Crypto Comedian Raises $150K for ‘The Max Extractor’ TV Pilot

Gabriel Haines has built his reputation through unconventional means—shirtless videos on X where he rants about cryptocurrency topics while brandishing a machete. Now, he’s channeling that same energy into a more structured creative endeavor. Haines has raised $150,000 from approximately a dozen backers to film the pilot episode of “The Max Extractor,” a series that mixes crypto and crime in the vein of dramatic classics like “Breaking Bad” and “The Sopranos.” This marks a significant evolution for Haines, who previously leveraged his online presence as an announcer for Karate Combat, a crypto-fueled fighting league, and crowdfunded $10,000 in 2022 to search for FTX’s disgraced CEO in the Bahamas.

The plot centers on an entrepreneur who loses everything trading cryptocurrencies on leverage—a scenario familiar to many in the volatile crypto markets. While trying to maintain a facade of success, the protagonist makes regretful choices to pay debts owed to shady characters. Haines has tapped Sullivan Slentz, who previously collaborated with him on a commercial for a DeFi project, to direct the pilot. Though the cast is still being finalized, the team is targeting a February completion date for the episode, with plans to create behind-the-scenes vlogs to build audience engagement.

“The Max Extractor” draws direct inspiration from recent crypto scandals, particularly the Libra token controversy involving Argentine President Javier Milei. Haines told Decrypt he was “enthralled” when the meme coin crisis befell Milei in February, and he’s now folding elements of it into his show’s narrative. The protagonist is loosely based on Hayden Davis, the 28-year-old CEO of Kelsier Ventures who advised Milei on the ill-fated Libra token and helped First Lady Melania Trump introduce a meme coin.

According to crypto research firm Nansen, traders lost $251 million on Libra after the far-right leader promoted it on X. While Argentina’s anti-corruption unit cleared Milei of wrongdoing in June, a congressional commission pushed forward with an investigation this week. Meanwhile, Davis is fighting a class-action lawsuit led by crypto law firm Burwick Law in New York. Haines sees this complex web of events as “a novel canvas for fiction,” noting that “It’s not exactly clear what happened, but somehow the president of Argentina was promoting this shitcoin, and Hayden was involved. I was really inspired by that.”

Despite the show’s comedic elements, Haines emphasizes his commitment to realism and authenticity. He wants “The Max Extractor” to provide an inside look at how scams and hacks propagate in the crypto space, drawing parallels to how “The Big Short” used Margot Robbie to explain subprime mortgages to audiences. “If you want to say that cryptocurrency is this shining horse, ‘an angel from on high,’ you’re bullshitting,” Haines stated. “You have this permissionless open platform that has a lot of different things going on that most people do not understand.”

This educational approach has faced some pushback from prospective backers, but Haines remains committed to his vision. He argues that while documentaries exist, entertainment that captures blockchain intricacies in an engaging way is “pretty hard to come by.” The show aims to demystify the crypto world’s complexities while not shying away from its darker aspects, providing viewers with both entertainment and insight into an often-opaque industry.

The project has attracted support from several notable figures in the crypto space. Backers include Gabriel Shapiro, CEO and founder of MetaLeX, an advisory on crypto governance; Anil Lulla, CEO of Delphi Digital, a crypto research firm; and Solana-based automated market maker DeFiTuna. The show is also sponsored by genzcash, which bills itself as the “memetic warfare division” of privacy-focused coin Zcash.

While Haines is far from striking a deal with major networks like HBO, the $150,000 in funding represents significant industry confidence in his vision. His previous crowdfunding success for the Bahamas trip drew over 60 supporters, demonstrating his ability to mobilize community backing. Haines acknowledges that the project’s future depends on audience reception: “The bottom line is, unless there is an audience for this, there’s no future.” However, he brings confidence in his video production skills, noting “I’m not an expert in almost anything, but there’s one thing that I can say I have at least a little bit of knowledge in, and that’s video. I’ve made so many.”