Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child

 

Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child documents the career (so far) of social media star turned professional boxer Jake Paul. He and his brother Logan Paul, also a social media star, began making videos in high school, which garnered millions of views - and in turn more money than they could have imagined. After brief forays into acting and music, Jake took up boxing and eventually decided to box professionally. His social media talents took the boxing world by storm as his bouts raked in tens of millions of dollars, even as much of the world and boxing establishment doubted his sincerity and ability.

Released 2023; Runtime 70 minutes

Concepts

  • Media: Jake found success as an internet star via platforms like Vine and YouTube. Because he garnered millions of followers, when he became a pro boxer, he was able to use his built-in audience, tendency to get under people's skins, and penchant for self-promotion to hype his fights and bring attention back to the sport.
  • Underdogs: Because of his background as a YouTuber, virtually no one outside of his immediate circle took him seriously as a boxer. He was given no chance in practically all of his fights, including against Nate Robinson, Ben Askren, and Anderson Silva. He entered his fight against Tommy Fury with a 6-0 record and lost in a split decision.
  • Commitment: Despite being a YouTuber, Jake committed himself to being the best boxer he could be, even moving to Puerto Rico to train full time. His pursuit of excellence is what allowed him to win despite being mocked as a pretender.
  • Parents & Family: Jake and his brother Logan started as co-creators before becoming fierce competitors as each wanted to be the most popular YouTuber. During a low point, however, Jake realized that his brother was the only one who really understood what he was going through. Additionally, Jake's father was revealed to be physically abusive towards Jake and Paul, which still upsets Jake tremendously today, even if he does credit some of his toughness to those experiences.