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NELK
Personal information
OriginMississauga, Ontario, Canada
OccupationOnline Entertainment
Websitewww.fullsend.com
YouTube information
Channel
LocationNewport Beach, California
Years active2010–present
Genre(s)Pranks, lifestyle
Subscribers6.85 million[1][2]
Total views1.036 billion[1][2]
NetworkFull Send Entertainment
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: March 23, 2021

Nelk, (stylized as NELK), also referred to as the Nelk Boys,[3][4][5] is a Canadian YouTube channel and entertainment company.

They are known for their prank videos, vlogs, and their brand Full Send Entertainment.[6] The Toronto Star referred to the group's founders, Kyle Forgeard and Jesse Sebastiani, as "two of the most recognizable personalities for young people in North America".[7]

In 2020, Nelk hired John Shahidi as President of Full Send to help operate their business.[8]

Content and brand

Nelk's videos, in addition to pranks, are themed around North American college culture. The group's videos combine vlogs of their party lifestyle with footage of their actual pranks.

Nelk is known for creating the brand "Full Send" (stylized as FULL SEND).[9] The brand name refers to partying and living life without thinking about the consequences.[10] The phrase is constantly repeated throughout the group's videos, and it is often displayed on their merchandise.[11] The group has also coined a number of other slang terms, including "Rona Season," a reference to the group's constant consumption of Corona beer. Sebastiani has referred to the group's trademark words as "Canadian-influenced slang".[12]

In 2021, Nelk began selling their own brand of hard seltzer called "Happy Dad."[13] Nelk's hard seltzer became available in a variety of stores in California and 30 states online on June 14, 2021.

Members

Current and recurring members include Kyle Forgeard, Stephen Deleonardis, Lucas Gasparini, Salim Sirur, and "Jimmy Gambles" (Arthur Kulik).[14] Canadian filmmaker Austin Ermes is NELK's Director of Content.[15][16] The members of the group, along with some of their filmers and staff members, reside in Newport Beach, California.[17] The group previously resided in Ontario, Canada, and Los Angeles.[18]

Jesse Sebastiani, prior to joining NELK, was known for his self-published documentary, Saved by the Status,[19] and his role in the MTV show Careless Teens.[20] Years after joining the group, he expressed his displeasure with his and the group's lifestyle. In a tweet posted on January 29, 2020, he wrote, "I hate fame... I've lost almost everything I use to love about life".[21] He eventually became less active in NELK videos, and in late 2020, he began primarily working on the Full Send brand. However, In an interview with Bootleg Kev in March 2021, he mentioned that he would “eventually” return to Nelk.[22]

Former members of the group include Niko and Marko Martinovic, and Jason Pagaduan. Niko and Marko, who are twins, were members of Nelk in the early development, but left in 2015 to pursue YouTube independently. Gasparini left in 2017 citing concerns of his association with the channel's content, which consisted of public misconduct which would affect his career outlook, as well as the pursuit of educational studies as a plumber.[23] He then returned in 2021 joining the rest of the team in Los Angeles.[24] Pagaduan, who was known by his Instagram handle "905shooter" or simply "9-0," was withdrawn from the group in October 2019 for behavioral misconduct from sexual harassment allegations stemming from Pagaduan sending direct messages of a graphic and sexual nature to fans, and for allegedly slacking off on work assigned to him by Forgeard.[25]

History

In 2010, Forgeard created the YouTube channel, at the time called NelkFilmz, along with other founding members Niko and Marko Martinovic, and Lucas Gasparini.[23] In 2014, Forgeard met Jesse Sebastiani at an MTV Canada conference, who would soon after become a prominent member of the group.[3]

In January 2015, Nelk posted a video titled "Coke Prank On Cops" in which they told police officers in Los Angeles that they had "coke" in the back of the car, leading the officers to think that they were referring to cocaine when in reality they were referring to Coca-Cola. In May 2016, the video became a subject of controversy.[26] The group received a warning, and the Los Angeles Police Department released a statement informing the public that the prank was illegal and warning potential copycat pranksters against doing so.[6] The video has received 44 million views and is currently their most viewed, having almost three times as many views as their second-most viewed video.

In June 2017, it was announced that Gasparini had left because he no longer wanted to pursue Nelk as a full-time career.[27] He re-joined later in 2021.

In January 2019, Sebastiani was arrested during a prank in which he walked into a Barnes & Noble store with fake blood smeared on a white jumpsuit and asked workers for books on covering up a crime scene. He was charged by Columbus, Ohio police department, and found guilty of disorderly conduct in the Ohio Court of Common Pleas.[20]

In May 2019, Stephen Deleonardis joined Nelk after being discovered by Forgeard for his drinking and smoking challenge videos.[citation needed]

In August 2019, Nelk participated in a "spin the globe challenge", and ended up in Europe. In Ireland, Nelk planned a meetup in a public park, but failed to notify the local police. The meetup got out of control, with large mobs of fans swarming the area in an unsafe manner, causing the meetup to be cut short.[28] Afterward, Jason Pagaduan was removed from the group. In February 2020, Nelk moved into a residence in Los Angeles, California which they refer to as the "Full Send House". Salim Sirur and Cousin Jay also joined Nelk at this time.[citation needed]

In May 2020, Forgeard, Deleonardis, Sirur, along with several other members were arrested for disturbing the peace while filming a prank at a Target store in Mississippi. They were later released on bond.[29]

In September 2020, the police department in Normal, Illinois announced an investigation into Nelk after they hosted a flash mob of about 200 people on-campus at Illinois State University in violation of COVID-19 regulations.[30] Following this, YouTube announced a decision to totally demonitize the Nelk YouTube account in addition to most of their specific videos, so that no money could be earned from YouTube on the account whatsoever. They attributed the decision to the platform's Creator Responsibility Policy, which mandates that creators do not engage in “on- and/or off-platform behavior [that] harms our users, community, employees or ecosystem," claiming that Nelk had harmed YouTube users by hosting a group of people and thereby violating COVID-19 regulations.[31] Chris Koos, the town's mayor, also stated that he intends to pursue legal action against Nelk.[32] A week later, police in Seaside Heights, New Jersey broke up a gathering of about 1,500 people at a house being rented by Nelk, which violated New Jersey's COVID-19 restrictions. Nelk, despite no intentions to draw a crowd, was eventually kicked out of the house by the landlord and 8 fans were arrested.[32] Governor Phil Murphy called the event "knucklehead behavior".[33][34]

In October 2020, Nelk members Forgeard, Deleonardis, and Sirur traveled overseas to Abu Dhabi. Later the same month, members met with former President Donald Trump on Air Force One during one of his 2020 presidential election rallies. [35] They also seen danced to the "Y.M.C.A." song with President Trump onstage following his rally.[36] They met Trump again in July 2021 at UFC 264.

In November 2020, it was announced on a Logan Paul podcast that Nelk had hired John Shahidi as president of Full Send Entertainment and Nelk, Inc.

Also in January 2021, after ample speculation from fans, it was officially revealed that Sebastiani was taking a break from appearing in Nelk's main videos and participating in pranks. Instead, he moved to working behind-the-scenes within the Full Send brand, and started a new mini-series called "Shithole" on Full Send's separate YouTube channel to document his new lifestyle.[37] Forgeard revealed in a Twitch livestream, "We’ve been doing this a long time, we’ve done a lot of pranks, we’ve pretty much done everything, and I think Jesse’s kind of just burnt out".[38]

On February 1, 2021, Nelk uploaded a variation of their well-known “Coke Prank on Cops“, this time performed in Colombia.[39] Sirur was briefly detained by the Medellín police with no explanation, but later let go.

On March 23, 2021, Nelk was unable to upload a video due to suggestions by their attorney in relation to an arrest warrant filed against Forgeard in Texas.[40]

On March 31, 2021, CBS reported that Nelk was responsible for a series of physical assaults at a group meet in Fort Worth, Texas on March 15.[41]

On May 31, 2021, Nelk revealed their own brand of hard seltzer called "Happy Dad". The beverage became available for purchase on June 14, 2021 in select US states, and is expanding to other locations over time.[42] Happy Dad Seltzer is produced and packaged at Minhas Breweries & Distillery in Monroe, WI.[13][43]

References

  1. ^ a b https://www.youtube.com/user/NelkFilmz/about.
  2. ^ a b "About NELK". YouTube.
  3. ^ a b "Who are the NELK boys? -". couchguysports.com. June 19, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  4. ^ "NELK Boys' Kyle Forgeard arrested for latest YouTube prank". Dexerto. April 22, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  5. ^ "These Popular YouTubers Are Being Investigated For Allegedly Throwing College Parties And Encouraging Students To Ignore COVID Safety". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Del Ray, Marina (January 13, 2015). "LAPD Not Laughing Over Pranksters' Viral 'Coke' Gag On Officers". CBS. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Fraser, Ted (August 10, 2020). "Canadian pranksters Nelk have millions of young followers. Their 'dangerous' decision to party during the pandemic is good for business". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  8. ^ "Logan Paul Says His 'Maverick' Merch Brand Made Between $30 and $40 Million in Its First Year". September 14, 2020.
  9. ^ McBride, Jessica (October 15, 2019). "Nelk Boys 'Part Ways' With 905Shooter, Jason Pagaduan". Heavy. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  10. ^ Bennet, Connor (August 10, 2019). "Youtubers Nelk Boys Give Update After Being Held by German Police". Dexerto. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  11. ^ "Full Send merchandise". Full Send Entertainment. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  12. ^ Heck, Alexandra (July 22, 2019). "'It was a wake-up call': Shelburne's Jesse Sebastiani on the YouTube prank that landed him in jail". Orangeville.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Edgy Prank Channel Nelk Launches 'Happy Dad' Hard Seltzer Brand". Tubefilter. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Mustafa, Filiz (October 29, 2020). "Celebs react to Donald Trump and Nelk Boys' video – "the funniest crossover in internet history"". HITC. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "How Filmmaker Austin Ermes of NELK Boys Fame Got His Start". International Business Times. December 4, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  16. ^ Litman, Paul (December 13, 2020). "Nelk Boys Take Their Success to New Heights Thanks to Videographer Austin". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  17. ^ Bowling in Other People's Lanes!, retrieved March 21, 2021
  18. ^ AffiliateLabz (February 8, 2020). "Nelk Boys New Full Send House They Just Moved Into Is Huge". Famous Celebrity Homes. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  19. ^ "Saved by the Status: across Canada in 100 days (exclusive)". BZ Film. February 17, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Halliday, Chris (January 11, 2019). "Shelburne prankster, NELK Boys YouTube star found guilty of amended charge in U.S. court". Orangeville.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  21. ^ Glaze, Virginia (January 29, 2020). "NELK Boys' Jesse Sebastiani explains why he "hates" being YouTube famous". Dexerto. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  22. ^ "Nelk Boys' Kyle Forgeard explains why Jesse Sebastiani disappeared from their videos". Dexerto. January 1, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  23. ^ a b Lloydi, Baloydi. "What/Who is NELK?". Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  24. ^ Pretending to be an Amazon Delivery Driver!, retrieved March 10, 2021
  25. ^ "NELK Boys reveal "creepy" behavior that made them fire editor 905 Shooter". Dexerto. December 2, 2019.
  26. ^ Rogers, Katie (May 19, 2016). "When YouTube Pranks Break the Law". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ^ "The Demonetized Nelk Boys Are Worth An Estimated $20 Million. Here's Why". Teen Blurb. September 25, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
  28. ^ O'Callaghan, Gavin (September 9, 2019). "Gardai speak to famous Youtube pranksters 'The Nelk Boys' after hundreds turn up to Phoenix Park meet up". Dublin Live. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  29. ^ "NELK on Instagram: "Its Jesse boys. Im out and good but the boys just got arrested. Keep you guys updated as soon as i know more #FREENELK"". Instagram. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  30. ^ "Watch now: NELK Boys parties could bring consequences for Illinois State University students". The Pantagraph. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  31. ^ Gstalter, Morgan (September 12, 2020). "YouTube stars' account demonetized after they are accused of throwing parties amid pandemic". The Hill. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  32. ^ a b "8 Arrested As YouTube Stars' Fans Get Unruly In Seaside Heights". Patch. September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  33. ^ Yates, Toni (September 16, 2020). "Arrests made after police break up large party outside 'Jersey Shore' house". ABC News. 6ABC Philadelphia. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  34. ^ "Murphy criticizes YouTube stars for 'Jersey Shore' gathering". Concho Valley Homepage. AP. September 16, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  35. ^ Nolan, Emma (November 3, 2020). "NELK Boys and Donald Trump meet on Air Force One in viral YouTube video". Newsweek. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  36. ^ Page, Sam (October 23, 2020), "Donald Trump and the Potency of his Assemblage", Political Landscapes of Donald Trump, Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, 2020.: Routledge, pp. 180–192, doi:10.4324/9780429242670-12, ISBN 978-0-429-24267-0, retrieved November 3, 2020{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  37. ^ Nelk. "Why Jesse Stopped Filming NELK."{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  38. ^ "Nelk Boys' Kyle Forgeard explains why Jesse Sebastiani disappeared from their videos". Dexerto. January 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  39. ^ "Nelk Boys Are Doing The Famous Coke Prank Again But This Time In Medellín, Colombia! What Will The Police Do?". Pro Sports Extra |. January 22, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  40. ^ "Nelk Boys' Kyle Forgeard Has Warrant Issued In Texas". Pro Sports Extra. March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  41. ^ "4 Suspects Sought for Assault at Nelk Boys Meetup in Fort Worth, Police Say". April 2021.
  42. ^ "Where to buy the Happy Dad seltzer? Price and release date explored". The Focus. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  43. ^ "We Made Our Own NELK Alcohol!". youtube.com. June 2, 2021. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
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