Digging Deeper on Kalshi’s MrBeast Insider Trading Scam
I’ve got new scoop as prediction markets rattle the creator economy. Plus, Parade founder Cami Téllez’s move into influencer marketing & ‘Crime Junkie’ on Tubi
This is a preview of Like & Subscribe, my standalone Ankler Media newsletter on the creator economy. I wrote about Chronicle Studios’ bid to help YouTube channels grow their audiences using AI, how video podcasts are taking over TV (plus Apple’s new video moves) and the debate among creators over whether to form a union. I’m natalie@theankler.com
Hello! I’ve got a jam-packed newsletter for you today that includes a scoop about the latest development in Kalshi’s investigation into insider trading on MrBeast videos, an interview with former Parade CEO Cami Téllez about her new AI-backed influencer marketing agency, and a check-in on the Crime Junkie podcast’s expansion into video.
Let’s get right into it. Last week Kalshi grabbed headlines when it announced via a blog post from head of enforcement Bobby DeNault that it had investigated and resolved two recent incidents of insider trading, including one tied to an individual (someone working as an editor for Beast Industries) who traded around $4,000 on MrBeast YouTube videos. Kalshi suspended this person, identified as Artem Kaptur, for two years, fined him around $20,000 and reported him to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. And Beast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold told CNBC’s Squawk Box that the company had suspended the employee while it conducted an internal investigation.
When I first saw the news, I reached out to my colleague Matthew Frank, our Ankler Media newsroom expert on prediction markets (check out his recurring “Betting on Hollywood” segment on The Ankler’s podcast, Ankler Agenda, on YouTube). Together we started researching the incident, and what we found is that internet sleuths appeared to sniff out insider trading on MrBeast videos all the way back in September.
We can also exclusively report that Beast Industries, which Housenbold said wasn’t aware of the allegations against the employee until Kalshi revealed its investigation last week, has been swift to take action. The company sent an email to staff yesterday notifying them that the employee has been terminated, according to a source familiar with the matter. The email also reminded employees about the company’s strict policy around betting, wagering and prediction markets.
Head over to Like & Subscribe for more about what our research uncovered, plus:
Why prediction markets’ vulnerability will resonate through the creator economy and how companies are scrambling to shut down scams
Cami Téllez’s strategy and secret sauce to supercharge influencer marketing with her new startup
How top pod Crime Junkie is stepping up its production for Tubi after the AVOD-FAST hybrid’s pact with Ashley Flowers’ Audiochuck
How Sleuths Spotted a MrBeast Scammer
The rest of this column is for paid subscribers to Like & Subscribe, a standalone newsletter dedicated to the creator economy from Ankler Media.
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