The 7M TikTok Cult Is the Subject of Netflix's Newest Documentary — Lawsuits and Financial Fraud Run Rife
A rift between TikTookay sisters Miranda and Melanie Wilking led to an investigation into the 7M “cult” featured in a Netflix doc.
By Jamie LernerMay Eight 2024, Published 6:03 p.m. ET
In an age where cult task is the focal point, it seems not going that people may so simply fall into one. We’ve observed what happens with groups like NXIVM and Scientology, so it should appear obvious to steer clear of cults (or groups that look like one). However, no one units out to “join a cult” — cults continuously prey on not unusual vulnerabilities, which is why up-and-coming dancers, influencers, and actors could also be simple objectives.
Netflix’s latest cult documentary, Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, which is set to premiere on May 29, main points what happened when one half of a dancing sister duo, the Wilking sisters, fell into the flawed control company. 7M Films claims to be a management corporate for dancers, models, and actors, but an investigation in the back of the scenes displays a much darker story. What’s actually going on?
To give an explanation for the 7M TikTookay cult, we need to dig into the founding father of 7M, Robert Shinn.
Robert Shinn based 7M Films in 2021, so it’s still lovely new. However, to make a name for his new undertaking, he and his son, Isaiah, approached growing social media influencers, together with the Wilking sisters. While Miranda Wilking decided she sought after to paintings with 7M, Melanie noticed several red flags and determined to keep away from the organization.
One of those purple flags is the “leader,” Robert Shinn, who may be the leader of Los Angeles’s Shekinah Church. However, the “Church” seems to don't have any bodily or social media presence. According to a Daily Beast profile, company filings show the church’s cope with is simply an place of job space, coincidentally the similar cope with as the 7M Films HQ.
Shekinah Church used to be based in 1994 and seems to borrow from several different religions and cult-like dogma. In 2009, former Shekinah Church member Lydia Chung filed a lawsuit against Shinn, claiming he “had remoted her from her family, brainwashed her, and defrauded her out of nearly $4 million, which was allegedly funneled to Shinn thru the non-taxpaying church.” The pass judgement on in the long run dominated in Shinn’s want, leaving Chung to select up the items of the existence he stole.
“This is a cult,” she advised The Daily Beast. “This totally ruins folks. You listen about the people who went to Vietnam—going through this sort of trauma, many people cannot serve as as a regular human being—that is what it does.” She claimed Shinn “exerted undue influence, mind keep watch over, coercive persuasion, oppression, and different intimidating ways” over her to “divest her of her cash and belongings” to him “all in the name of obeying the will of God.”
Of course, this was earlier than Shinn’s 7M Films days, but his pattern of conduct endured, leading several former 7M dancers to sue the corporate. TikTokers Aubrey Fisher-Greene, Kylie Douglas, and Kevin “Konkrete” Davis joined four others in accusing Shinn of operating a cult.
“Shekinah is a cult working below the guise of a spiritual institution,” the cross-complaint stated (via Rolling Stone). “Robert refers to himself as ‘the Man of God’ and preaches to Shekinah members, and that [sic] with out filing to him and without Shekinah, their lives might be cursed. Robert required full physical and economic keep an eye on [sic] over Shekinah members.”
The Netflix documentary about 7M will likely focal point on the Wilking sisters and different strained households.
When Melanie and her parents went live on Instagram to tell their tale, Miranda and her husband, James “BDAsh” Derrick, tried responsible the familial separation on racism against Miranda’s husband. However, the Wilkings denied this, stating that Melanie used to be additionally courting a Black guy at the time. Even nonetheless, 7M used to be able to use this to pressure a wedge between the sisters and pull Miranda into their money-making system.
The former contributors allege that Shinn used 7M to keep an eye on individuals of the church and achieve finances to are living a life of luxury. In reality, 7M may be a reference to Shekinah’s educating of the Seven Mountain Mandate, an ideology that says “believers” must infiltrate the seven facets of the trendy international—family, faith, training, media, entertainment, industry, and government—to “establish God’s kingdom on Earth.”
It’s essentially a holier-than-thou ideology that believes its followers must be in management positions all over each trade. This makes sense taking into account Shinn’s different ventures, together with actual estate, medical trying out, outreach techniques, and other money-making schemes. There are various allegations against Shinn, together with sexual assault allegations, however little has been shared with the public, so we’re keen to see what involves mild in Netflix’s documentary.
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