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Patrick Bet-David

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Patrick Bet-David
Bet-David speaking at the 2023 AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona
Personal information
Born
Patrick Bet-David

(1978-10-18) October 18, 1978 (age 46)
Tehran, Iran
EducationSanta Monica College
Occupation(s)YouTuber, entrepreneur, author
SpouseJennifer Bet-David
Children4
Websitepatrickbetdavid.com
YouTube information
Also known asPBD
Channel
Years active2012–present
Genres
  • Business
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Politics
Subscribers6.09 million[1][3]
Total views1.76 billion[1][2][3]
100,000 subscribers2015
1,000,000 subscribers2017
Last updated: October 21, 2024
Statistics shown are representative of the "Valuetainment" channel only.
Patrick Bet-David
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2020–present
Subscribers2.21 million[1][4][5]
Total views475 million[5]
Last updated: October 21, 2024

Patrick Bet-David (born October 18, 1978) is a Assyrian-American business entrepreneur and news media podcaster. He hosts Valuetainment, a podcast in which he discusses current events, business, pop culture, sports, politics, science, religion, and history with celebrity guests.

He launched his own life insurance company, PHP Agency (People Helping People), in 2009. The company began with a small team of agents in Northridge, California, and has since grown to over 14,000 agents across the United States, including Puerto Rico.[1] The company focuses on life insurance policies and financial services.[1][6]

Early Life and Personal Transformation

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Patrick Bet-David was born in Tehran, Iran on October 18, 1978, during the Iranian Revolution. Bet-David and his parents left Iran as refugees during the Iran-Iraq War. In 1989, they spent time in a refugee camp in Erlangen, Germany, before eventually immigrating to the United States and settling in Glendale, California.

After graduating from Glendale High School, Bet-David joined the United States Army, serving in the 101st Airborne Division in his early 20s. During his early adulthood, he recounted a lifestyle focused on partying and claimed to have briefly worked as a bodyguard for a leading Los Angeles cocaine dealer. This period, according to Bet-David, contributed to his worldview and later influenced his personal transformation.[7]

After his time in the Army, Bet-David reconnected with a high school friend who introduced him to Christianity. Initially an atheist, Bet-David began attending Bible studies, leading to a significant personal transformation. Within 18 months, he embraced Christianity and moved away from his previous lifestyle.[1][7]

Career

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2001-2009: Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Transamerica

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The day before 9/11, a Glendale branch manager at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, impressed by Bet-David’s service in the Army and his hunger for sales, hired him as a financial advisor. He went on to work at Transamerica for nearly eight years, realizing along the way that he didn’t want to climb the corporate ladder at a bank or insurance agency.[1]

2009-Present: PHP Agency Inc and Valuetainment

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PHP Agency Inc

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Bet-David founded PHP Agency Inc. in 2009. The company had a few employees at its then headquarters in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. PHP Agency Inc. has since scaled to having 14,000 insurance agents operating in 49 U.S. states and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. The financial services firm specializes in selling a variety of life insurance policies. Jennifer Bet-David is the executive vice president of agency operations at PHP Agency Inc.[6] The company headquarters is now in Addison, Texas.

Valuetainment

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On November 9, 2012, Bet-David launched the Valuetainment channel on YouTube. He spent the first few years doing videos that featured him giving his philosophies on business and life. Bet-David then decided to grow the Valuetainment YouTube channel by bringing on guests.[8] One of the first guests he interviewed on Valuetainment was Mark Cuban, the former owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.[9]

His video, "The Life of an Entrepreneur in 90 Seconds," published in 2015, went viral on YouTube and Facebook, amassing millions of views and serving as a breakthrough moment for his online presence.[1] Valuetainment now hosts conventions featuring high-profile speakers like Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Johnson, and Nick Saban, and has grown into a media company with 115 employees.[1]

In August 2024, Bet-David appeared on Brad Lea's *Dropping Bombs* podcast, where he discussed key principles for personal and business success. He emphasized the importance of self-worth and confidence in building a network, explaining that belief in oneself is crucial for assembling a strong team. Bet-David further noted the value of learning from adversaries, quoting, "A wise man gets more from his enemies than a fool from his friends." He highlighted the need for strategic risk-taking in achieving financial success, encouraging entrepreneurs to take calculated risks to reach their goals.[10]

Real Estate Investments

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Patrick Bet-David has expanded his entrepreneurial activities into the real estate sector. In September 2024, he purchased a $25 million mixed-use project in Broward County, Florida. The development includes residential and commercial spaces, marking Bet-David’s continued investment in South Florida's growing property market.[11]

Political Commentary

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As Valuetainment grew, Bet-David ventured into political commentary, launching the PBD Podcast, which hosts debates and interviews on American politics and cultural issues. His shift into the political sphere has attracted notable figures such as Donald Trump and Piers Morgan, who have praised Bet-David for his insights.[1] However, Bet-David's political stance and involvement have sparked controversy in some circles.[12]

In a July 2024 interview with Jesse Watters on Fox News, Bet-David suggested that Donald Trump should return to his 2016 campaign messaging, focusing on selling the American Dream rather than engaging in constant attacks. Bet-David emphasized the importance of appealing to Independent voters and avoiding being drawn into the negative discourse pushed by Trump's opponents.[13]

Criticism and Controversy

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Despite his success, Bet-David has faced criticism over his business practices, particularly regarding his insurance company, PHP. Prominent critics, including YouTuber Coffeezilla, have accused PHP of operating as a multilevel marketing (MLM) scheme. While PHP operates as an MLM, a 2021 investigation by a Memphis news station found that it is not a pyramid scheme, and the company maintains an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.[1] Bet-David has addressed these criticisms, emphasizing that other industries, such as real estate and insurance, also utilize MLM structures.[1]

Bet-David's life insurance company, PHP Agency, has also come under scrutiny. A 2019 article in The Daily Beast by Will Sommer and Kelly Weill described the company as "shady" and questioned the involvement of high-profile figures like George W. Bush, Kobe Bryant, and Jordan Peterson at PHP events. The article claims that PHP Agency’s business model is more reliant on recruitment than on selling insurance, and many of the company's income appears to come from fees paid by the recruits themselves. Critics, such as Douglas Brooks, an attorney specializing in multilevel marketing lawsuits, described the model as similar to a lottery, where only a few people succeed while the majority lose money.[14]

In addition to business-related controversies, Bet-David's podcast has been criticized for providing a platform for controversial figures and promoting conspiracy theories. A 2024 article by Reed McMaster from Media Matters for America accused Bet-David of allowing guests to push bigotry and conspiracy theories, such as the white nationalist "great replacement" theory and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.[15] Bet-David has hosted several far-right figures, including Jesse Watters and Alex Jones, both of whom have used the platform to spread conspiracy theories about mail-in ballot harvesting and LGBTQ issues.

New York Yankees

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Bet-David owns a minority stake in Major League Baseball's, New York Yankees franchise.[16]

Books

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  • Bet-David, Patrick (2012). The Next Perfect Storm. Open Road Integrated Media, Incorporated. ISBN 9780615650975.
  • Bet-David, Patrick (2012). Doing the Impossible: The 25 Laws for Doing the Impossible. Valuetainment Publishing. ISBN 9780997622300.
  • Bet-David, Patrick; Ellsworth, Thomas N. (2016). The Life of an Entrepreneur in 90 Pages: There's An Amazing Story Behind Every Story. Valuetainment Publishing. ISBN 9780997441000.
  • Bet-David, Patrick; Ellsworth, Thomas N. (2017). Drop Out and Get Schooled: The Case for Thinking Twice about College. 2B Consulting LLC. ISBN 9780997441024.
  • Bet-David, Patrick; Dinkin, Greg (August 18, 2020). Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy. Gallery Books. ISBN 9781982154806.
  • Bet-David, Patrick; Dinkin, Greg (December 5, 2023). Choose Your Enemies Wisely: Business Planning for the Audacious Few. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 9780593712849.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Inside the Unlikely Success of Patrick Bet-David". The Spectator. September 12, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "Valuetainment YouTube Channel". YouTube. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "About Valuetainment". YouTube.
  4. ^ "PBD Podcast YouTube Channel". YouTube. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "About PBD Podcast". YouTube.
  6. ^ a b "Jennifer Bet-David". PHP Agency. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Zak, David (November 1, 2024). "Watching the Trump Victory Among the Podcasters". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  8. ^ Radhyan, Chirag (December 17, 2023). "Grew Up In a 'High Intense War and Bombings,': Patrick Bet-David Seeks Once 'Ignorant' Mike Tyson's Advice on How to Control His Aggression". EssentiallySports. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  9. ^ Mark Cuban: Best Interview UNCENSORED. Valuetainment. November 23, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ McGahan, Michelle (August 9, 2024). "Entrepreneur and New York Yankees Owner Patrick Bet-David Unmasks Powerful Keys to Success With Podcast Host Brad Lea". Newsweek. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  11. ^ "Patrick Bet-David Pays $25M for Broward Mixed-Use Project". The Real Deal. September 24, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "Entrepreneur Patrick Bet-David discusses what an American buyout of TikTok could look like". CNBC. March 15, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  13. ^ Bet-David, Patrick (July 30, 2024). "Patrick Bet-David: Trump Needs to Go Back to 2016 Speeches, Sell Me on the Concept of the American Dream". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  14. ^ Sommer, Will; Weill, Kelly (May 30, 2019). "George W. Bush, Kobe Bryant, Jordan Peterson Promote Shady Multilevel Marketing Company PHP Agency". The Daily Beast. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  15. ^ McMaster, Reed (May 13, 2024). "Podcast host Patrick Bet-David provides a safe space for guests to push bigotry and conspiracy theories". Media Matters for America. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Patrick Bet-David on How He Owns a Piece of the NY Yankees (Part 14). djvlad. December 23, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via YouTube.
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