(Newser)
– Before becoming “the most disturbing internet marketer”, the Wall Street Journal reports, Keith Gill was an accomplished college athlete who intended to become a professional runner. “When he puts his mind on something, he can be very focused,” his mother, Elaine Gill, tells the daily. With his racing dreams hampered by an injury, Gill, 34, turned his focus to online commerce, which put him on the path to becoming the man behind GameStop’s recent commercial frenzy. Here’s more about Gill.
- Hometown Hero. Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, Gill is still remembered for his speed on the track, said Brockton High School track and field coach John Fidalgo USA today: “All children know him by name. The name Gill is everywhere in our locker room and on the record board. “
- Persona online. Known on Reddit as “DeepF – ingValue” and on YouTube as “Roaring Kitty”, Gill often wears a “samurai” headband and a cat-themed shirt, as New York Post. He operates a YouTube channel in his basement in the Boston suburbs “behind a table full of used cups, various tech equipment, sports hats and Uno cards”.
- Buying GameStop. In September 2019, Gill posted a screenshot of the portfolio to the Reddit group WallStreetBets showing that he had invested $ 53,000 in GameStop and had already made a profit of $ 46,000, Reuters reported. On Wednesday, at Post, he shared a screenshot showing a daily gain of about $ 20 million in GameStop shares.
- Athletic aspirations. Gill was a promising high school runner and flourished in college, according to the daily. However, he was “stuck in a boom and bust cycle while fighting injuries.” In 2008, he set a record at Stonehill College, running 4: 03.43 miles. But Achilles tendinosis finally put an end to his racing dreams.
- Newly discovered wealth. With huge potential gains on the horizon, Gill tells the daily that he has just one big purchase on his wish list: financing a covered track facility in Brockton. “Now it looks like I could really do that,” he tells the newspaper.
(Read more GameStop stories.)