Dharminder Mann (born May 29, 1984) is an American entrepreneur and film producer. He is the founder of Dhar Mann Studios, a video production company that creates short scripted videos primarily distributed on platforms such as YouTube. The content is aimed at a young audience and often includes narratives with moral lessons. In 2010, Mann and stockbroker Derek Peterson founded the weGrow store that sold hydroponics marketed for growing medical marijuana. weGrow was closed two years later amid lawsuits between the business partners. In 2013, Mann was convicted of defrauding the city of Oakland, California, through his real estate company MannEdge Properties.
Early life Dhar Mann was born Dharminder Mann on May 29, 1984, to Surinder Mann and Baljit Singh Mann, who emigrated from India to the United States. The Singh family owns Friendly Cab, a taxi cab operator based in Oakland, California. They have owned several local real estate companies since 1980, and more than 130 properties. Mann recalls growing up in a one-bedroom Bay Area apartment which was shared with three other families. As his parents were focused on managing their company, he has said that rather than "give me their time, they gave me money to do things".
Early career and legal issues At the age of nineteen, Mann started a real estate company and founded other, often failed, companies within the decade including ventures in luxury car rental services and mortgage refinancing. Mann founded weGrow, a retailer of cannabis-growing hydroponics, with former stock broker Derek Peterson in January 2010. Mann and Peterson rented a supply store in Oakland to sell hydroponics equipment, and aimed to open franchises in eight other states. In early 2011, the weGrow store was closed and Peterson filed lawsuits against the company, citing unpaid debts. He accused Mann of running a "hydroponzi scheme" in a Mother Jones interview. A spokesman for Mann said that Peterson fabricated the allegations in retaliation for Mann's decision to downsize their partnership; Mann successfully countersued Peterson for a cash settlement and stocks in Peterson's own company. In 2012, Mann was charged with thirteen felony counts of fraud for allegedly defrauding a city beautification program while operating his real estate company MannEdge Properties in 2008 and 2009. Prosecutors reduced the charges to five felony counts in August 2013, and later that year Mann pled no contest to the five counts. He was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and restitution. Mann told The New York Times in 2021 that the conviction was later expunged.
Dhar Mann Studios
In 2018, Mann founded Dhar Mann Studios, a video production company that produces films for social media platforms such as YouTube. Based in Burbank, California, the studio operates from a 125,000-square-foot production facility, employs approximately 200 staff members, and collaborates with around 2,000 actors annually. In 2025, the studio operated on a 30-day production schedule and had eight crews filming simultaneously. When he began publishing videos on YouTube in 2018, his output consisted of motivational videos and later shifted focus to morality plays. In 2021, Mann started a contract with the Creative Artists Agency and launched a mobile app where users can watch videos produced by his studio. Dhar Mann Studios was honored with the Audience Honor for Best YouTube Presence at the Shorty Awards. In 2024, Mann signed with production company Studio71, and former MTV president Sean Atkins joined the company as president and COO. In 2024, Dhar Mann was nominated for the 2024 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the Favorite Male Creator category. In 2025, Samsung TV Plus announced a deal with the Dhar Mann Studios to develop 13 original episodes to premiere on a dedicated free ad-supported streaming television channel. In January 2026, a multi-year agreement between Fox Entertainment and Dhar Mann Studios was announced for the creation and production of 40 narrative titles by the studio to debut on the Holywater platform. Subsequent international distribution is set to be managed by Fox Entertainment. In July 2025, Mann was named to the inaugural TIME100 Creators list, which recognized 100 of the most influential digital creators from around the world.
Videos The studio's videos feature often recurring actors. A New York Times profile of Mann described his YouTube videos as "timely narratives about police-calling Karens and COVID-19 hoarders" told in the fashion of "1980s after-school specials and the educational short films of the '50s". It noted their often "thin and absolutist" moral philosophy and "openly click bait" titles. Vulture called them "feel-good" videos intended to "encourage people to be decent to one another." In 2023, the studio announced Jay & Mikey, a comedy kids show based on the titular characters from Mann's previous short film series with Shaun Dixon and Kaido Lee Roberts reprising their roles as the titular middle-schoolers. By mid-2023, the studio's YouTube videos had more than a total of 11 billion views.
Actors' protest In February 2023, multiple actors employed by Dhar Mann Studios said on social media that they have poor working conditions and unsustainable pay. After the protests, Mann issued a statement on his YouTube channel and Instagram account disputing the claims of the protesting actors and accusing them of "spreading false information" about his studio, family, and himself. He explained how the studio operated and disclosed hourly rates for actors.
Other activities In 2022, Mann announced a new podcast, Dhar & Jay Show, hosted with podcaster Jay Shetty with guests including Charli D'Amelio and Winnie Harlow. In 2026, Mann was named the NFL's "Chief Kindness Officer," as well as its "Creator of the Week" leading up to Super Bowl LX. Later that year Mann launched the podcast What Happens Next. The series is hosted by Mann and features interviews with celebrities, digital creators, and public figures about defining moments in their lives and careers. According to Variety, it is the first original podcast production from Mann's company.
Personal life In 2014, Mann was engaged to businesswoman Lilly Ghalichi, a participant on the reality television series Shahs of Sunset; they separated later that year. Mann's partner is Laura Avila. Together the couple managed LiveGlam, a cosmetics company which Mann established in 2015. In late 2020, Mann purchased a mansion in Calabasas, California, previously owned by media personality Khloé Kardashian. Along with his family's real estate activities in Oakland, Mann and his brother Harmit own property across the city.
Awards and nominations
References
External links Official website Dhar Mann at IMDb