MrBallen
{{Short description|American internet personality and former Navy SEAL (born 1988)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| name = MrBallen
| birth_name = Jonathan Bartlett Allen
| birth_place = {{Birth date and age|1988|10|1|mf=yes}}
Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S.
| education = Bachelor's degree in Philosophy
| alma_mater = North Quincy High School
UMass Amherst (did not graduate)
| occupation = Internet personality
Storyteller
Podcaster
US Navy SEAL (formerly)
| known_for = Storytelling, charity work, military service (discharged)
| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality|embed=yes
| channel_handle = MrBallen
| genre = {{hlist|True crime|mystery|horror|thriller}}
}}
| module2 = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| branch = {{Navy|United States}}
| unit = 25px 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.{{Cite web |last=Barbuto |first=Dana |title=Former Navy SEAL from Quincy tells 'strange, dark, mysterious' stories delivered in story format on YouTube |url=https://www.patriotledger.com/story/entertainment/2021/12/13/mrballen-ex-navy-seal-turned-storyteller-quincy-youtube-star/6407777001/ |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=The Patriot Ledger |language=en-US |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107170143/https://www.patriotledger.com/story/entertainment/2021/12/13/mrballen-ex-navy-seal-turned-storyteller-quincy-youtube-star/6407777001/ |url-status=live }} 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.{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=J. Clara |date=September 27, 2022 |title=Amazon Music Inks Star YouTube Podcaster MrBallen to Exclusive Content Deal |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/amazon-music-mrballen-1235227717/ |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127183123/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/amazon-music-mrballen-1235227717/ |url-status=live }} However, as of February 2024, the podcast is freely available across multiple platforms including YouTube, Amazon Music, TikTok, and Spotify, among others.{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2022 |title=MrBallen cuts an exclusive content deal with Amazon |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/09/28/mrballen-amazon-deal/ |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=Tubefilter |language=en-US |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212204027/https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/09/28/mrballen-amazon-deal/ |url-status=live }}
Early life
Allen was born in Quincy, Massachusetts to Jessie Thuma and Scott Allen, a reporter and editor with The Boston Globe.{{cite news | url=https://dankennedy.net/2023/05/19/a-top-globe-editor-moves-on/ | title=A top Globe editor moves on | work=Media Nation | date=May 19, 2023 }} 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.
Personal life
He was raised Catholic{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjQzuqmHNAY |title=MrBallen - Navy SEAL Turned Content Creator {{!}} SRS #104 |language=en |access-date=2024-04-23 |via=www.youtube.com}} and met his wife, Amanda, in college.{{YouTube |id=TpbqUUsgED0 |title=
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. She left the Globe in December 2023 to become the full-time Head of Ballen Studios.{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Dan |date=December 5, 2023 |title=Evan Allen, a Pulitzer winner and lead writer on the Globe's Stuart series, is leaving |url=https://dankennedy.net/2023/12/05/evan-allen-a-pulitzer-winner-and-lead-writer-on-the-globes-stuart-series-is-leaving/ |access-date=June 20, 2024 |website=Media Nation}}
Career
= Military service =
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.
= YouTube and TikTok =
Allen launched his YouTube channel in 2020 and began filming true crime and mysteries. He attracts an audience of over nine million subscribers on the platform. The YouTube channel averages 40 million monthly views.{{Cite web |last=Shapiro |first=Ariel |date=July 28, 2022 |title=MrBallen is YouTube's big podcast breakout |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/28/23282464/podcast-mrballen-spotify-youtube-apple-rogan |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=The Verge |language=en-US |archive-date=February 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209030825/https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/28/23282464/podcast-mrballen-spotify-youtube-apple-rogan |url-status=live }} He was noted for his storytelling style that builds suspense throughout his videos.{{Cite news |title=A treat for horror and crime genre lovers |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/chilling-true-crime-channels-and-podcasts-with-unique-narration-style/cid/1850472 |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=www.telegraphindia.com |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203223920/https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/chilling-true-crime-channels-and-podcasts-with-unique-narration-style/cid/1850472 |url-status=live }}
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 five million views the same day it was posted, prompting him to make additional TikToks about other unsolved mysteries.
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.{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=J. Clara |date=October 27, 2022 |title=2022 YouTube Streamy Awards: MrBeast Leads Nominations for Second Year |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/2022-youtube-streamy-awards-nominees-1235249597/ |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=November 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106183444/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/2022-youtube-streamy-awards-nominees-1235249597/ |url-status=live }} Additionally, Allen and his nonprofit organization, MrBallen Foundation, was nominated for the Creator for Social Good Award.{{Cite magazine |last=Grein |first=Paul |date=December 1, 2022 |title=Yung Gravy to Perform on 2022 YouTube Streamy Awards |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/yung-gravy-to-perform-2022-youtube-streamy-awards-1235179750/ |access-date=February 3, 2023 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203223918/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/yung-gravy-to-perform-2022-youtube-streamy-awards-1235179750/ |url-status=live }}
= Podcast =
In February 2022, Allen released MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories. The podcast ranked number one on Spotify's True Crime Podcasts chart.{{Cite web |date=February 17, 2022 |title=YouTuber Mr Ballen's podcast tops charts: Meet the ex-Navy Seal |url=https://www.thefocus.news/celebrity/mr-ballen-podcast/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107183705/https://www.thefocus.news/celebrity/mr-ballen-podcast/ |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=The Focus |language=en-GB}} As of July 2022, the MrBallen podcast was downloaded over seven million times a month across all podcast platforms.
= Ballen Studios =
In 2022, Allen along with Nick Witters, opened a production company Ballen Studios,{{Cite web |title=BALLENSTUDIOS™ |url=https://ballenstudios.com/ |access-date=2023-05-24 |website=ballenstudios.com |language=en}} with Witters serving as the company's CEO.{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=September 14, 2022 |title=MrBallen, Former Navy SEAL Turned Breakout Podcaster, Launches Content Studio With Ex-WME Nick Witters, Signs With UTA |url=https://deadline.com/2022/09/mrballen-former-navy-seal-turned-breakout-podcaster-launches-content-studio-1235118632/ |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=January 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120171746/https://deadline.com/2022/09/mrballen-former-navy-seal-turned-breakout-podcaster-launches-content-studio-1235118632/ |url-status=live }} The studio focuses on scaling existing ventures into new media forms and creating advertising streams.{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2022 |title=Ballen Studios brings in Steven Cohen as head of sales |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/07/28/mrballen-productions-steven-cohen/ |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=Tubefilter |language=en-US |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204001506/https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/07/28/mrballen-productions-steven-cohen/ |url-status=live }} Ballen Studios also signed with the United Talent Agency (UTA).{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=September 15, 2022 |title=Katy Perry's 'Elizabeth the First' Series About Elizabeth Taylor Sets Premiere Date (Podcast News Roundup) |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/katy-perry-elizabeth-taylor-podcast-premiere-date-news-roundup-1235373606/ |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=February 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230212182510/https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/katy-perry-elizabeth-taylor-podcast-premiere-date-news-roundup-1235373606/ |url-status=live }}
= 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.{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=September 27, 2022 |title=MrBallen Inks Exclusive Distribution and First-Look Podcast Deal With Amazon Music |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/mrballen-amazon-music-exclusive-distribution-first-look-podcast-1235385099/ |access-date=February 12, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107182204/https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/mrballen-amazon-music-exclusive-distribution-first-look-podcast-1235385099/ |url-status=live }} The three-year deal also included first-look rights to any new content from Ballen Studios, which includes TV, Film, Books, and Games.
= MrBallen Foundation =
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.{{cite news |title=About MrBallen – MrBallen Foundation |url=https://mrballen.foundation/about/ |website=MrBallen Foundation |access-date=19 September 2023 |date=10 June 2022}}
= MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries =
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.{{Cite web |title=MrBallen's Medical Mysteries |url=https://open.spotify.com/show/4xbtcL7QjdAnQ6WgOeCQS4 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=Spotify |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-01-30 |title=MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mrballens-medical-mysteries/id1709741912 |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=Apple Podcasts |language=en-US}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Portal|Biography|United States}}
External links
- {{YouTube|c=UCtPrkXdtCM5DACLufB9jbsA}}
Category:American crime 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
Category:People from Quincy, Massachusetts