Entertainment- Robert Shinn is the focus of Netflix's "Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult."
- The pastor is the founder of the Shekinah Church and the owner of 7M Films Inc.
Netflix's "Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult" tells the story of Robert Shinn, a church pastor who was accused of sexual harassment, fraud, and forced labor by TikTok dancers signed to his management label.
Shinn founded the nondenominational Shekinah Church in Los Angeles, in 1994. The Netflix docuseries reported that Shinn later started the talent agency 7M Films Inc. in 2021 when his son, videographer Isaiah Shinn, began working with content creators on TikTok.
The three-part docuseries mainly focuses on TikTok star Miranda Derrick, whose family became concerned about her involvement with Shinn's church, believing she cut ties with them because of his teachings. In a lengthy Instagram post on June 4, Derrick denied that Shinn manipulated her.
However, in 2022, other former Shekinah members told Business Insider that Shinn "brainwashed" them. They claimed that he used isolation and intimidation tactics to keep them in line and that he also had access to their bank accounts to control their income.
A 7M representative denied the allegations at the time, and said that "at no point" had Shinn isolated anyone or attempted to take "control of anyone's bank account."
Here's where Shinn is now.
Robert Shinn is facing a civil lawsuit that goes to trial in 2025
The third episode of "Dancing for the Devil" explained that Shinn filed a defamation suit against former Shekinah members and sisters Priscylla Leigh and Melanie Lee in 2022. Shinn claimed that the siblings, along with three other former members of the church, used "false statements" to refer to Shekinah as a cult on social media.
The group, including the sisters, filed a counter-suit in 2023, accusing Shinn of fraud, sexual abuse, and forced labor, CNN reported, citing court documents. The case will go to trial in July 2025. Shinn is not facing criminal charges.
Shocking footage in the docuseries shows the group following Shinn from Shekinah Church to a nearby restaurant to serve him legal papers.
In a statement to Tyla on June 5, Helen Shinn, the pastor's wife, denied the sister's accusations and claimed they were attempting to extort her husband.
She said: "Two years ago, Melanie Lee Goldman, Priscylla Leigh aka Elisha Priscylla Leigh and their co-conspirators launched a concerted smear campaign to defame Robert Shinn, his family, and his business associates after Mr. Shinn did not capitulate to Ms. Leigh's extortion demands.
"Despite sworn statements from co-conspirators that confirm the scheme by Ms. Goldman and Ms. Leigh to disseminate widespread lies, Netflix recklessly provided a global platform to peddle a false narrative that is at the center of ongoing litigation."
In 2022, The Sun reported that Shinn lived with his son in a $2.5 million mansion in Studio City, Los Angeles. Using photos from Arzuman Brothers home developers, it said that content creators working with 7M used the location to film dance videos. It's unclear if the pastor still resides in the property.
The Church's website indicates that it is still operating today, and claims that its goal is to save "one billion souls."