Meghan Markle once acted in a movie produced by the man now accused of starting a TikTok 'dance cult'

• Meghan Markle appeared in a 2013 film called "Random Encounters," produced by Robert Shinn.
• Shinn is also the CEO of 7M, a TikTok management company recently accused of being a "cult," which he denies.

Meghan Markle once acted in a movie produced by a man who has since been accused of leading a "cult-like" organization involving TikTok dancers.

According to IMDb, the 2013 movie, called "Random Encounters," is a romantic comedy about a couple played by actors Abby Wathen and Michael Rady who meet through a seemingly "chance encounter" at a coffee shop that turns into a relationship. Markle plays the character of Mindy, Wathen's roommate, who unsuccessfully tries to offer her advice about dating and love.

Representatives for Megan Markle did not respond to Insider's request for comment regarding her involvement in the movie.

The film, which was shot in Los Angeles, California, has an IMDb rating of 4.3 out of 10 stars and was released on December 1, 2013.

"Random Encounters" was executive-produced by Robert Shinn, the CEO of a talent management company formed in 2021 called 7M Films, which represents several well-known TikTok dance creators in LA.

On February 28, 2022, the family of Miranda Derrick, who is one of the dancers represented by 7M, posted an Instagram video saying Derrick was "brainwashed" by the management company and transformed into a "totally different" person after becoming involved with the group. In a subsequent Instagram statement she denied being involved in a religious cult.

In a statement to Insider, a representative for Derrick said, "My family reacted to my independence and my personal and professional choices by publicly attacking me, my husband, my faith and my management. 7M represents me as their client and treats me as any other talent manager treats their clients. I am an adult and pay my own bills and taxes and I control my own finances."

A representative for 7M and Shinn told Insider the allegations were "false and defamatory."

The allegation led to various drama accounts on YouTube and Instagram, which typically post about social media controversies, to begin a process of online sleuthing into the company. Discussions about 7M Films and the various dancers associated with it soon went viral on Twitter and TikTok.

Shinn is also the founder of a nondenominational Christian ministry called Shekinah Church, which in 2009 was sued by a former member who alleged that they "exerted undue influence, mind control, coercive persuasion, oppression and other intimidating tactics." The suit was dismissed in 2011.

A woman who left the church in 2008 told Insider's Julia Black that what's happening to 7M dancers may be "history repeating itself." Other former members of the church said Shinn had taken control of their bank accounts and restricted their diets. A representative for Shinn and 7M denied these allegations in a statement to Insider.

In a March statement given to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for 7M denied accusations that the group was a cult, calling them "false and sensational."

Several of Shinn's relatives were also involved in the 2013 movie, according to its IMDb page. Shinn's son Isaiah Shinn is listed as a "production assistant," his wife Shirley Kim is listed as handling "business affairs/legal," and his daughter Chloe Shinn, who performs under the name Kloë Julynn, is listed in charge of "extras casting."

Daniel Joseph, an associate pastor of Shinn's church who became 7M Films' main producer, was also part of the film's crew according to IMDb. He is also credited as an actor in "Abducted," and "Closure," two other films that Shinn was involved in producing.

Before Markle married Prince Harry and announced her retirement from acting in May 2018, the actor was best-known for playing Rachel Zane in the television show "Suits" from 2011 to 2018. She made her first on-screen appearance when she was just 11 years old, speaking out against a "sexist" commercial that suggested women were responsible for doing the dishes on a segment of family television show "Nick News" in 1993.

Markle and Prince Harry now live in Montecito, California with their two children, and in October 2020, they co-founded a media production company, called Archewelle Productions, after signing a partnership deal with Netflix. Markle has no affiliation with 7M or Shekinah Church, or with Shinn, apart from her appearance in "Random Encounters."

Julia Black contributed to this reporting.

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