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John Shahidi

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American businessman

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John Shahidi
BornLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesThe Godfather of the Internet
Years active2009–present
Known forShots Podcast Network, Full Send, Nelk, Happy Dad Hard Seltzer, Bored Jerky
Websiteshots.com boredjerky.com

John Shahidi is the co-founder of Full Send, Happy Dad Hard Seltzer and Shots Podcast Network, home to top podcasters including Theo Von, Nelk Boys, Maxx Crosby and many UFC fighters.

On October 28, 2022, Shahidi became an investor and advisor to X and Elon Musk.

Early life

John Shahidi was born to an Iranian Kurdish family in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Orange County, California.

He and his younger brother Sam Shahidi grew up in Southern California. They were raised by their mother and grandmother.

Career

Justin Bieber Partnership

John and Sam Shahidi started developing iOS apps in 2009 and started out as a video game development company called Rock Software, later renamed RockLive. Their first commercial app was RunPee. Their childhood friend Jordan Palmer introduced the Shahidi brothers to former Cincinnati Bengals team member Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson. RockLive developed two apps for Ochocinco, Chad Ochocinco Experience, and its follow-up, MadChad.

More mobiles games were developed between 2019 and 2012, for Usain Bolt, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mike Tyson.

RockLive released Shots, a selfie photo sharing app, in November 2013. It was launched with Justin Bieber & Floyd Mayweather as investors.

Shots grew to a user base of 7 million users in March 2016, but dropped to 2.5 million in October 2016. At one point, Twitter was in talks to buy Shots for US$150 million.

Shots Podcast Network & YouTube

Main article: Shots Studios

After raising $12.1 million in funding in 2015 and with the number of the Shots app users dropping, the company pivoted from software to content. RockLive rebranded to Shots Studios, a talent agency and production studio for social media personalities, predominantly on YouTube. Investors included boxer Floyd Mayweather and singer Justin Bieber.

Shots Studios became Shots Podcast network in 2020 after pivoting all YouTube channels to podcasts during the Covid-19 lockdowns. This came after YouTube demonetized the Nelk Boys YouTube channel.

Nelk Boys & Full Send

In 2020, Shots Studios partnered with YouTube creators, The Nelk Boys to help their YouTube channels and Shahidi became President of their brand, Full Send.

On May 31, Nelk announced a new venture with Shahidi called Happy Dad Hard Seltzer's.

Since running the Nelk operations, the company has begun launching and optimizing its own products and brought over $70M USD in revenue in 2020.

Donald Trump

Shahidi along with, Theo Von and the Nelk Boys via their Full Send Podcast played a significant role in supporting Donald Trump's 2024 campaign by mobilizing young male voters.

Led by Shahidi, they initiated the "Send the Vote" campaign, which includes voter registration drives at sports events and male-oriented media, such as dating apps and sports podcasts. By partnering with Trump and leveraging their influence in "bro culture," the Nelk Boys focused to sway a traditionally liberal demographic toward Trump.

Bored Jerky

On April 20th 2024, Shahidi launched a new CPG beef jerky company “Bored Jerky” on Amazon and Boredjerky.com

References

  1. "Shots celebrates one year anniversary; photo app has millions of users - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. November 17, 2014.
  2. ^ Wagner, Kurt (April 13, 2014). "A-List Investors, 1 Million Downloads: Is Selfie App 'Shots' For Real?". Mashable.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  3. ^ Laird, Sam (February 24, 2015). "How Floyd Mayweather and Justin Bieber bonded over an app". Mashable.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  4. Parker, Ryan (November 17, 2014). "Shots celebrates 1-year anniversary; photo app has millions of users". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  5. Armstrong, Megan (November 1, 2017). "How Shots Studios Plans to Take Over the Music Industry". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  6. Parr, Ben (October 13, 2009). "Ochocinco on iPhone: Twitter's Loudest NFL Star Launches App". Mashable.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  7. "Meet the Makers: Q&A with John Shahidi of Rock Software". Appolicious.com. August 11, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Kantrowitz, Alex (October 5, 2016). "Justin Bieber-Backed Shots Prioritizes Making Video For Other Platforms". BuzzFeed.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  9. Walker, James (November 6, 2009). "Fitzgerald, T.O. following Ocho". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  10. ^ Roberts, Daniel (June 17, 2014). "Money Mayweather's $1 million tech punch". Fortune. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  11. ^ Wagner, Kurt (October 30, 2016). "Justin Bieber-backed photo app Shots gave up on selfies and now manages internet stars". Recode.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  12. Trotman, Andrew; Davidson, Lauren (November 26, 2014). "Twitter 'held talks' with Justin Bieber-backed app Shots". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  13. ^ Constine, John; Roof, Katie (October 5, 2016). "Shots Studios rebrands from selfie app to social star video factory". TechCrunch.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  14. Constine, John; Roof, Katie (March 3, 2016). "Bieber-backed Shots goes beyond selfies with links and comedy". TechCrunch.com. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  15. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tanyachen/illinois-state-university-investigating-nelk-boys-parties
  16. "Edgy Prank Channel Nelk Launches 'Happy Dad' Hard Seltzer Brand - Tubefilter". June 2021.
  17. Lorenz, Taylor (June 29, 2021). "What Won't the Nelk Boys Do? - The New York Times". The New York Times.
  18. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/11/18/trump-gen-z-bros-maga-voters/76337571007/
  19. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/09/trump-bro-vote-hawk-tuah-girl-00183129
  20. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephenpastis/2024/10/22/trump-invites-nelk-boys-onto-plane-in-elections-closing-stretch-after-montage-of-pro-trump-pranks/
  21. Unknown, Kyle (March 10, 2024). "MAKING MOOO-VES: The Nelk Boys' BAYC Inspired Snack Brand, Bored Jerky, Will Be Hitting Store Shelves On 4/20 - Bored Ape Gazette". Bored Ape Gazette.

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