According to Inc, Jimmy Donaldson, the creator behind MrBeast, has hired at least four top executives for Beast Industries since September as part of his ambitious plan to build a Disney-style media empire. The recent hires include Noah Wieseneck from Snapchat, Byron Kendal from e-commerce company Rokt, Kelly Calabrese from TikTok, and Corie Henson from NBCUniversal. Donaldson, who was recently parodied on SNL, is already running multiple business ventures including Feastables and considering a fintech play. This executive recruitment spree represents a strategic move to transform his YouTube success into a diversified media powerhouse capable of competing with industry giants.
Beast Goes Corporate
Here’s the thing – this isn’t just another YouTuber hiring a manager. This is serious corporate building. Donaldson is pulling people from Snapchat, TikTok, NBCU – these aren’t small players. He’s essentially building a mini-conglomerate executive team while maintaining his viral content machine. And honestly, it’s pretty brilliant timing.
Think about it: traditional media companies are struggling to understand digital, while digital natives often lack the institutional knowledge to scale properly. MrBeast gets both sides. He understands virality better than anyone, but now he’s bringing in people who know how to build sustainable businesses around that energy.
The Disney Playbook
So what does “building the next Disney” actually mean? Basically, it’s about creating multiple revenue streams that all feed into each other. You’ve got the YouTube content driving brand recognition, Feastables for consumer products, potential fintech for payment systems – it’s the classic media conglomerate model, just built for the digital age.
But here’s the real question: can you actually scale the MrBeast magic? His success has been built on increasingly outrageous stunts and massive giveaways. How do you turn that into a sustainable corporate structure without losing what made it special in the first place? That’s where these executives earn their paychecks.
Silicon Valley Talent War
What’s really fascinating is that MrBeast is now competing with AI companies and tech giants for the same talent pool. He’s not just poaching from other YouTubers – he’s going after people who could be working at Google or Meta. That tells you something about where the real action is right now.
Content creators becoming serious business operators is the next phase of the creator economy. We’re moving beyond sponsorship deals and merch stores into actual corporate infrastructure. And honestly, who better to lead that charge than someone who literally understands audience engagement better than anyone on the planet?
