OG: Approved - Johnny Hilbrant
Featuring the Next Generation of Storytellers Rising from the Creator Economy
Welcome to OG: Approved—where rule-breaking creators shape the future. Hand-picked by Open Gardens, they’re not following the playbook—they’re writing the next one.
Name: Johnny Hilbrant
Instagram: 169K Followers
Tik Tok: 47.4K Followers
Who Is Johnny Hilbrant?
Finally! The Wall Street world has a creator to call their own. Despite his satirical nature, this ultimate finance bro is battle tested and has been making his way around private equity offices quicker than the latest stock tip.
Enter Johnny Hilbrant aka P.E Guy.
Johnny Hilbrant may only play one character but an entire world forms around him. Rocking a golf cap, vest and a smile that says he is winning even when he is just talking. He corners you with small talk that sounds like a press release. Lake Como on Father’s Day. A home gym that would make a country club blush. Children named Tarantino, Montauk, and EBITDA. You know who this guy is before he finishes hello. We’ve all met THEM.
The backstory is part of the bit. Johnny is Boston based. He teaches fitness (still at Soul Cycle and Barrys - check their websites!). He did not come from finance. The character was born after too many weddings where someone with a badge and a bonus explained the market to him. He took that voice, added a face filter, and built a persona you can spot in one second of vertical video. The more specific he gets, the funnier it lands. The comments fill in the map.
The format is simple and sharp. One take to camera. A setting that codes wealth without saying the word. A few ultra-local tells. A catchphrase you can hear in your head before he says it. City episodes become travel guides to status. Marin. Greenwich. Back Bay. The community now feeds him references. They send the jokes he has not said yet. He turns them into canon.
Distribution is the engine. Instagram Reels does the heavy lifting. TikTok carries the quick hits. The pipeline off platform is developing but very real. Corporate inquiries. Branded hats sent for cameos. Personalized videos for fans and finance offices that want the roast in the room. The character becomes a small business without breaking the fourth wall.
What makes it stick is control. He never names the firm. He never shows wifey. The face is a mask in plain sight. That lets the satire travel. Industry insiders laugh because they recognize the furniture. Everyone else laughs because they recognize the type. One roundtrip on the feed and your group chat starts saying ‘CURIOUS’ for a week. Business press takes notice. The bookings follow.
Give him credit. He mapped a ‘think highly of themselves’ tribe so cleanly that they have adopted him. Partners, analysts, and interns share the clips and quote the lines. The satire is exact, not cruel. It lets the community laugh at itself and feel seen. It’s not a big deal, you know, due to his role.
Three Things We Love About Johnny Hilbrant
Specificity as a superpower: City by city. Club by club. He uses micro details like props. The accuracy makes the character feel real and makes the comments part of the writers’ room.
A crowdsourced canon: Fans feed him hyper local lore. He promotes the best bits to story. Kids’ names become running gags. The world gets richer without a writers’ room.
Conversion without breaking character: Reels pull the audience in. Cameos, merch, and corporate requests monetize the persona while the mask stays on. The joke is intact and the business works.
