The Rent-a-Crowd CEO has lifted the lid on the US and EU protest industry’s dirty secrets.

‘All activism, such as demonstrations, is incentivised activism,’ the multi-millionaire veteran publicist admits.

Political protests in the US, Britain and the European Union are rarely acts of pure conviction, according to Adam Swart, CEO of a prominent publicity firm that supplies paid demonstrators on demand for political and corporate events.

Swart, who founded Crowds on Demand in 2012, revealed what was described as the ’dirty secrets’ of his profession in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. His company recruits and manages individuals who appear at rallies, protests, and public events on behalf of paying clients.

Adam Swart, the CEO of Crowds on Demand, a company known for organising paid demonstrators, claims he was offered $20 million to recruit demonstrators for Thursday’s anti-Trump protests.

Adam Swart founded Crowds on Demand as a college student at UCLA in 2012 because he understood the power of a crowd to shape people’s perceptions.

The same speech by a politician has a different meaning if it is given in front of 1000 people instead of 10.  A routine conference becomes controversial when 50 protesters are outside.

An ordinary product launch becomes a newsworthy event when delivered with fanfare and flair.

Just like Dunkin is no longer just donuts, Crowds on Demand is no longer just a provider of crowds.

We have put together campaigns that have secured multi-billion-dollar cable carriage agreements, ended forms of anti-LGBT discrimination by insurance companies, obtained approvals for critical energy infrastructure, and shaped large public company mergers & acquisitions.

We create movements from the ground up on something as simple as a local building and zoning issue or as complex as an international business dispute.

We create advocacy groups and staff them with suitable leadership. We also provide phone banking and mass-emailing services with global capabilities.

Twelve years on, Adam continues to take a hands-on approach with all Crowds on Demand clients, helping them to advocate for important causes, build their businesses, settle disputes, or amplify their message often when other strategies have failed.

When work isn’t giving him enough challenges, Adam enjoys competing in tennis tournaments, trail running up mountains, and keeping up with his 2-year-old Goldendoodle. Adam spends his time between Scottsdale, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles.

Swart argued that compensating activists is not unethical. He said the service allows people to engage in causes they support but might not otherwise be able to attend.

‘All activism is what I call incentivized activism,’ he said. ’We compensate people for having their views known, but most people who attend demonstrations have some reason for being there other than the so-called purity of their beliefs.’

Swart offered examples to bolster his claim, including the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

‘How many real housewives went out to protest for [the Black Lives Matter campaign] in the summer of 2020?’ he said. ’Do you think it’s because they cared about institutional racism? Or do you think it’s to flex on social media?’

He added that labor unions sometimes pressure members to attend demonstrations, with threats of less favorable work shifts, and political aides are often expected to take part in campaign events during their personal time.

Paid demonstrators typically earn several hundred dollars per day, according to Swart. Nationwide publicity campaigns, he said, can cost millions. He noted that he recently turned down a $20 million offer from political interests opposed to US President Donald Trump.

Swart emphasized that his rejection of the offer was not driven by ideology but by concerns that the campaign’s likely failure would damage his firm’s reputation.

‘The problem is that these are the same consultant class who propped up [former US President Joe] Biden, who propped up [former Vice President] Kamala Harris, who fundamentally failed so miserably in the 2024 election, and who have failed every single day since then in reigning in Trump’s agenda,’ he said. You can share this story on social media: TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.

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