North Carolina leaders made an eyebrow-raising announcement that flew relatively under the radar this week.
Stein, Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, and Guy Gaster, director of the North Carolina Film Office, announced on Wednesday the latest recipients of film and television grants, which are rebates for programs that spend within the state. The largest beneficiary: Jimmy Donaldson, a Greenville resident, YouTube personality behind the MrBeast channel, and creator of Beast Games. He was awarded up to $15 million, the maximum amount possible.
Donaldson recently announced filming had concluded for the second season of his game show. The state grant supports portions of Season 2 that were filmed in and around Pitt and New Hanover counties.
The award for Beast Games is triple the $5 million prize the show is awarding its winning contestant and represents nearly half of the grant program’s annual $31 million budget.
Donaldson is worth an estimated $1 billion, though he’s said he has far less money at his disposal. Amazon Prime Video hasn’t announced a release date for season 2 of the show.
MrBeast’s PR team didn’t respond to a request for comment. I’ve asked the Department of Commerce for more information about the application and grant approval process, so stay tuned.