So today we have a very special and very unique episode for you guys. So if you don't remember, last year on October 20th, 2023, I did my first ever live show to a real audience, 1,300 people at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas. I was absolutely terrified before I went on stage. But my goodness, it was like one of the best experiences of my life. And if you were there, thank you for being there. You're amazing. It was such an amazing time. I'm so glad I got to meet so many of you. But critically, we were actually filming a documentary right around this time about me becoming Mr. Ballin, and it was about basically my journey from the TikTok days to YouTube and podcasting. And then we capped off the documentary by including footage from this live show. And so right now, we're going to premiere that documentary that we're so proud of. Only a handful of people have seen this, and so this is a big deal. This is a really cool thing. We hope you enjoy it. But also, stick around till the end of this documentary because we have quite possibly be the biggest announcement ever out of the Strange, dark, and mysterious universe.

It's the biggest one yet. I think you're going to be really excited about it. And hint, hint, it's alluded to throughout the documentary what the announcement is going to be. But before we get into this amazing documentary and big announcement at the end. If you're a fan of the Strange, dark, and mysterious delivered in story format, then you've come to the right place because that's all we do, and we upload once a week. So if that's of interest to you, on the hottest day of the year, offer to give the like button a ride to work. When they get in your car, blast the heat on full and refuse to stop. Even though it hurts you, it hurts them too. Also, please subscribe to our channel and turn on all notifications so you don't miss any of our weekly uploads. Okay, let's get into the world premiere of the documentary Becoming Mr. Balin. Enjoy.

Hi, my name is John Allen. I am better known as Mr. Balin Online, and I would say that I am a professional storyteller.

Your ability to story Tell is impeccable. Some of the stories that you pick, I just think it screws with my mind a little bit. All their tents have been slashed open, but from the inside, and in Inside the tents was all their gear. You are the channel that I binge, told my mom about, she binges it, told my brother about, he binges it.

My comfort zone is literally being a storytelling note. Can't wait to see you ride tonight. Paramount. Well, future you. I hope the show went incredibly Well, I hope that you got to enjoy being on stage and got to really just be in the moment. I'm very nervous, but I'm very excited. So we'll see. We'll see how it goes. I grew up in a town called Quincy, Massachusetts. It's just south of Boston, Massachusetts. My mother and my father were both and are still just brilliant, brilliant people. My father is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. He ran an investigative journalism team at the Boston Globe called Spotlight. My immediate family, the way we communicated was we'd send these emails to each other that were totally unnecessarily long about really meaningless things. Everybody overcommunicated. Everyone had to write in beautiful prose and tell whole full-length stories about the smallest of things. And so I was literally raised effectively by storytellers. I always viewed myself as being the black sheep of my family because my two sisters, my older and younger sister, totally excelled in school. And my older sister became a Pulitzer Prize winner twice, actually. And my younger sister is a PhD scientist working out of a Harvard lab.

I was the guy that bombed high school. Not because I was dumb, I just didn't really try. Effectively flunked out my first semester in college because I didn't go to class. But fast forward a bit. After I did wind up graduating college, I got my act together. I joined the Navy, and I become a Navy SEAL. And one of the things people don't know about, really, the military, unless you're in the military, is there is lots and lots of public speaking that goes on all the time. I learned that my strength was definitely like, I can tell stories exceptionally well, and I can remember a lot of details if I have story in my mind. There wasn't ever a day where I thought to myself, Here's the big idea. Generally speaking, social media and creating content allows people, relative nobodies, to post things on the Internet. And if the world likes it, It can elevate that person and create a brand or a new YouTube channel. I really missed the mark for a number of years trying to create content that people would like. I mimicked other people's content style on TikTok, which was so cringy.

I was doing dance videos and like, comedy sketches. Nobody was interested. But I knew the one thing that I've always been just fundamentally interested in is strange, dark and mysterious content. I put together this really crappy TikTok video. Crappy in the sense that I formatted it all wrong. Like the script didn't really make much sense, but it had the meat and potatoes of this really fascinating story about hikers that go missing in the 1950s in Russia.

When you finish this video, you're going to Google two words. In 1959, nine very experienced Russian hikers set off on a 16-day expedition into the mountains. Seven days in, and some bad weather When I post this story to TikTok, and I was actually at a water park with my family in Pennsylvania.

Because we're going to be in the water park, I couldn't have my phone. It would get soaked. So I left it in the room. We went to the park all day, and I came back to my room, and I opened up my phone. The video that I had posted about the Missing Hikers had like 5 million views. And to give some perspective, I think the most views I ever got on any piece of content ever to that point was maybe 10 or 20,000 over a year long period. I launched into this insane making content 24/7 to try to replicate the success of that first video. After a few months of doing that and the TikTok account had really grown quickly, I transitioned to YouTube. I remember I pulled my wife aside, Amanda, and I tried to explain to her, Hey, so I have this thing going on TikTok, and I'm going to do it on YouTube. I don't know what it's going to be, but I think it's something. But in order for me to do it, I need you to take the kids basically 24/7 and let me only work 24/7 until this becomes whatever it becomes.

And my wife's like, Okay, I'll do that for you.

So I wanted to bring you into my dojo where I create all of my content. It's called the Mustard Room. It's pretty high speed, so don't be intimidated.

It's my setup. It's nice and neat. This is where all the magic happens. I kid you not, I was in that back room in Pennsylvania with the space heater and the rodents on the walls, churning out content for six months. And I was sleeping in there. I mean, literally, it was my life. She believed in me, and so she let me do it. And it really is what allowed the channel to grow.

John was flagged to me by my buddy Jocomo. So Jocomo is a guy that hit me up. He's like, If anyone can work for this guy, it's you. And I knew nothing of digital. I knew nothing of YouTube, nothing of TikTok. I don't even have social media. I didn't understand what I was looking at when I looked at John's content. But me being a veteran, and I've always worked with veterans in entertainment, I was like, I like what he's doing. I can believe in this guy and what his message is. And I could tell that there was something there. So I was like, All right, have you guys tried to sign him? They're like, Yeah, we tried to sign him eight months. He won't sign with us. He He didn't really take a call. He's a former Navy SEAL, makes content from his phone. What's a manager to this guy? I go, You guys are just approaching it wrong. I reached out to him. I got his email, a subject line. I'm a combat vet. Love your material. I work with Mr. Beast. I also have some experience in the traditional space. I love your content.

Huge fan. Hit me up if you ever have any questions. Not here to sign you, not here to make any money. Just one vet to another. About a week later, he hit me up. He's like, Dude, I was running through some emails, deleting everything, and I I saw your email, and I'm down to talk. It was funny because these guys who like, rep Mr. Beast couldn't sign this guy. And so for me, I was like, If I'm going to work with anybody, this is the guy.

Not everyone gets to find their unicorn, but I did in nick, and I think nick found his unicorn in me, and that's what has allowed us to grow, where I know what I'm responsible for, and it's the thing I know I'm good at, storytelling. And nick does everything else.

You can't just insert yourself in someone's life. You have to just show that you're there for the right reason. My way was like, All right, I lived in Austin. He was in PA, but I put a reminder on my calendar every Sunday. Ping John, say what up, and just ask him if he needs any help with anything, and just start to build a relationship organically.

I mean, nick really single-handedly has grown from me, the one-man band, Mr. Balin, to a full-blown studio. I've been in the back room of my house in Pennsylvania that had no heat and rodents running in the walls to now have a literal studio with all the right equipment and soundproofing. This is the podcast setup. It's about half of the studio here.

And the most important part of the podcast setup is right here.

Boom. Got the It's the functioning headlights on the set. Very cool. I bring this guy down here. And boom. This is the podcast setup. If we're doing a live event, you'd see the cool headlights, but I always turn them on no matter what. Over here, we have the YouTube setup. As you can see with the green screen here. This actually took so many coats of paint. This is not a simple thing to create. It needs to be totally uniform. So sick little green screen and then the Mr. Ballon director's chair. I'm going to sit here, fire up my and then I record YouTube episodes right here. And believe it or not, even though I have this whole studio, I still record the YouTube episodes on my phone. I literally just put my phone on this little five-dollar tripod, sit down here, and if you're a fan of the Strange, dark, and mysterious, then you've come to the right place because that's all we do inside of the Strange, dark, and mysterious studio. And so this is it. This is where I spend all my time. I do my research and writing and scripting over here, and obviously YouTube as well.

And this is it. I really don't read from the script. It's not because I'm better than that or something. It's more like the way I work, the way I tell stories, is I need to inhabit the story and really internalize the details of the story. And so I get the script, and I study the script, and basically memorize not the words on the page, but the structure of the story. And then once it's in my head, I've got it. I wanted to make it really clear to anybody that was going to tune in and watch a piece of content from me. If you wait to the end of the story, it will be worth it. Every week, we're putting out multiple stories that are 5, 7,000 words, which is 30 to 45 minutes long, that are fully researched and written out. There's an enormous amount of work. And this is how many, many YouTubers begin. They just do it all themselves. But it's totally not sustainable. I have this mantra that I try to preach to my kids, which is do things that scare you, because, generally speaking, things that scare you are actually the things you want to do.

I'm so impressed with people that literally take the stage and perform in front of a live audience. To me, stand-up comics are some of the bravest people you'll ever meet. That is an otherworldly level of courage to go up there and face potential ridicule and bombing. I'll admit that I was still resistant to the idea, even though now I have the material and I have the audience that I would listen to it, but I was still just nervous. I want the people in the audience to be drawn into the stories I'm telling the same way they are at home when they're watching YouTube or listening to a podcast. And it's a privilege to have the opportunity to stand in front of people that want to be there, the thousand plus people who have chosen to be here, that have flown from out of the United States to be here just to listen to me. Like, yes, that's pressure, but it's also a privilege. Taking it all in. Hello, hello, team. How are you doing?

Wow.

Very strange, dark, and mysterious in here. This is amazing. Whoever designed and did this.

Amazing, amazing, amazing.

I don't know what I had in mind, but it was way less cool than this. This is infinitely better than I imagined. This is my daughter, Mr.

Ballet.

She loves you. We're here because of you. We flew all the way from North Carolina. We love your show. You're doing great. And thank you for serving our country. It's time to be here. Can't wait to see you. For years, I've been watching all of your videos. I got my husband to watch all of them as we go to bed. They have become a brand-time routine. So thank you, Mr. Ballet, for everything that you've done for us.

John's fans are the strongest, most loyal community I've ever seen, and the fact that he gets to bring that to them in person is just fascinating.

Rare shot of a hatless, in uniform Mr. Ballard. Very cool. Actually feeling pretty calm. All things considered.

Yeah. Want to make sure you had a good feel of when you're on stage, what they're going to see, how you're going to see them. You probably won't see too, too deep in.

I probably will see virtually no one.

Nobody. Imagine everyone naked. That's the trick? He's so primed. He's such a professional, and he's been ready for this since he started telling stories. He just now is at a point to really execute it. To look at this, and I'm just so proud for I like him, my client, when I'm so proud of him as my brother. And this is such a good moment for him to have in his family. Yeah, like I told him, I don't cry, dude. This is so cool, man. All the hard work that he's done, hard work that we've done together, it's his moment, and he earned it, and he deserves it.

I wanted Ballin Studios to be the place where the best storytellers want to go. We know there is huge appetite amongst our incredible fans for We're hearing these stories in person, but we want to find every possible way to engage with our fans and get these stories out there. And we really believe that live storytelling events are going to be a big part of our offering. What a privilege, huh? I want them to leave thinking, My God, that guy can tell a story.

We are going to cover four, maybe five stories.

So if we can see how it goes, four or five stories. This is called The Experiment, and it's new. These are not just cool stories. These are real stories about real people. I knew the one thing that I've always been just fundamentally interested in is strange, dark, and mysterious content. We have a responsibility with this popularity to really, in a big and meaningful way, literally give back to the victims who are actually in the stories we have covered. We decided to start the Mr. Pauline Foundation, which is a charity that honors and supports victims of violent crime as well as their families. And this charity, it's entirely not-for-profit. I mean, really, their donations that come in are going right out the door to victims and to their families. Pauline Studios is contributing over a million dollars just this year. It'll continue to go up every year, which offsets all all of the operational costs completely and then some, so that when people are donating to this charity, it's literally 100% goes out the door to the people that need it.

I hope you all enjoyed that documentary as much as we did creating it. I will tell you that seriously, up until the last second before I walked on stage, I was so nervous, like so nervous. But as I walked out on stage to our theme song and this amazing audience of all you incredible, strange, dark, and mysterious fans, it was electric. I felt invincible up there. And all the nerves went away. I just had the most incredible time. I can't thank you enough if you were there. Thank you for tuning in all the way to now because now it's time for the big announcement that really is a product of how well that first live event went. Because Because I enjoyed that so much and because it was so clear the audience did, too, I've decided to do a full-blown tour. Starting on September 26th through October 20th of this year, you can find me in 15 different cities across the United States, and this show is going to be amazing. It's going to include never before heard stories on any of our channels or mediums, and also some good old fashioned classics. And there's amazing set design and sound effects, and there's some interactive stuff going on.

I mean, it's really an incredible show. We're really building off the success of that first show that was featured in the documentary. And guess what? Tickets for this tour are available right now, like literally right now. All you have to do is go to tor. Balinstudios. Com. And for this week Only, we have set aside blocks of tickets in each of these different cities for all you truly diehard fans of the Strange, dark, and mysterious. And so to access those blocks of tickets, go to tor. Balinstudios. Com and use code Ballen, B-A-L-L-E-N. Presale will only be available until June 28th, so don't miss out. You got to go over there and secure those tickets ASAP. And in terms of what tickets you can get, they range from general admission to VIP. And if you do the VIP package, You get to meet this guy. All right, pretty good. And just for reference, the VIP tickets for that one show we did last year that was in this documentary, those sold out pretty much right away. So if that's the thing that interests you, you really got to go to tour. Ballonstudios right now and get those VIP tickets because they're going to go.

So that's going to do it. I can't wait to see you on this big tour. I'm seriously so excited. So go get your tickets. And seriously, thank you so much for all the support over the years. I wouldn't be able to do any of this without all of you. So thank you so much. And until next time, see you.