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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pennepasta12345 (talk | contribs) at 18:25, 12 February 2023 (WP:TNT draft, using previous feedback from @tipsyelephant to recreate draft with reliable sourcing and inline citations.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

  • Comment: Personally, I think the subject is probably notable. However, I would remove at least half of the current sources. For instance, I would remove the sources from YouTube, InsideRadio, military.com, thegunzone.com, wearethemighty.com, sandboxx.us/blog, cosmo.ph, darik.news, today.emerson.edu, and New York Post. A lot of these are either not reliable, don't provide in-depth coverage, or both. I find it worrying that the primary contributor to the draft was blocked, and I think between the obvious WP:REFBOMBing, the level of personal details that appear to be WP:OR, and the lack of inline citations to support various statements that the draft clearly fails WP:NPOV. I would recommend WP:TNTing the draft and starting over with the reliable sources. TipsyElephant (talk) 17:15, 4 February 2023 (UTC)
  • Comment: Needs more sources to show he's notable in his own right, that is, different in some sense from other similar people. Mattdaviesfsic (talk) 21:29, 4 January 2023 (UTC)
Jonathan B. Allen
Born
Jonathan B. Allen
EducationBachelor's degree in Philosophy
Alma materNorth Quincy High School, UMass Amherst
Occupation(s)Internet personality
Storyteller
Podcaster
United States Navy SEAL (formerly)
YouTube information
Also known asMrBallen
Channel
Genre(s)Thriller, true crime, mystery
Subscribers9.12 million Edit this at Wikidata[1]
(July 2024)
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Navy
Unit SEAL Team Two

Jonathan B. Allen (professionally known as MrBallen), is an internet personality and a former United States Navy SEAL. He is best known for his victim-oriented true crime stories and mysteries on YouTube.[2] He co-founded Ballen Studios, and the exclusive rights to his podcast MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories were licensed to Amazon Music in September 2022.[3] Allen's work is also distributed through various platforms and media channels, including YouTube, Amazon Music, and TikTok, among others.[4]

Early Life

Allen was born in Quincy, Massachusetts. He graduated from North Quincy High School in 2006. That year, he attended UMass Amherst for one semester before dropping out. He later returned to UMass Amherst and graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 2010.[5]

Career

Military service

After graduating from UMass Amherst, Allen visited a recruiting office in Quincy, Massachusetts and enlisted in the military. Allen joined SEAL Team Two in Virginia Beach in 2012. During his service, he was deployed to Afghanistan and South America. In 2014, his team was attacked in Afghanistan and a grenade hit Allen, with shrapnel impacting his hips and legs. He recovered, and in 2017, Allen medically retired from the Navy.[6]

YouTube and TikTok

Allen launched his YouTube channel in 2020 and began filming true crime and mysteries.[7] He attracts an audience of over 6 million subscribers on the platform.[8] The YouTube channel averages 40 million monthly views.[9] He was noted for his storytelling style that builds suspense throughout his videos.[10]

Allen started experimenting with TikTok the same year he started his Youtube channel in 2020. His first viral video was about nine hikers from the Ural State Technical University who were mysteriously killed in early February 1959, an event known as the Dyatlov Pass incident. The video gained 5 million views the same day it was posted, prompting him to make additional TikToks about other unsolved mysteries.[11]

In October 2022, Allen was nominated for four YouTube Streamy awards, in the creator of the year, breakout creator, and podcast categories. He received the most nominations for a first-time nominee.[12] Additionally, Allen and his nonprofit organization, MrBallen Foundation, was nominated for the creator for social good award.[13]

Podcast

In February 2022, Allen released MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories. The podcast ranked number one on Spotify’s True Crime Podcasts chart.[14] As of July 2022, the MrBallen podcast was downloaded over seven million times a month across all podcast platforms.[15]

Ballen Studios

In 2022, Allen, along with Nick Witters, opened a production company Ballen Studios, with Witters serving as the company's CEO.[16] The studio focuses on scaling existing ventures into new media forms and creating advertising streams.[17] Ballen Studios also signed with the United Talent Agency (UTA).[18]

Amazon Music Partnership

In October 2022, Allen and Nick Witters signed a licensing deal with Amazon Music to make the podcast exclusive to their platform.[19] The three-year deal also includes first-look rights to any new content from Ballen Studios, which includes TV, film, books, and games.[20]

References

  1. ^ "About MrBallen". YouTube.
  2. ^ Barbuto, Dana. "Former Navy SEAL from Quincy tells 'strange, dark, mysterious' stories on YouTube". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  3. ^ Chan, J. Clara (2022-09-27). "Amazon Music Inks Star YouTube Podcaster MrBallen to Exclusive Content Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  4. ^ "MrBallen cuts an exclusive content deal with Amazon". Tubefilter. 2022-09-29. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  5. ^ Barbuto, Dana. "Former Navy SEAL from Quincy tells 'strange, dark, mysterious' stories on YouTube". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  6. ^ Barbuto, Dana. "Former Navy SEAL from Quincy tells 'strange, dark, mysterious' stories on YouTube". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  7. ^ Barbuto, Dana. "Former Navy SEAL from Quincy tells 'strange, dark, mysterious' stories on YouTube". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  8. ^ Chan, J. Clara (2022-09-27). "Amazon Music Inks Star YouTube Podcaster MrBallen to Exclusive Content Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  9. ^ Shapiro, Ariel (2022-07-28). "MrBallen is YouTube's big podcast breakout". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  10. ^ "A treat for horror and crime genre lovers". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  11. ^ Barbuto, Dana. "Former Navy SEAL from Quincy tells 'strange, dark, mysterious' stories on YouTube". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  12. ^ Chan, J. Clara (2022-10-27). "2022 YouTube Streamy Awards: MrBeast Leads Nominations for Second Year". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  13. ^ Grein, Paul (2022-12-01). "Yung Gravy to Perform on 2022 YouTube Streamy Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  14. ^ "YouTuber Mr Ballen's podcast tops charts: Meet the ex-Navy Seal". The Focus. 2022-02-17. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  15. ^ Shapiro, Ariel (2022-07-28). "MrBallen is YouTube's big podcast breakout". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  16. ^ White, Peter (2022-09-14). "MrBallen, Former Navy SEAL Turned Breakout Podcaster, Launches Content Studio With Ex-WME Nick Witters, Signs With UTA". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  17. ^ "Ballen Studios brings in Steven Cohen as head of sales". Tubefilter. 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  18. ^ Spangler, Todd (2022-09-15). "Katy Perry's 'Elizabeth the First' Series About Elizabeth Taylor Sets Premiere Date (Podcast News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  19. ^ Spangler, Todd (2022-09-27). "MrBallen Inks Exclusive Distribution and First-Look Podcast Deal With Amazon Music". Variety. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  20. ^ Chan, J. Clara (2022-09-27). "Amazon Music Inks Star YouTube Podcaster MrBallen to Exclusive Content Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-02-03.

Category:American YouTubers Category:American TikTokers Category:American podcasters Category:United States Navy SEALs personnel Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Humanities and Fine Arts alumni

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MrBallen&oldid=1138975789"