[4] Before subsequently embarking on an acting career, he appeared in a number of films and television programs, such as the 2014 Disney Channel original movie Cloud 9, in which he played Nick Swift, Hawaii Five-0, Love Is All You Need?

[18] He started acting in high school in productions of And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson and Oliver!, based on the classic Charles Dickens story.

[19] He was described in his MTV biography as "the typical jock...a star athlete, prom king, popular with all the girls...an all around golden child from a Christian family.

"[20] As an actor, Manning is best known for his role in the Disney Channel original movie Cloud 9, centered around competitive snowboarding, with a premiere date of January 17, 2014.

[25] Manning appeared in "Party Crasher", November 5, 2012 episode of Disney XD's Crash & Bernstein, playing the Australian boyfriend of the lead female Amanda.

[33] On January 25, 2022, it was announced that Manning joined the cast of the final season of NBC's This Is Us, in the recurring role as the actor who takes over for Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley) on The Manny.

[20] Manning explained in the season premiere that he attended church every Sunday, through which he hoped to bond with his castmate and fellow churchgoer, Ashley Lindley.

[15][48] During The Real World: Washington D.C. Reunion, which premiered on March 31, 2010, following the season finale, Manning indicated he was attending Bible study, and had recently acquired a job as a host on a TV show.

The film stars actors Wyatt Russell, Alex Karpovsky and Melanie Lynskey, and centers around a story about two best friends, one being a struggling comedian and the other being a successful singer-songwriter.

[50][51] The Chhibber Mann Production company website says that its mission is to create content "to connect audiences with entertainment that matters," projects with an aspect of positive social change.

The film sheds light on controversial behavior modification methods used on children, sent there by their parents, at an Evangelical Christian reform school "Escuela Caribe" located in the Dominican Republic.

[55] Promotional materials for the film, including the website, contain a push for the passage of the U.S. Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2013.

[56] Manning only became involved with the film because of his friendship with the main protagonist, and he is now working to produce another documentary with Kidnapped for Christ director Kate Logan entitled "An Act of Love," the story of Reverend Frank Schaefer being defrocked by the United Methodist Church.

[66] At the Daytime Emmy Awards in June 2021, Manning mentioned during his acceptance speech that he was married, but did not share the name of his husband, who works in the finance industry, for reasons of privacy.