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In 2018, their video titled "Pretending to Work at the Google Headquarters" was removed and they were issued a strike by YouTube. As a result, Nelk temporarily privatized all of their videos until the strike was lifted to prevent their channel from facing the risk of deletion. In the meantime, they uploaded new content to their website, charging monthly and annual subscriptions.
In 2018, their video titled "Pretending to Work at the Google Headquarters" was removed and they were issued a strike by YouTube. As a result, Nelk temporarily privatized all of their videos until the strike was lifted to prevent their channel from facing the risk of deletion. In the meantime, they uploaded new content to their website, charging monthly and annual subscriptions.


In August 2020, Nelk launched a paid subscription service called the "Send Club" in which members would receive access to additional prank and behind-the-scenes footage in addition to the weekly YouTube videos.
In August 2020, Nelk launched a paid subscription service called the "Send Club" in which members would receive access to additional prank and behind-the-scenes footage in addition to the weekly YouTube videos. During the same year NELK member [[Stephen Deleonardis]] better known as [[SteveWillDoIt]] lead an online campaign to expose "scumbag" Bradley Martyn for criminial actions such as selling illegal drugs to minors and possible connections to [[Jeffery Epstein]].


== History and legal issues ==
== History and legal issues ==

Revision as of 03:25, 17 April 2021

NELK
File:Newnelklogo.jpg
Personal information
Born
Kyle John Forgeard
(1994-07-12) July 12, 1994 (age 30)
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Jesse William Sebastiani
(1993-06-27) June 27, 1993 (age 31)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Lucas Gasparini
(1995-11-30) November 30, 1995 (age 29)
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Stephen Deleonardis
(1998-08-26) August 26, 1998 (age 26)
Oviedo, Florida, U.S.
Salim Sirur
(2001-11-21) November 21, 2001 (age 23)
San Jose, California, U.S.
OriginMississauga, Ontario, Canada
OccupationYouTube
Websitewww.fullsend.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2010–present
Genre(s)Pranks, lifestyle
Subscribers6.45 million[1]
Total views928 million[1]
NetworkFull Send Entertainment
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers
Last updated: March 23, 2021

Nelk (stylized as NELK), also referred to as the NELK Boys, and formerly branded as NelkFilmz, is a YouTube channel and entertainment company that was founded in Canada in 2010. They are known for their prank videos, vlogs, and their brand "Full Send."[2] Canadian newspaper The Toronto Star referred to the group's founders, Kyle Forgeard and Jesse Sebastiani, as "two of the most recognizable personalities for young people in North America".[3]

Content and brand

Nelk's videos, in addition to pranks, are themed around North American college culture. The group's videos combine vlogs of their party lifestyle with footage of their actual pranks.

Nelk is known for creating the brand "Full Send" (stylized as FULL SEND).[4] The brand name refers to partying and living life without thinking about the consequences.[5] The phrase is constantly repeated throughout the group's videos, and it is often displayed on their merchandise.[6] The group has also coined a number of other terms, including "Rona Season," a reference to the group's constant consumption of Corona beer. Sebastiani has referred to the group's trademark words as "Canadian-influenced slang".[7]

Members

Current and recurring members include Kyle Forgeard, Stephen Deleonardis (“SteveWillDoIt”), Lucas Gasparini, Salim Sirur, and Arthur Kulik (“Jimmy Gambles”).[8] Canadian filmmaker Austin Ermes is NELK's Director of Content.[9][10] The members of the group, along with some of their filmers and staff members, reside in Newport Beach, California.[11] The group previously resided in Ontario, Canada, and then Los Angeles in the “Full Send House”.[12]

Jesse Sebastiani, prior to joining NELK, was known for his self-published documentary, Saved by the Status,[13] and his role in the MTV show Careless Teens.[14] Years after joining the group, he expressed his displeasure with his and the group's lifestyle. In a tweet posted on January 29, 2020, he wrote, "I hate fame... I've lost almost everything I use to love about life".[15] He started to become less active in late 2020, and tweeted on October 20, "I put friends, family and my mental health to the side to get to where I am. Time to pick up the pieces". In January 2021, it was officially announced that Sebastiani would no longer appear in pranks, and instead work behind-the-scenes with the Full Send brand. Forgeard stated in a video to fans that "We’ve been doing this a long time, we’ve done a lot of pranks, we’ve pretty much done everything, and I think Jesse’s kind of just burnt out." He currently has his own mini-series called "Shithole" which is uploaded to a separate channel.[16]

Former members of the group include Niko and Marko Martinovic, and Jason Pagaduan. Niko and Marko, who are twins, were members of Nelk in the early development, but left in 2015 to pursue YouTube independently. Gasparini left in 2017 citing concerns of his association with the channel's content, which consisted of public misconduct which would affect his career outlook, as well as the pursuit of educational studies as a plumber.[17] He then returned in 2021 joining the rest of the team in Los Angeles.[18] Pagaduan, who was known by his Instagram handle "905shooter" or simply "9-0," was withdrawn from the group in October 2019 for behavioral misconduct from sexual harassment allegations stemming from Pagaduan sending direct messages of a graphic and sexual nature to fans, and for allegedly slacking off on work assigned to him by Forgeard.[19][20]

Platform

As YouTube creators, Nelk's content is generally published to the group's self-named YouTube channel. However, due to the nature of the content, almost all of their videos have been demonetized and age-restricted by YouTube. Several of their videos have also been removed completely for violation of YouTube's terms of use. Because they earn almost no money from YouTube, they rely on income from merchandise sales through their "Full Send" brand.

In 2018, their video titled "Pretending to Work at the Google Headquarters" was removed and they were issued a strike by YouTube. As a result, Nelk temporarily privatized all of their videos until the strike was lifted to prevent their channel from facing the risk of deletion. In the meantime, they uploaded new content to their website, charging monthly and annual subscriptions.

In August 2020, Nelk launched a paid subscription service called the "Send Club" in which members would receive access to additional prank and behind-the-scenes footage in addition to the weekly YouTube videos. During the same year NELK member Stephen Deleonardis better known as SteveWillDoIt lead an online campaign to expose "scumbag" Bradley Martyn for criminial actions such as selling illegal drugs to minors and possible connections to Jeffery Epstein.

In 2010, Forgeard created the Nelk YouTube channel, along with other founding members Niko and Marko Martinovic, and Lucas Gasparini.[17]

In January 2015, Nelk posted a video titled "Coke Prank On Cops" in which they told police officers in Los Angeles that they had "coke" in the back of the car, leading the officers to think that they were referring to cocaine when in reality they were referring to Coca-Cola. In May 2016, the video became a subject of controversy.[21] The group received a warning, and the Los Angeles Police Department released a statement informing the public that the prank was illegal and warning potential copycat pranksters against doing so.[2] Nelk has called this prank a breakthrough for their success on YouTube.[22] The video has over 40 million views as of November 2020.

In early 2017, it was announced that Gasparini had left the channel because he was concerned his involvement put him at risk.

In September 2017, Forgeard and Sebastiani were arrested by members of the Toronto Police Service and placed in jail overnight for reasons related to a prank performed at a local-area Toys "R" Us. Following their arrest, months later, they reported they had won their court case, but they never released the full details of their case to their audience.[23]

In January 2019, Sebastiani was arrested during a prank in which he walked into a Barnes & Noble store with fake blood smeared on a white jumpsuit and asked workers for books on covering up a crime scene. He was charged by Columbus, Ohio police department, and found guilty of disorderly conduct in the Ohio Courts of Common Pleas.[14]

In May 2019, Steve Deleonardis joined Nelk after being discovered by Forgeard for his drinking and smoking challenge videos.

In August 2019, Nelk participated in a "spin the globe challenge" where they would spin a globe and fly wherever it lands.[24] The globe was spun on stage at the VELD Music Festival in Toronto and landed on Russia. However, their visas were revoked due to Deleonardis' possession of a felony. Instead, they spent their time in Europe, places including Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Belgium, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Ibiza. In Ireland, Nelk planned a meetup in a public park, but failed to notify the local police. The meetup got out of control, with large mobs of fans swarming the area in an unsafe manner, causing the meetup to be cut short.[25] Following Nelk's trip to Europe, it was later announced that Jason Pagaduan would be removed from the group.

In February 2020, Nelk moved into a residence in Los Angeles, California which they refer to as the "Full Send House". Salim Sirur and his cousin Jay also joined Nelk at this time.

In May 2020, Forgeard, Deleonardis, Sirur, along with several other members were arrested for disturbing the peace while filming a prank at a Target store in Mississippi. They were later released on bond.[26]

In September 2020, the police department in Normal, Illinois announced an investigation into Nelk after they hosted a flash mob of about 200 people on-campus at Illinois State University in violation of COVID-19 regulations.[27] Following this, YouTube announced a decision to totally demonitize the Nelk YouTube account in addition to most of their specific videos, so that no money could be earned from YouTube on the account whatsoever. They attributed the decision to the platform’s Creator Responsibility Policy, which mandates that creators do not engage in “on- and/or off-platform behavior [that] harms our users, community, employees or ecosystem," claiming that Nelk had harmed YouTube users by hosting a group of people and thereby violating COVID-19 regulations.[28] Chris Koos, the town's mayor, also stated that he intends to pursue legal action against Nelk.[29] A week later, police in Seaside Heights, New Jersey broke up a gathering of about 1,500 people at a house being rented by Nelk, which violated New Jersey's COVID-19 restrictions. Nelk, despite no intentions to draw a crowd, was eventually kicked out of the house by the landlord and 8 fans were arrested.[29] Governor Phil Murphy called the event "knucklehead behavior".[30][31]

In late September 2020, Nelk received criticism for their new "skit-like" video style, which was heavily saturated with skits in contrast to their prank videos.

In October 2020, Nelk members Forgeard, Deleonardis, and Sirur traveled overseas to Abu Dhabi. Later the same month, members met with President Donald Trump on Air Force One during one of his 2020 presidential election rallies.[32] They were also seen dancing to the "Y.M.C.A." song with President Trump onstage following his rally.[33]

In December 2020, Nelk announced they would be live-streaming high stakes gambling on Twitch every day in December until December 25. They featured guests including Mike Tyson, Dana White, Logan Paul, Bryce Hall, Lil Yachty, Evander Kane, Jake Paul, and Lana Rhoades on their streams.

In January 2021, Forgeard gifted his father, Rick Forgeard, an amount of $300,000CAD as a token of appreciation for his support through the tenure of his project of Nelk.[34]

Also in January 2021, after ample speculation from fans, it was officially revealed that Sebastiani was taking a break from appearing in Nelk's main videos and participating in pranks. Instead, he moved to working behind-the-scenes within the Full Send brand, and started a new mini-series called "Shithole" on Full Send's separate YouTube channel to document his new lifestyle.[35] Forgeard revealed in a Twitch livestream, "We’ve been doing this a long time, we’ve done a lot of pranks, we’ve pretty much done everything, and I think Jesse’s kind of just burnt out".[36]

On February 1, 2021, Nelk uploaded a variation of their well-known “Coke Prank on Cops“, this time performed in Colombia.[37] Sirur was briefly detained by the Medellín police with no explanation, but later let go.

On March 8, 2021, it was announced that Lucas Gasparini, one of the original members and co-founder who left in 2017, would return to NELK and join the rest of the team in Los Angeles.

On March 15, 2021, it was announced that the group would relocate the “Full Send House” from Los Angeles to Newport Beach.[11]

On March 23, 2021, Nelk was unable to upload a video due to suggestions by their attorney in relation to an arrest warrant filed against Forgeard in Texas.[38]

On March 31, 2021, CBS reported that Nelk was responsible for a series of physical assaults at a group meet in Fort Worth, Texas on March 15th.[39] Subsequently, Fort Worth Police had tweeted out an appeal on their Twitter page, appealing to the public in identifying suspects that were responsible for the assaults.[40]

During legal disputes, Nelk has worked with Bradley P. Koffel, an attorney based out of Columbus, Ohio.[41][42]

Philanthropy

Nelk has donated portions of their merchandise earnings to breast cancer awareness.[43]

In April 2020, Nelk participated in a virtual beer pong tournament called "The Ballina Cup" to raise money to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.[44][45] The tournament was hosted by Post Malone and featured several other celebrities.[46]

References

  1. ^ a b "About NELK". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b Del Ray, Marina (January 13, 2015). "LAPD Not Laughing Over Pranksters' Viral 'Coke' Gag On Officers". CBS. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Fraser, Ted (August 10, 2020). "Canadian pranksters Nelk have millions of young followers. Their 'dangerous' decision to party during the pandemic is good for business". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  4. ^ McBride, Jessica (October 15, 2019). "Nelk Boys 'Part Ways' With 905Shooter, Jason Pagaduan". Heavy. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Bennet, Connor (August 10, 2019). "Youtubers Nelk Boys Give Update After Being Held by German Police". Dexerto. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "Full Send merchandise". Full Send Entertainment. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Heck, Alexandra (July 22, 2019). "'It was a wake-up call': Shelburne's Jesse Sebastiani on the YouTube prank that landed him in jail". Orangeville.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Mustafa, Filiz (October 29, 2020). "Celebs react to Donald Trump and Nelk Boys' video – "the funniest crossover in internet history"". HITC. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "How Filmmaker Austin Ermes of NELK Boys Fame Got His Start". International Business Times. December 4, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Litman, Paul (December 13, 2020). "Nelk Boys Take Their Success to New Heights Thanks to Videographer Austin". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Bowling in Other People's Lanes! (AGE RESTRICTED), retrieved March 21, 2021
  12. ^ AffiliateLabz (February 8, 2020). "Nelk Boys New Full Send House They Just Moved Into Is Huge". Famous Celebrity Homes. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Saved by the Status: across Canada in 100 days (exclusive)". BZ Film. February 17, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Halliday, Chris (January 11, 2019). "Shelburne prankster, NELK Boys YouTube star found guilty of amended charge in U.S. court". Orangeville.com. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  15. ^ Glaze, Virginia (January 29, 2020). "NELK Boys' Jesse Sebastiani explains why he "hates" being YouTube famous". Dexerto. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  16. ^ "Nelk Boys' Kyle Forgeard explains why Jesse Sebastiani disappeared from their videos". Dexerto. January 1, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Lloydi, Baloydi. "What/Who is NELK?". Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Pretending to be an Amazon Delivery Driver! (AGE RESTRICTED), retrieved March 10, 2021
  19. ^ "NELK Boys reveal "creepy" behavior that made them fire editor 905 Shooter". Dexerto. December 2, 2019.
  20. ^ "NELK BOYS Explain Why 905 SHOOTER was Kicked out of NELK! – Kyle Forgeard & SteveWillDoIt – YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  21. ^ Rogers, Katie (May 19, 2016). "When YouTube Pranks Break the Law". New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  22. ^ "Coke Prank on Cops Goes Viral". YouTube. December 1, 2015.
  23. ^ NELK (September 28, 2017). "Why did we go to jail ...?". YouTube.
  24. ^ "NELK Boys reveal why they were denied entry into Russia". Dexerto.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  25. ^ O'Callaghan, Gavin (September 9, 2019). "Gardai speak to famous Youtube pranksters 'The Nelk Boys' after hundreds turn up to Phoenix Park meet up". Dublin Live. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  26. ^ "NELK on Instagram: "Its Jesse boys. Im out and good but the boys just got arrested. Keep you guys updated as soon as i know more #FREENELK"". Instagram. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  27. ^ "Watch now: NELK Boys parties could bring consequences for Illinois State University students". The Pantagraph. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  28. ^ Gstalter, Morgan (September 12, 2020). "YouTube stars' account demonetized after they are accused of throwing parties amid pandemic". The Hill. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  29. ^ a b "8 Arrested As YouTube Stars' Fans Get Unruly In Seaside Heights". Patch. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  30. ^ Yates, Toni (September 16, 2020). "Arrests made after police break up large party outside 'Jersey Shore' house". ABC News. 6ABC Philadelphia. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  31. ^ "Murphy criticizes YouTube stars for 'Jersey Shore' gathering". Concho Valley Homepage. Associated Press. September 16, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  32. ^ Nolan, Emma (November 3, 2020). "NELK Boys and Donald Trump meet on Air Force One in viral YouTube video". Newsweek. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  33. ^ Page, Sam (October 23, 2020), "Donald Trump and the Potency of his Assemblage", Political Landscapes of Donald Trump, Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, 2020.: Routledge, pp. 180–192, ISBN 978-0-429-24267-0, retrieved November 3, 2020{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  34. ^ https://www.theblast.com/153343/nelk-boys-kyle-gifts-dad-300000-after-supporting-youtube-career
  35. ^ Nelk. "WHY JESSE STOPPED FILMING NELK."{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ "Nelk Boys' Kyle Forgeard explains why Jesse Sebastiani disappeared from their videos". Dexerto. January 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  37. ^ "Nelk Boys Are Doing The Famous Coke Prank Again But This Time In Medellín, Colombia! What Will The Police Do?". Pro Sports Extra |. January 22, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  38. ^ "Nelk Boys' Kyle Forgeard Has Warrant Issued In Texas". Pro Sports Extra. March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  39. ^ https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2021/04/01/4-suspects-sought-assault-nelk-boys-meetup-fort-worth/
  40. ^ https://twitter.com/fortworthpd/status/1377618407076605960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1377618407076605960%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdfw.cbslocal.com%2F2021%2F04%2F01%2F4-suspects-sought-assault-nelk-boys-meetup-fort-worth%2F
  41. ^ "Drinking Fake Beer While Driving By Cops! – YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  42. ^ "Columbus Criminal & DUI Defense Attorneys". Koffel Brininger Nesbitt. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  43. ^ "HITTING BOWLS IN LECTURES PRANK! Ft. VitalyzdTv". YouTube. October 1, 2018.
  44. ^ "Post Malone is Hosting a Massive Virtual Beer Pong Tournament". ESPN Radio. March 30, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  45. ^ Bastl, David (April 11, 2020). "Post Malone Beer Pong Finals, Odds, Predictions: Just Mike vs. Nelk Boys". Sports Interaction News. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  46. ^ "Chugging In The Name Of Charity: Post Malone Is Holding A Virtual Beer Pong Tournament". GQ. Newslife Media. March 29, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
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