The summary of ‘The Completionist: How a Charity Exposed a Fraud’

The YouTube video discusses the journey of YouTuber Gerard, known for "The Completionist," and his involvement in a charity scandal. It delves into Gerard's personal struggles, collaborations, channel growth, and aspirations. However, financial discrepancies within the Open Hand Foundation, lack of transparency, and suspicions of misuse of funds tarnished his reputation. Gerard's attempts to clarify the situation were met with skepticism, leading to a fallout with viewers and other content creators, resulting in a loss of trust and declining viewership. The video reflects on Gerard's family dynamics, insecurities, and the impact of the charity scandal on his audience perception.

00:00:00

In this segment of the video, it is highlighted that a charity thread about Gerard the Completionist was pulled, triggering various allegations and exposing Gerard’s history of lies related to his family-run charity. The drama revealed Gerard’s failure to donate any money for nearly 10 years, despite receiving large donations. It also delves into Gerard’s personal background, including his family’s battle with illness and his struggles to meet his father’s expectations. The segment touches upon Gerard’s early YouTube endeavors, failed sketch-based channels, and the launch of his successful show, “The Completionist,” in 2011. Additionally, it mentions Gerard’s collaboration with JonTron and the establishment of his YouTube channel, “That One Video Gamer.” Lastly, it addresses Gerard’s transition from a failed cooking show to the launch of “The Completionist” on YouTube, following a period of setbacks and job changes.

00:10:00

In this segment of the video, the focus shifts from the game “War Thunder” to the backstory of the YouTuber Gerard. The segment highlights Gerard’s creation of the Completionist channel, his collaboration with Greg, the growth of his channel through consistent uploads, the personal challenges he faced, and the eventual fallout with Greg in 2015. The segment also delves into Gerard’s efforts to expand his content beyond game reviews, his desire to please his father, and how he earned recognition from companies like Nintendo. The segment concludes with a mention of Greg’s return to request removal of videos featuring him, leading to a crucial turning point for the channel.

00:20:00

In this segment of the video, it is mentioned that Gerard is removing all 12 episodes of The Completionist but then introduces the new opportunity to re-review games in a series called New Game Plus, which led to increased viewership for his channel. There is a discussion about Gerard’s inaccuracies regarding Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) statistics related to his mother’s passing. The video addresses Gerard’s involvement in charity streams, collaborations, and his good reputation. It also highlights a moment of crisis when Gerard’s YouTube channel views dipped, which he wrongly attributed to alterations in his upload schedule. The segment concludes by discussing Gerard’s struggles with completing the game “Persona 5” due to time constraints and a lack of interest.

00:30:00

In this segment of the video, Gerard’s viewership peaked in January 2021 at 7.5 million views with a top 10 video about the worst achievements. He then aimed to enter the video game industry but faced personal health challenges due to a rare syndrome requiring surgeries. Gerard joined the G4 network, but the relaunch failed due to poor production choices, low viewership, and controversies, leading to the network’s closure in 2022. Despite financial struggles and losing sponsors, Gerard made a risky video about buying all Wii U and 3DS eShop games, costing $22,988, but only gaining 1.4 million views, resulting in a significant financial loss.

00:40:00

In this segment of the video, Gerard discusses his efforts to please his father and maintain his family’s legacy, revealing insecurities and concerns about failing companies and a charity scandal involving the Open Hand Foundation. An anonymous tip accused Gerard of not donating any money raised for dementia research through the foundation. Investigator Carl Jobs discovered through financial records that the foundation had not donated any funds since its establishment in 2014, with misleading responses from board members. Gerard was confronted about the issue, realizing the money had not been moved as promised, and his family’s intention to make a restricted donation was mentioned. The pressure from investigators influenced a decision to finally donate the funds, exposing discrepancies in the foundation’s operations and Gerard’s family dynamics.

00:50:00

In this segment of the video, Gerard discusses the deep conflict within his family, particularly his relationship with his father and his pursuit of approval. He explains his one-man show, “The Completionist Legacy,” which delves into his father-son dynamic and highlights his desire to build a lasting legacy. Gerard expresses his fear of losing trust from his audience and family, detailing his insecurities and concerns about the repercussions of certain actions being construed as manipulation. The discussion shifts towards discrepancies in the handling of funds by the Open Hand Foundation, with concerns raised about potential fraudulent actions. Furthermore, the video highlights inconsistencies in the charity golf tournament held by the foundation, indicating significant financial discrepancies over the years. The segment also touches on reactions from various content creators, the need for transparency, and Gerard’s responses to unfolding events.

01:00:00

In this segment of the video transcript, the focus is on financial discrepancies and concerns related to a golf tournament’s revenue and expenses. There were questions raised about the lack of transparency in the financial reports, suspicions of pocketing money, and potential fraud. The Foundation received donations, but there were doubts about where the money was being allocated. Gerard’s responses were criticized for lacking detailed explanations, receipts, or itemized breakdowns. Accusations of misleading statements, embezzlement, and misuse of charity funds were raised. Gerard’s inconsistent claims and lack of evidence led to further suspicions and challenges to his credibility. The segment also highlights Gerard’s attempts to clarify certain numbers but failing to provide concrete evidence to support his claims, ultimately leading to the viewers’ skepticism and disbelief.

01:10:00

In this segment of the video, the focus is on the fallout surrounding Gerard, the YouTube creator behind Completionist. The Completionist subreddit devolved into drama, leading to mods setting it to private. Gerard faced backlash for his actions, including removing charity comments from videos and losing trust from viewers. Other channels distanced themselves from him, and his social blade stats show declining views. Gerard attempted to address the situation but was perceived as untrustworthy and a fraud. The segment highlights the shift in perception of Gerard from a community pillar to a manipulator.