure investment from an undisclosed investor. The move was intended to recruit Hong Kong entertainment talent and improve access to the wider Chinese-language market. The company operated a Kwun Tong office and accommodation for Macau-based staff in Sheung Wan, while also investing in a Macau production company. It additionally tested offline extensions, including the Laji shop in Macau's Sé district, which sold branded snacks and souvenirs, and later the Manner Dai Pai Dong restaurant and Manner Store merchandise operation. The company experienced a severe reputational crisis after former manager Jane Lao died by suicide on 26 July 2023. Her public statements and suicide note alleged intimidation by management and cyberbullying by former colleagues, while Manner disputed that its employees' conduct caused her death. Several commercial partners ended relationships with the company, performers resigned, its YouTube subscriber count fell, and public criticism intensified. On 10 August 2023, Manner announced a temporary suspension of operations and told artists they could independently decide how to continue their careers during the pause. Subsequent reports described the dismantling of its office, the closure of its restaurant, and the disappearance of merchandise from its online store. The company's later operating status is not established by the supplied sources.

Manner Culture began in Macau in June 2013 as a joint venture between Sixtycents, Jacky Lei, and Nathan Lam. The founders shared an interest in filmmaking, performance, comedy, and online communication. Sixtycents had made short films during university and had also performed magic, while Lei developed skills in computer effects, directing, and editing. Lam had worked in casino marketing and later joined the creative partnership as an actor and writer. The group initially rented a small industrial-building office and relied on friends as unpaid cast and crew. Early work included music videos and songs with rewritten lyrics. Back then attracted online attention and received approximately 10,000 likes, but the production required several thousand dollars and two to three months of work. The lack of advertising income and the departure of members who needed full-time employment forced the founders to reconsider their model. During a 2015 visit to Taiwan, Sixtycents studied internet celebrities and new-media companies. He concluded that Manner needed short, inexpensive productions capable of delivering an immediate joke rather than occasional long-form films. The resulting format became the company's defining approach. When buying ice cream, don't be distracted showed a distracted customer mistakenly taking the ice cream from a cone at a Macau McDonald's. At only nine seconds, the clip was easy to share and quickly became viral. It was reportedly shared 190,000 times on Weibo, while Manner's Facebook page gained 50,000 members in one night. By 2018, the video had accumulated 2.83 million YouTube views. Its success brought advertising requests and encouraged Manner to create a broader catalogue of short comedy videos. The company used performers as recognisable character types representing familiar social roles and inner thoughts. Manner grew rapidly during the second half of the 2010s. It recruited performers and production staff, used students as part-time talent, and expanded its advertising business. In 2018, it reportedly had 40 to 50 full-time employees, in addition to part-time performers, and managed at least 12 performing artists; other descriptions refer to a roster of 31 or more artists. Its videos appeared across major social and video platforms, and reported cumulative views reached three billion by 2018. The company earned most of its income through advertising, including campaigns for Alipay, the Hong Kong Police Force, and Royal Dansk. It also developed physical and merchandise-related extensions, including the Laji shop. Hong Kong became a strategic expansion market in August 2018. Manner received a seven-figure investment from an undisclosed investor, rented a production office in Kwun Tong, and established accommodation in Sheung Wan for Macau-based employees. The expansion was intended to recruit local talent and provide better access to mainland Chinese audiences. Despite its growth, Sixtycents said the company was not pursuing a public listing simply for its own sake and prioritised operational stability. The company's later history was dominated by a crisis surrounding former manager Jane Lao. Lao had resigned in 2021 after a difficult relationship with Manner and later described mental-health effects and online harassment. A separate dispute reportedly arose over sponsorships in early 2022. Lao died by suicide on 26 July 2023. Her suicide note alleged intimidation by management and cyberbullying by Manner colleagues. Manner stated that her death was not caused by the conduct of its employees and postponed a planned anniversary event, but its response was criticised as defensive and inauthentic. Brands withdrew, artists Jeffrey Fok and Witness Kou resigned, and the company's YouTube subscribers declined from 751,000 before Lao's death to 695,000 by 31 July. Manner announced a temporary operational suspension on 10 August 2023. It notified its landlord about ending its office lease, and by September photographs showed the office emptied and dismantled. By October, the Manner Dai Pai Dong restaurant had closed and the Manner Store no longer offered merchandise. Reports also described difficulty meeting debts, although the supplied material does not establish whether the company legally dissolved or resumed operations.

• 2023

  Temporary suspension after reputational crisis

  [1]Manner Cultureen.wikipedia.org

  Following the death of former manager Jane Lao and resulting criticism, Manner pauses operations in August.

• 2018

  Hong Kong expansion

  [1]Manner Cultureen.wikipedia.org

  Manner opens a Hong Kong operation with undisclosed seven-figure investment.

• 2015

  Shift toward short-form online comedy

  [1]Manner Cultureen.wikipedia.org

  After studying internet-media businesses in Taiwan, Sixtycents redirects the company toward brief, rapidly produced comedy clips.

• 2013

  Manner Culture founded in Macau

  [1]Manner Cultureen.wikipedia.org

  Sixtycents, Jacky Lei, and Nathan Lam establish the entertainment company.

• Breakthrough viral video

  [1]Manner Cultureen.wikipedia.org

  When buying ice cream, don't be distracted becomes Manner's breakthrough online video.

A Macau-rooted Cantonese digital-entertainment company using highly shareable everyday comedy to connect audiences with performers, brands, and institutions across the Chinese-speaking market.

• Digital entertainment · 2013

  Short-form comedy videos

  Manner's core product was a catalogue of short Cantonese comedy videos, ranging from a few seconds to several minutes. The sketches used recognisable everyday situations, quick reversals, visual misunderstandings, and character-based humor. They were designed for rapid circulation on social networks and online video platforms rather than for theatrical or television distribution.

• Advertising and branded content

  Sponsored branded videos

  Advertising was Manner's main commercial activity. The company integrated sponsors into comedic videos and produced work for commercial brands and public institutions, including Alipay, the Hong Kong Police Force, and Royal Dansk. The format allowed advertisers to reach Manner's Cantonese-speaking online audience through entertainment-led storytelling.

• Retail

  Laji

  Laji was a physical shop in Sé, Macau, offering Manner-branded snacks and souvenirs. It represented an attempt to extend the digital brand into an offline retail experience and to give fans a place to purchase products associated with the company's performers and content.

• Food service

  Manner Dai Pai Dong

  Manner Dai Pai Dong was a restaurant or food-service extension carrying the Manner name. It formed part of the company's diversification beyond video and advertising, but reference material reports that it had closed by October 2023.

• E-commerce and merchandise

  Manner Store

  Manner Store was the company's online merchandise operation. It offered Manner-related products and was part of the brand's effort to monetise its fan community beyond advertising. Reference material states that merchandise was no longer available through the store by October 2023.

• 2023

  Jane Lao suicide and allegations of workplace intimidation and cyberbullying

  Former manager Jane Lao died by suicide after publicly discussing depression, social anxiety, and online abuse. Her suicide note alleged intimidation by Manner management and cyberbullying by former colleagues. Manner denied that employee conduct caused her death, but its response drew significant criticism.

  Source

Read more

• 2019Malaysia film promotion

  Malaysia

  Manner employees returned to Malaysia to promote a film.

  Outcome. The activity supported the company's regional audience-building strategy.

  Source
• 2018Manner Malaysia fan meetup

  Malaysia

  Manner employees travelled to Kuala Lumpur for a fan meetup attended by approximately 2,000 people.

  Outcome. The event demonstrated the company's reach beyond Macau and Hong Kong.

  Source
• When buying ice cream, don't be distracted

  Macau · Hong Kong · Taiwan

  A nine-second comedic video set in a Macau McDonald's became Manner's breakthrough viral work and demonstrated the reach of its short-form format.

  Outcome. The video generated substantial sharing, rapid follower growth, and the first significant wave of advertising interest.

  Source
• Sponsored campaigns for brands and institutions

  Macau · Hong Kong

  Manner produced branded videos for Alipay, the Hong Kong Police Force, Royal Dansk, and other advertisers.

  Outcome. Advertising became the company's primary revenue source.

  Source

• 2023

  Temporarily suspend operationsStrategy

  Background

  The decision followed the public controversy surrounding Jane Lao's death, partner withdrawals, performer resignations, and falling audience numbers.

  Action taken

  Manner paused new content and allowed artists to decide independently how to continue their careers during the suspension.

  Aftermath

  The office was dismantled, the restaurant closed, and merchandise reportedly disappeared from the online store. Whether the company later resumed operations is unclear.

  Source

• 2018

  Expand into Hong KongStrategy

  Background

  Manner sought additional entertainment talent and improved access to the broader Chinese-language market.

  Action taken

  The company established a Hong Kong operation after receiving investment from an undisclosed investor.

  Aftermath

  Manner operated offices and employee accommodation in Hong Kong and increased its regional commercial focus.

  Source

• 2015

  Adopt short-form comedy as the core formatStrategy

  Background

  Longer music-video productions were expensive, time-consuming, and had not produced sufficient advertising demand.

  Action taken

  Manner shifted toward short clips capable of delivering an immediate joke and being distributed widely online.

  Aftermath

  The format led to the company's breakthrough viral video and subsequent advertising growth.

  Source

1. 1Manner Cultureen.wikipedia.org