On August 13, YouTuber Rosanna Pansino posted an internal document allegedly leaked from MrBeast Productions. The 36-page “not a rulebook” goes over how Jimmy Donaldson, the creator and star of MrBeast, allegedly expects his company to be run.
From detailed looks at analytics to the rules that Donaldson allegedly wants his videos to follow, the “How to Succeed at MrBeast Production” handbook is a rare opportunity to see how the 26-year-old managed to make his MrBeast channel the largest on YouTube.
“I thought it would be useful to try to braindump as much as I can into this silly little book to give new people to help bring them up to speed on everything we’ve learned over the past decade with this channel,” the introduction of the manual reads in the voice of Donaldson.
The document describes an intense work environment. Those who are dedicated to MrBeast and his channel are rewarded with a career. Those who can’t follow analytics by the second and create the content Donaldson wants aren’t “A Players,” and aren’t ready.
How Did the MrBeast Document Get Leaked?
Pansino has been very vocal about Donaldson since October 2023, when she claimed that she was edited out of the MrBeast video “Extreme $1,000,000 Hide and Seek.” In a video podcast with influencer Trisha Paytas, Pansino claimed that the competition and winners were fake.
The baking YouTuber with 14 years on the platform told Passionfruit she “didn’t really think it would be a story,” but after she shared her experience online, she “got an immense amount of harassment, online bullying, threats from MrBeast fans.”
“When I spoke up last October, people weren’t ready to listen,” Pansino said.
This invigorated Pansino, who started digging deeper into MrBeast and posting about his recent controversies. In August 2024, she made videos about multiple people getting injured on the set of the “Beast Games” reality TV show. In another video, she discussed claims from a former employer that they were held in solitary confinement while filming an unreleased video.
She told Passionfruit that the leaked “How to Succeed at MrBeast Production” manual was sent to her “by a former MrBeast employee.” She said she then confirmed it with four other employees.
A spokesperson for MrBeast declined to comment on the validity of the leak to Passionfruit. They also declined to comment on if Donaldson has changed his thoughts on any of the sections of the document.
Passionfruit spoke with two former MrBeast producers who confirmed the document’s legitimacy. They requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from MrBeast.
“The manual was used at the office and given to all new people to get them familiar with how Jimmy does things,” one producer who worked at MrBeast for multiple months in 2022 told Passionfruit.
The other producer shared an image of the document where you can see the “prelude” section. It’s unclear when the book was first created. However, from past employees and videos featured in the playbook, it seems to have been created sometime in 2022.
What’s In the Leaked Document?
“How to Succeed in MrBeast Production” gets into the nitty gritty of how a MrBeast video is allegedly constructed. It explains that each thumbnail and second of a video has been built to maximize watch time and retention. These thumbnails set the “expectations” for the viewer.
The guide says that the first minute “is the most important minute of each video” because that’s when people click off the most. Brand deals are constructed to be integrated fully into a video, so users can’t easily skip away without missing context.
“I just need you to make people watch as long as possible,” the book reads.
The leaked document also claims that MrBeast only wants “A Players” who “are obsessive, learn from mistakes, [are] coachable, intelligent, [and] don’t make excuses.” These individuals must be “grinders” who feel the “amount of hours you work is irrelevant” since it’s all about getting the best final product.
If a fellow employee is holding up your work, it says you should “check on them every single day” to make sure they “are still on track to hit the target date.” The guide also says that employees need to work on multiple videos a day, know how to be cameramen, and study the entire back catalog of MrBeast videos.
“I’d rather you be honest with each other than nice with each other,” the book says.
If you do follow these rules, the book says that Donaldson promises you career growth and a hopeful “final destination.”
“I want nothing more then for you to go all in, obsessive all day everyday, and become so god dam valuable this company can’t operate without you,” the book reads. The manual has multiple typos, which makes it hard to read at times.
Some sections are more egregious than others. “No Does Not Mean No” was first shown in former MrBeast employee DogPack404’s video. In the section, the book says that “when dealing with people outside MrBeast Productions never take a no at face value.”
For example, when an employee of a store says that you can’t film here, the document says, “That literally doesn’t mean shit.” It says you should keep trying so that you can get the shot you need.
Towards the end, a line also says, “It’s okay for the boys to be childish.”
“If talent wants to draw a dick on the whiteboard in the video or do something stupid, let them,” it reads. “Really do everything you can to empower the boys when filming and help them make content. Help them be idiots.”
Why It Matters
Donaldson is the largest creator on all of YouTube, with his lines of chocolate bars, burgers, and action figures. When he posts, tens of millions of people watch his videos, and they become part of the cultural zeitgeist. He’s closer to Mickey Mouse than Logan Paul.
But Jimmy Donaldson is still just a person running a company. He brings in family members and friends in his hometown of Greenville, North Carolina, as high-ranking confidants. But his picks don’t seem to make top-tier executives.
Ava Tyson, who the book describes as “funny as fuck,” left the company after she was accused of sending inappropriate messages and having a sexual relationship with an employee in August 2024.
“Never do anything that could make us look bad from a pr perspective,” the book says.
Donaldson needs his channel to run smoothly, and any obstacles that get in the way need to be handled. “Now read this all over again because I guarantee you didn’t retain enough,” the book ends.
