#MrBallen Podcast Studio Launches Management Arm

Ballen Studios, the content company from the breakout podcast creator John Allen (best known as “MrBallen”) and former Night Media talent manager Nick Witters, is launching a dedicated management arm for creators specializing in digital storytelling.

At launch, Ballen Management’s roster of clients include the YouTube creators Ryan “Nexpo” Cantu (2.86 million subscribers) and Nick Crowley (1.69 million subscribers) — both of whom are known for exploring stories in the realms of mystery, horror and other dark lore. Both Cantu and Crowley will also be represented by UTA in all areas on the agency side.

Witters said he and Allen saw the need to create a full-service organization to support creators who shared in the similar “strange, dark and mysterious” content genre that Allen has become known for.

“We saw a real need for organizations that have the ability to service storytellers and help them scale their businesses, so we decided to build that organization ourselves,” Witters said in a statement. “Ballen Management aims to work with the most talented storytellers in the world and provide the infrastructure that will allow them to scale.”

In a joint statement, Cantu and Crowley said Ballen Management served as the “first and only real opportunity” for the two of them to be “represented by a team who truly comprehends the world of storytelling.”

Ballen Management will operate separately from Ballen Studios, which struck a major first-look and distribution deal with Amazon Studios last year for Allen’s MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark and Mysterious Stories and future projects from the content studio. The management firm will also work closely with UTA to grow clients’ portfolios across all major areas, including film, TV, audio, touring and publishing.