Growing up in the South Bohemian city Ceske Budejovice, Ondrej Gersl started work as a bartender, a common career choice in the town famous for its centuries-old beer brewery.

Today’s media has the tendency to conceal important facts from the public … We bring the answers,” reads the Facebook “about” section of AC24, the crown jewel of Gersl’s news business.

Over long hours pouring drinks and listening to customers criticize the political system, Gersl’s ambitions soon took a radical turn. He started a website for news junkies like himself and now presides over one of the most popular and controversial alternative news empires in the country.

Ondrej says his successful foray into the media world is a result of good business sense, a dedication to keeping costs low by repackaging news stories reported elsewhere and focusing on sensational topics. In January 2019, AC24 logged more than 1 million visits, an impressive result in a country of 10 million. On Facebook, AC24 boasts more than 100,000 followers. For the last two years, Gersl has also posted growing profits.