Dakota Laden wiki/bio, age, net worth, girlfriend, marriage, kids.

Dakota Laden is an American filmmaker and paranormal explorer who gained early recognition after creating parody videos inspired by the popular TV show Ghost Adventures. At just 18 years old, he won the Ghost Adventures Mashup contest in 2011, which led to his appearance on the series and marked the beginning of his career in paranormal television.

Following his work with Zak Bagans and the Ghost Adventures crew, Dakota continued to build a name for himself in the field. In 2019, he departed from the show and shifted focus to a new project of his own—Destination Fear. The Travel Channel series took a fresh, psychologically immersive approach to paranormal investigation and quickly developed a strong fan following.

This article explores the life and career of Dakota Laden, from his early YouTube beginnings to his evolution into an independent content creator and lead producer of Project Fear.

Early Life

Dakota Laden was born on November 18, 1995, in Minnesota, U.S. Born and raised in Minnesota, Dakota grew up alongside his four siblings Mykenna, Chelsea, Tavian & Isabella Laden. The second-eldest of the lot, Chelsea Laden stars alongside Dakota in his paranormal adventures. Little is known about his other three siblings. Of his parents, his father, Rob Laden, is known to have appeared in some of Dakota’s adventures but his mother Polly Laden likes to keep herself away.

Talking about his early life, Dakota revealed that he and his sister grew up in a haunted house. Revealing about his early interests in the paranormal, Dakota said,

“My sister Chelsea and I grew up in a haunted house. It wasn’t an extreme case, but it was definitely haunted and our parents were actually more concerned about it than the kids were. Our parents ended up getting the house blessed, and activity stopped, but it sparked an interest in the paranormal and we formed a hobby around it as urban explorers of haunted locations.”

From a young age, Dakota was drawn to filmmaking. He bought his first video camera at age seven from Chelsea and started making comedic short films, which he uploaded to his YouTube channel, “shortfilmzz123,” beginning in 2008. By middle and high school, he had become one of the earliest creators making sketch comedy on YouTube. At the same time, he was also deeply involved in urban exploration, particularly of abandoned buildings in Minnesota—a hobby he shared with Chelsea, Tanner Wiseman, and later Alex Schroeder.

Instead of following a typical teenage lifestyle, Dakota and his close friends—often including Chelsea, Tanner, and later Alex—spent their free time exploring abandoned buildings around Minnesota. Their shared interests in filmmaking and paranormal activity naturally developed into the foundation for what would become his first major documentary project.

Ghost Adventures

AAs his creative interests expanded, Dakota looked to existing paranormal shows for inspiration. One show in particular—Ghost Adventures, hosted by Zak Bagans—became a favorite. In 2011, at the age of 18, Dakota entered and won the Ghost Adventures Mashup contest—a fan competition hosted by the Travel Channel. His entry, a creative and humorous spoof of the show, earned him a guest spot on an episode of Ghost Adventures. This marked his first national appearance in the paranormal field and laid the groundwork for further collaboration with the team.

Following that appearance, Dakota’s involvement with Ghost Adventures deepened. He worked as a camera operator and producer, gaining hands-on experience in production, editing, and paranormal investigation. During this time, while working as a production assistant on film sets in Atlanta, Dakota met filmmaker Colin Smith, who would later become a key collaborator in his next major project.

In 2015, Dakota independently raised funds and produced Trail to Terror, a feature-length documentary that featured Chelsea, Tanner, and Colin. The film followed the team on a five-night road trip to five haunted locations, where each participant was required to sleep alone in a different part of the building. The experiment was designed so that no one knew the destinations ahead of time, adding suspense and authenticity to their fear-driven encounters.

As Dakota’s passion for filmmaking and the paranormal evolved, he became increasingly focused on the psychological aspects of fear. Rather than chasing paranormal evidence alone, he was intrigued by how fear affected human behavior—turning this emotional response into a central narrative tool in his work.

After completing Trail to Terror, Dakota chose to leave Ghost Adventures to pursue his own creative ventures. In 2019, he officially announced his departure from the series on Twitter, stating: “It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.”

“It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure” pic.twitter.com/moxATKbhuc

— Dakota Laden (@DakotaLaden) April 2, 2019

This decision marked a significant turning point in his career, ultimately leading to the creation of Destination Fear, a series that built upon the foundation established by Trail to Terror and expanded his reach as a creator, investigator, and storyteller.

Destination Fear

In a major step forward in his career, Dakota Laden transitioned into television with Destination Fear, which premiered on October 26, 2019 on the Travel Channel. The show featured Dakota alongside Chelsea Laden, Tanner Wiseman, and Alex Schroeder, as they traveled across the United States in an RV to explore and document some of the most notoriously haunted locations.

The series gained attention for its experimental format. Each team member was required to sleep alone in separate areas of the haunted location, without prior knowledge of where they would be sent. This format heightened the psychological stress and created a raw, unscripted experience for viewers. The series concluded on January 13, 2023, with the final episode filmed at Norwich State Hospital.

Throughout the series, Dakota took on multiple creative roles—directing, editing, producing, and serving as on-camera talent. The project maintained its grassroots feel while expanding in scope, gaining recognition for its authenticity, suspenseful storytelling, and emotionally vulnerable moments. One of the most pivotal events occurred when Chelsea Laden temporarily left the show following a distressing encounter at Saint Albans Sanatorium.

Trail to Terror Release

Trail to Terror was filmed in 2015 and is listed on IMDb with a release year of 2016, likely referencing a limited or early version of the film. However, the documentary did not receive a wider public release until February 24, 2022, when it premiered on Discovery+. Promoted as a behind-the-scenes origin story, the film served as a conceptual prequel to Destination Fear, capturing the raw format and emotional intensity that would later define the television series.

Project Fear

After Destination Fear concluded in January 2023, Dakota Laden and his team launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in March 2023 to fund their next independent series—Project Fear. Retaining the core cast of Chelsea Laden, Tanner Wiseman, and Alex Schroeder, the new project carried forward their signature blend of immersive paranormal exploration, but shifted away from cable television in favor of digital-first distribution.

Project Fear officially premiered on YouTube via the @FearProject channel. The series documents overnight investigations at some of the most haunted and abandoned locations across the United States and beyond—including former psychiatric hospitals, prisons, and asylums known for intense paranormal histories. Each team member continues the core experiment introduced in Destination Fear by sleeping alone in different parts of the haunted buildings, amplifying both isolation and psychological exposure.

Freed from traditional network constraints, the team gained full creative control over content, editing, and release schedules. By mid-2025, the channel had grown to over 600,000 subscribers, with episodes routinely garnering hundreds of thousands of views. The YouTube platform also enabled international expansion, with plans underway to film investigations at historic haunted sites across Europe and other regions with rich paranormal lore.

Filmography

Here is a timeline of Dakota Laden’s work on television and movies over the years.

Year	Title	Role	Type	Fact	Episodes
2016	Allegiant	Additional Crew	Movie
2015	The Last Witch Hunter	Additional Crew	Movie
2015	The Great Treasure Hunt	Producer	Short
2013	The Crusties	Producer	Short
2019-2023	Destination Fear	Camera Operator, Producer, Self	TV Series	Dakota Laden created the show with his sister Chelsea and his best friend Tanner	49 episodes
2018-2019	Ghost Adventures	Camera Operator, Self	TV Series	Dakota Laden was a fan of the show and won a contest to join the crew in 2011	16 episodes
2016	Trail to Terror	Additional Cinematography, Producer, Self	Movie	This was a spin-off of Destination Fear that aired on Travel Channel
2023-present	Project Fear	Producer, Self	TV Series	This is a youtube show that feature Dakota Laden and his team exploring haunted locations in Europe

Net Worth

Dakota Laden has a net worth of $1.5 Million as of 2025. His primary source of income comes from filmmaking, acting, and production.

Personal Life

Dakota Laden has not publicly disclosed details about his current relationship status. While he was known to have dated Rachel Ulrich during his high school years, there has been no confirmed information about any subsequent romantic relationships.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dakota Laden (@dakotaladen7)

His social media presence, primarily highlights his professional projects, including content from Project Fear, and other filmmaking activities. Public posts focus on his work, travels, and time spent with friends and family, with no visible references to a partner or romantic involvement.

As of 2025, there is no verified information suggesting that Dakota is in a relationship. His public-facing content reflects a focus on his career in filmmaking and paranormal investigation.

Wiki/Bio Facts:

Birth Name	Dakota Laden
Birthday	November 18, 1995
Age	29 years old
Birthplace	Minnesota, United States
Nationality	American
Parents	Rob Laden, Polly Laden
Siblings	Chelsea Laden, Isabella Laden, Mykenna Laden,Tavian Laden
Profession	Television Personality, Paranormal Investigator, Filmaker
Net Worth	$1.5 Million
Sexuality	Straight
Marital Status	Unmarried
Girlfriend	Likely Single
Children	No
Zodiac	Scorpio