THE «PE Guy» is one of the most characteristic examples of how satire and social media can create a new form entrepreneurship.
ARTICLE SUMMARY
- His involvement began as a hobby, until the first commercial partnership with Black Tux. Without experience, he turned to ChatGPT to determine his fee, with the company directly accepting his proposal.
- Cooperation proposals began to multiply, while his followers asked for personalized videos. The Cameo platform contacted him, turning personalised messages into one of his main sources of revenue, creating nearly 1,200 videos.
- Commercial partnerships took off after a viral campaign with fintech Ramp. Despite success, he chose to manage his own business, using artificial intelligence for administrative work instead of traditional manager.
- Despite the mental and physical exhaustion caused by the continued interpretation of the role, his revenue exceeded a million dollars. This allowed him to leave his previous job as a trainer.
Johnny Hilbrandt's story looks out of the modern economy manual of content creators. Within just one year, a 36-year-old gymnast from the suburbs of Boston managed to turn a satirical personic who mocked private equity fund executives into a Company with revenue over a million dollars.
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The strangest thing is that the audience who embraced his character most were none other than... the very people who satirized and mocked!
Today «PE Guy», as known in Social networks, is one of the most typical examples of how satire, social media and artificial intelligence can create a new form of entrepreneurship that a few years ago would seem unthinkable.
Playing a stereotypical investor private equity
Hilbrandt's success occurred almost by accident. In March 2025 he began uploading videos on social networks playing a stereotypical private equity investor. His character collected all the clichés that accompany the world of high finance: overconfidence, obsession with profitability, incomprehensible corporate terminology and a permanent mood to turn everything into an investment opportunity. At first he treated it exclusively as a hobby.
«At first, I published two videos a week and didn't see it at all as a way to make money.», explains.
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The situation changed when a men's clothing company, Black Tux, contacted him about the first trade partnership. He had no idea how much he had to charge for an advertisement. Instead of addressing a manager or advertising office, he turned to ChatGPT.
«I asked ChatGPT how much I could charge based on the size of my accounts. I sent the number to the company and they agreed immediately.»He remembers.
The deal worked as a catalyst. Other companies saw that he had already worked with an advertiser and began to approach him. Within a few months his email was filled with proposals for cooperation.
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At the same time, his followers began to request personalized videos. At first he had no account on the Cameo platform, where famous and influencers charge video messages for fans. So he suggested that interested parties send him all the money they considered fair through Venmo.
Most offered from $200 to $400 for each video.
«Then I realized there was a real market for what I did.»He says.
Hilbrandt's success occurred almost by accident. In March 2025 he started uploading videos on social networks playing a stereotypical investor private equity / TICTOK
Soon after Cameo contacted him herself. Within a year he created nearly 1,200 personified videos, turning this activity into one of his most important sources of revenue.
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The major explosion, however, came from trade partnerships. Software companies, fintech startups, business technology services and consumer brands discovered that its self-sarcasting character could approach a particularly attractive audience: business executives, investors and young professionals working in the financial sector.
Among his best known partnerships was the one with the fintech company Ramp. The company's marketing team designed a viral campaign in which Hilbrandt, as PE Guy, «interviewing» the company's alleged financial director, actor Brian Baumgartner, known worldwide as Kevin from the series «The Office». The campaign was very successful and paved the way for even more deals.
Although he now works with major agencies and has signed a representation agreement with UTA, one of the largest talent companies in the world, he still manages almost all business decisions alone.
His character collected all the clichés that accompany the world of high finance: overconfidence, obsession with profitability, incomprehensible corporate terminology and a permanent mood to turn everything into an investment opportunity. At first he treated it exclusively as a hobby / TICTOK
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«I was offered people to take over and hold up to 40% of my income. That scared me. So I decided to be my own manager. I basically said I'd use ChatGPT as manager.», report.
This statement also reflects one of the greatest changes that artificial intelligence brings to the economy of content creators. Hilbrandt does not use ChatGPT to write scripts. Instead, he uses it for administrative work: email management, accounting issues, customer communication and partnership organisation.
«I never use artificial intelligence to write my jokes. It's my voice and I want it to stay that way.», clears up.
Ένα από τα πιο ενδιαφέροντα στοιχεία της επιτυχίας του είναι ότι ο χαρακτήρας έχει αρχίσει να ξεφεύγει από τα όρια της αρχικής του ιδέας. Ενώ στην αρχή όλα τα βίντεο σχετίζονταν με τον κόσμο των private equity funds, σήμερα μόλις το 20% του περιεχομένου του αναφέρεται άμεσα στον συγκεκριμένο κλάδο.
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Η μεγάλη έκρηξη, ωστόσο, προήλθε από τις εμπορικές συνεργασίες. Εταιρείες λογισμικού, fintech startups, υπηρεσίες επιχειρηματικής τεχνολογίας και καταναλωτικά brands ανακάλυψαν ότι ο αυτοσαρκαστικός χαρακτήρας του μπορούσε να προσεγγίσει ένα ιδιαίτερα ελκυστικό κοινό / ΤΙΚΤΟΚ
Ο PE Guy έχει εξελιχθεί σε έναν ψεύτικο lifestyle influencer που σχολιάζει οτιδήποτε συμβαίνει γύρω του: από ταξίδια με ιδιωτικά αεροπλάνα και γιοτ μέχρι αθλητικές διοργανώσεις και πολυτελείς εμπειρίες.
Η εξέλιξη αυτή έχει δημιουργήσει ένα παράδοξο φαινόμενο. Οι ακόλουθοί του έχουν αρχίσει να αντιμετωπίζουν τον χαρακτήρα σαν πραγματικό πρόσωπο.
«Αν διαφημίσω ένα προϊόν που δεν τους αρέσει, μου γράφουν ότι ο PE Guy δεν θα χρησιμοποιούσε ποτέ κάτι τέτοιο», λέει γελώντας.
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Πίσω όμως από την επιτυχία κρύβεται και μια λιγότερο λαμπερή πραγματικότητα. Η συνεχής ερμηνεία του χαρακτήρα είναι εξαντλητική. Ο Χίλμπραντ παραδέχεται ότι έπειτα από πέντε ή έξι βίντεο Cameo αισθάνεται σωματικά εξαντλημένος.
«Αναπνέω πιο βαριά επειδή πρέπει να κρατώ συγκεκριμένη στάση σώματος και να μιλάω με συγκεκριμένο τρόπο. Υπάρχουν στιγμές που λαμβάνω ένα νέο αίτημα και σκέφτομαι ότι θα μου πάρει πέντε λεπτά, αλλά τελικά αποφασίζω ότι για σήμερα έχω χορτάσει από τον PE Guy».
Παρά τις δυσκολίες, τα οικονομικά αποτελέσματα είναι εντυπωσιακά. Τα συνολικά έσοδα ξεπέρασαν το ένα εκατομμύριο δολάρια μέσα σε 12 μήνες, ενώ αυξάνονται σχεδόν κάθε μήνα. Η ειρωνεία είναι ότι ο ίδιος ξεκίνησε τον χαρακτήρα εν μέρει για να σατιρίσει ανθρώπους που, όπως αισθανόταν, αντιμετώπιζαν αφ’ υψηλού το επάγγελμά του στον χώρο της γυμναστικής.
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Για 10 χρόνια εργαζόταν σε γνωστές αλυσίδες fitness, όπως τα Barry’s Bootcamp και SoulCycle. Σταδιακά άρχισε να συνειδητοποιεί ότι αρκετοί από τους πελάτες του αναγνώριζαν πλέον τον PE Guy περισσότερο από τον γυμναστή.
Το τέλος του 2025 αποτέλεσε σημείο καμπής. Κατάλαβε ότι δεν χρειαζόταν πλέον τη δουλειά του στον χώρο του fitness. Για πρώτη φορά στη ζωή του μπορούσε να ζήσει αποκλειστικά από έναν χαρακτήρα που είχε δημιουργήσει για πλάκα.
Και αν ο ίδιος ο PE Guy μάθαινε ότι η περσόνα του απέφερε περισσότερα από ένα εκατομμύριο δολάρια σε έναν χρόνο;
Ο Χίλμπραντ δίνει μόνος του την απάντηση, μιλώντας ως ο διάσημος χαρακτήρας του: «Θα άνοιγε διάπλατα τα μάτια του, θα άρχιζε να ιδρώνει και θα έλεγε: “Περίμενε λίγο. Μου λες ότι έβγαλες πάνω από ένα εκατομμύριο δολάρια σε έναν χρόνο; Άσε με να μιλήσω με την ομάδα μου και θα επανέλθω”. Μετά θα προσπαθούσε σίγουρα να αγοράσει μέρος της επιχείρησης».
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