Video one · 2020
What I saw in my room still haunts me
Latest video · 2026
They faced death… and walked away
6.5years since video one
11Msubscribers today
10Mviews on the first video
717Kviews on the latest video
About MrBallen
John Allen, known as MrBallen, is a former US Navy SEAL who tells true crime and mystery stories in a calm, gripping style.
Video one
His oldest public video is "What I saw in my room still haunts me", from March 2020, one of his earliest story videos.
The breakthrough
His stories, told sitting at a desk, often about unsolved mysteries or survival, took off on TikTok and then YouTube. He gives the people involved respect rather than sensationalising them.
Today
He co-founded Ballen Studios, and his podcast, MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories, is one of the most popular in its genre.
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