John Allen

John Allen, better known globally as MrBallen, is the host and creator of the true crime hit, "MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories." He is also the co-founder of Ballen Studios, a multi-platform content company, which develops and produces projects spanning film, television, publishing, live touring, merchandising, audio, and digital-first platforms. Allen's unique storytelling style -- which is also evident on his other podcast, "MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries" -- coupled with his interest in the peculiar and enigmatic, ultimately evolved into the global community and business he has built today.

A former Navy SEAL who was medically retired after being injured in Afghanistan, Allen knows it can take a long time to heal from trauma and violence. Ironically, taking to the Internet to tell stories turned out to be part of his own recovery. He started narrating tales online to get a break from his work fundraising for Elite Meet, the veterans nonprofit he founded after leaving the service. After uploading a one-minute video to TikTok in 2020 and leaving his phone behind for family time at an indoor water park, he picked up his phone that evening, shocked to find that the story he had posted that morning about the unexplained deaths of nine hikers in the Dyatlov pass in Russia back in 1959 had gone viral. In just four hours, his TikTok account had blown up with more than five million views.

Over the next two years, MrBallen would become one of the most popular content creators and podcasters on the Internet, with over eight million followers on YouTube, and one of the top true crime podcasts in the world. In 2022, he was nominated for four YouTube Streamy Awards, in the Creator of the Year, Breakout Creator, and Podcast Categories -- the most nominations for a first-time nominee. Additionally, Allen and his nonprofit organization, MrBallen Foundation, which is dedicated to honoring victims and supporting families of heinous crimes through education, training and financial support, was nominated for the Creator for Social Good Award.

"MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious: The Graphic Stories" is his forthcoming visual collection filled with twists and surprises.