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MrBallen
Born
Jonathan Bartlett Allen

(1988-10-01) October 1, 1988 (age 36)
Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationBachelor's degree in Philosophy
Alma materNorth Quincy High School, UMass Amherst
Occupation(s)Internet personality
Storyteller
Podcaster
US Navy SEAL (formerly)
Known forStorytelling, charity work, military service (discharged)
YouTube information
Also known asMrBallen
Channel
Genre(s)true crime, mystery , horror, thriller
Subscribers9.63 million Edit this at Wikidata[1]
(December 2024)
Military career
Service / branch United States Navy
Unit SEAL Team Two

Jonathan Bartlett Allen (born October 1, 1988), known professionally as MrBallen, is an American 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] However, as of February 2024, the podcast is freely available across multiple platforms including YouTube, Amazon Music, TikTok, and Spotify, among others.[4]

Early life

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Allen was born in Quincy, Massachusetts to his parents Jessie Thuma and Scott Allen, a reporter and editor with The Boston Globe.[5] 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.[2]

Personal life

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He was raised Catholic[6] and met his wife, Amanda, in college.[2][7] He is the father of three children.[2] His mother is involved in his content creation.[citation needed]

Allen mentioned in an autobiographical video that his family put academic pressure on him and highly values academic achievement.

Allen's sister Evan Allen was a reporter for the Boston Globe who won a 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.[7] She left the Globe in December 2023 to become the full-time Head of Ballen Studios.[8]

Career

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Military service

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After graduating from the UMass Amherst, Allen visited a recruiting office in Quincy, Massachusetts and enlisted in the United States Navy, intending to become a Navy SEAL. Allen joined the SEAL Team Two in Virginia Beach in 2012. During his service, he was deployed to Afghanistan and later South America. In 2014, his team was attacked in Afghanistan and a grenade hit Allen, with shrapnel impacting his hips, and legs. He was medically retired from the Navy in 2017.[2]

YouTube and TikTok

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Allen launched his YouTube channel in 2020 and began filming true crime and mysteries.[2] He attracts an audience of over 9 million subscribers on the platform.[3] 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 the Dyatlov Group. The video gained 5 million views the same day it was posted, prompting him to make additional TikToks about other unsolved mysteries.[2]

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.[11] Additionally, Allen and his nonprofit organization, MrBallen Foundation, was nominated for the creator for Social Good Award.[12]

Podcast

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In February 2022, Allen released MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories. The podcast ranked number one on Spotify's True Crime Podcasts chart.[13] As of July 2022, the MrBallen podcast was downloaded over seven million times a month across all podcast platforms.[9]

Ballen Studios

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In 2022, Allen along with Nick Witters, opened a production company Ballen Studios,[14] with Witters serving as the company's CEO.[15] The studio focuses on scaling existing ventures into new media forms and creating advertising streams.[16] Ballen Studios also signed with the United Talent Agency (UTA).[17]

Amazon Music Partnership

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In October 2022, Allen and Nick Witters signed a licensing deal with Amazon Music to make the podcast exclusive to their platform.[18] The three-year deal also included first-look rights to any new content from Ballen Studios, which includes TV, Film, Books, and Games.[3]

MrBallen Foundation

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In 2022, Allen founded the charity organization "MrBallen Foundation" with the mission of honoring victims and supporting families of heinous crimes through education, training and financial support.[19]

MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries

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In September 2023, Allen released “MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries”, a podcast that shares medical horror stories and diagnostic mysteries that are designed to be intriguing and chilling. It covers a range of topics from unheard-of diseases and miraculous recoveries to strange medical mishaps and unexplainable deaths. “MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries” is available on platforms like Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. New episodes are published every Tuesday.[20][21]

References

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  1. ^ "About MrBallen". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barbuto, Dana. "Former Navy SEAL from Quincy tells 'strange, dark, mysterious' stories delivered in story format on YouTube". The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Chan, J. Clara (September 27, 2022). "Amazon Music Inks Star YouTube Podcaster MrBallen to Exclusive Content Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "MrBallen cuts an exclusive content deal with Amazon". Tubefilter. September 29, 2022. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  5. ^ "A top Globe editor moves on". Media Nation. May 19, 2023.
  6. ^ MrBallen - Navy SEAL Turned Content Creator | SRS #104. Retrieved April 23, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ a b From Navy SEAL to SCARY YouTuber | The MrBallen story on YouTube
  8. ^ Kennedy, Dan (December 5, 2023). "Evan Allen, a Pulitzer winner and lead writer on the Globe's Stuart series, is leaving". Media Nation. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Shapiro, Ariel (July 28, 2022). "MrBallen is YouTube's big podcast breakout". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  10. ^ "A treat for horror and crime genre lovers". www.telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Chan, J. Clara (October 27, 2022). "2022 YouTube Streamy Awards: MrBeast Leads Nominations for Second Year". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  12. ^ Grein, Paul (December 1, 2022). "Yung Gravy to Perform on 2022 YouTube Streamy Awards". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  13. ^ "YouTuber Mr Ballen's podcast tops charts: Meet the ex-Navy Seal". The Focus. February 17, 2022. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  14. ^ "BALLENSTUDIOS™". ballenstudios.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  15. ^ White, Peter (September 14, 2022). "MrBallen, Former Navy SEAL Turned Breakout Podcaster, Launches Content Studio With Ex-WME Nick Witters, Signs With UTA". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  16. ^ "Ballen Studios brings in Steven Cohen as head of sales". Tubefilter. July 28, 2022. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  17. ^ Spangler, Todd (September 15, 2022). "Katy Perry's 'Elizabeth the First' Series About Elizabeth Taylor Sets Premiere Date (Podcast News Roundup)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  18. ^ Spangler, Todd (September 27, 2022). "MrBallen Inks Exclusive Distribution and First-Look Podcast Deal With Amazon Music". Variety. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  19. ^ "About MrBallen – MrBallen Foundation". MrBallen Foundation. June 10, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  20. ^ "MrBallen's Medical Mysteries". Spotify. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  21. ^ "MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. January 30, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
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