Over the past decade, MrBeast built a social media empire off unimaginable challenges and extravagant giveaways, becoming one of YouTube’s biggest stars.
MrBeast’s business is notoriously opaque, but was recently beset by a series of leaks from a disgruntled former employee.
To help shine a light on one of the internet’s most famous celebrities, the Daily Dot filed public records requests in Roswell, Georgia and Greenville, North Carolina, where MrBeast has filmed and lives.
These behind-the-scenes documents show his collaboration with local governments, which MrBeast relies on for locations, permits, staffing, equipment, and problem-solving.
MrBeast has filmed in unique public spaces, including former prisons, closed-off streets, and universities. He has used local police as extras, requiring them to sign NDAs. And the mayor of his hometown will respond directly to disgruntled residents.
The cities of Roswell and Greenville, as well as MrBeast, did not respond to requests for comment by the Daily Dot.
When MrBeast filmed 50 Hours In A Maximum Security Prison, which earned over a quarter-billion views, the city of Roswell, Georgia, played a supporting role.
“We’re gonna be eating real prison food, we’re gonna have to mop and clean the prison and all around being subjected to the mental welfare that is being a prisoner,” MrBeast explained to viewers, intimating the group was entering a “real” prison.
“I can’t believe this prison let me do this lol,” the video’s caption reads.
Over 50 hours, his team endured the routines of incarceration, from headcounts to cell inspections, all of which mimicked the challenging conditions real inmates experience.
In reality, the jail is long vacant, a popular filming location the city touts on its website.
“VACANT jail (You read that right. We have a jail that’s ready for film),” Roswell’s website announces.
The Daily Dot obtained over 263 emails from 2021 between MrBeast’s team and city officials, which discussed invoices, the roles of city police in the video, and other logistical concerns.
MrBeast’s team originally obtained a permit to film for three days, which cost $9,000. Technical issues forced an extension, bringing the total cost to $24,000.
The video dropped several weeks after filming finished, on June 26, 2021, and has 274 million views.
YouTubers make an average of one to three cents per view, meaning that MrBeast could have made over $1 million from the prison production.
The original inquiry into the jail came from a location scout, who viewed the jail on behalf of MrBeast.
A Roswell official working with the location scout had to explain to other city employees that the prison wouldn’t be a traditional film setting but an active “incarceration.”
“I wanted to run this by you two and make sure you were ok with this,” wrote the staffer, looping in the city’s attorney. “Chief and I both approve of it… Its technically not any different than the filming we have been doing for several years, except that the actor isn’t leaving during the duration and the premise behind this production is a ‘challenge’ rather than a typical production.”
MrBeast hired 38 officers at $45 an hour from Roswell, though there was confusion over what roles they would play.
The team initially pushed for officers to take on a more active role in the video and encouraged them to be “hard” on the Beast team.
“The officers will be interacting with our talent members, we have asked them to not go easy on our boys and to simulate a real guard inmate dynamic,” a production consultant working for MrBeast wrote.
“Your officers being tough on the boys will add to our content and possibly help get some of them out before the 50 hour clock is up,” production wrote.
But the town did not want its police force acting as hard-nosed guards.
“As per the agreement any officers filmed in your background will have NO ACTING ROLE. ZERO THEATRICAL INTERACTION of any kind,” Detective William Schecher wrote to the production crew. “These folks are not entertainers, they’re law enforcement officers. If you need a realistic guard/inmate experience you would have to consider hiring actors to do that.”
Even with limited engagement, city officials struggled to get cops on camera.
“I am still scrambling to try to fill these positions as no one wants to be seen on camera,” the department’s deputy chief wrote in an email.
Cops from the city eventually did appear in a limited role
“[The MrBeast production] are in need of some additional guards for role playing. Your participation is optional, but approved by the Chief provided the requested actions are in line with how we would normally behave and act,” the city wrote to officers.
The MrBeast team took steps to cover the department’s participation, including keeping Roswell’s city logo off-camera and purchasing generic costume badges to cover official ones.
On shoot days, there were five Roswell officers working at a time, two of whom appeared on camera. In the end, the city was relatively pleased.
“They paid the quickest and were awesome to work with,” an officer wrote to Schecher. Other officers reported some problems with payment, which were eventually resolved.
MrBeast’s presence sparked intrigue in the town, as employees wanted autographs, photos, and meetings with MrBeast.
“There’s quite the interest in MrBeast… your kids, nieces, nephews, or even spouses apparently … are crazy for him,” Schecher wrote.
While MrBeast didn’t meet with staff or give autographs, he sent hats to the department as a thank you.
Roswell is 500 miles south of Greenville, North Carolina, MrBeast’s hometown and production headquarters. The city is closely linked with MrBeast’s viral projects, as MrBeast has built production facilities and employed residents to help with his burgeoning empire.
The Daily Dot obtained nearly three years of records showing Greenville officials assisting with location scouting, renting equipment, providing police and fire services, and dealing with the backlash some of his bigger stunts engendered.
His strong presence in Greenville leads to prompt responses other residents likely wouldn’t expect to receive.
In one instance in October 2022, a member of his team reached out with an “odd request” to borrow a salt truck to film a video.
“Kevin Mulligan is the gentleman that can make this magic happen for you! He just needs Time, location, and contact to send the invoice to,” city officials promptly wrote back, ensuring that the truck was secured without delay.
Other times, the city prepped government land for MrBeast shoots.
“Can you please ask staff to make sure the irrigation doesn’t run after 10 a.m. tomorrow?” city officials requested, ensuring a soccer complex would be ready for a MrBeast shoot involving a 100-meter dash and hurdles.
The city also cleaned restrooms in advance, confirming the space was pristine.
Once, MrBeast wanted special access to public parts of the city, filming an elaborate chase and jail scene.
The city helped him find acceptable routes for chase video, emails from city officials reveal.
“The attached map shows the possible area for filming the chase scene. The parcels in red are owned by the City … Based on our review, we have circled the possible intersection that may be used,” they wrote, providing officers as well for safety and security.
MrBeast’s team often asked for more.
“We’re thinking about potentially doing another bit in this video that would involve accessing the sewers through a manhole, or accessing some kind of tunnel that we could enter from above,” a MrBeast team member wrote. “If the City doesn’t have anything like that, do you know of anybody maybe in one of the bigger cities or at the state level that we could speak to about accessing sewers or tunnels?”
Greenville employees helped search for the right location to bring this vision to life, connecting his team with a nearby police department.
“I’ll call him tomorrow,” a Greenville deputy chief responded to MrBeast’s team when asked for an introduction.
For that specific shoot, the city provided six officers for two days, at a rate of $40 an hour. They also provided a police car for $25 a day.
Another shoot, where MrBeast’s team requested an off-duty officer vehicle for a last-minute production, revealed the team requires cops to sign non-disclosure agreements when they come to MrBeast’s facilities.
“The officer does not have to be shown on video. We would also need the officer to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to be on company property,” wrote a member of MrBeast’s team.
Cops, EMTs, and firefighters are often asked to staff shoots, with the department’s top officials sending company-wide requests to meet the team’s requests.
While the city officials appeared accommodating, emails from the town’s mayor often had to deal with upset constituents.
“Do you know who approved the permits for the fireworks this past weekend at 3:30 am?” Greenville Mayor P.J Connelly wrote in May 2024 after a late-night explosion rocked the town. “I’ve had a few people reach out to me about it and I would be furious if that happened near my house at 3:30 am. Did we approve the permit to do that?”
An employee replied that the city did approve it, but hadn’t known it would be that late, saying they’d have a talk with a MrBeast liaison who was in frequent contact with the city.
“Thank you. 3:30 am seems a little ridiculous for fireworks.”
In response to a reporter who’d also heard complaints, the city said that it couldn’t enforce noise ordinances that were outside the city limits, where MrBeast’s facilities reside, and that it was on the MrBeast team to have informed residents.
In response to a video on the East Carolina University campus where MrBeast did a series of burnouts in a parking lot, the mayor responded to several complaints about damage to the parking lot.
@mrbeast Were you able to keep track of the car the whole time?
♬ original sound – MrBeastI put $10,000 in the trunk of this car.
“The attached video is disturbing to me,” a resident wrote to Connelly.
“I am sorry to hear of the damage,” the mayor wrote back, “I do think this is not good for young kids to see since they tend to copy what others are doing.”
The Greenville Police Department also received concerns.
In May 2023, a MrBeast production took place in an empty former bank building.
Left unlocked for several weeks after, the building was soon occupied by vagrants.
“The building is open to the public and GPD has had some complaints about vagrants using the building,” the city manager wrote to a MrBeast liaison, who had the building boarded up.
Because MrBeast’s influence in Greenville extends beyond his productions, events associated with him tend to draw large crowds.
“As the families have been pre-selected for both giveaways, the Department requests the events not be advertised in advance to avoid any public confusion,” a police officer informed city officials and donors regarding the department’s holiday outreach, where MrBeast was one of two key donors.
Occasionally, the city would help obfuscate for MrBeast.
When asking the city to keep a parking lot open in 2022, a MrBeast contact wrote, “We will need to not mention that it is MrBeast on anything as anonymity is a priority. Calling it a private event or anything you think of that would not hint that it’s MrBeast!”
The city happily obliged, putting up anodyne signage.
Greenville also receives a number of mistaken inquiries as a point of contact for MrBeast. In June 2022, a man contacted the city to promote a self-made board game, hoping the MrBeast team would help market or donate towards its promotion.
The mayor himself responded to inquiries as well, explaining he couldn’t pass along requests.
The city also sought input from MrBeast’s team on the city’s development.
In January 2023, an email outlined their recommendations, which included the need for higher-end housing in the downtown area, more nighttime entertainment options, an increase in restaurants that stay open past 9:30pm, and more direct flights to Greenville.
A liaison also helped set up a lunch between MrBeast’s top officials and the mayor to discuss opportunities.
“James would like to get on your calendars and buy you lunch and discuss the strategic growth plans for MrBeastYouTube in Greenville,” the email said.
The close ties are expected, given the income MrBeast generates for the city.
But it can also lead to some absurd emails a city government wouldn’t normally write.
“An explosion of a school bus is scheduled for Sunday 3/3 between 12 & 5 pm,” wrote the city’s fire marshal in February 2024, telling everyone not to worry, noting that the city had it under control.
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