Although a little disrupted by the weather, the mushroom season is in full swing at the moment. And if picking always attracts thousands of enthusiasts all over France, one of the most passionate, one of the most famous above all, can be found on the Internet. Samir Hocine, 33, has stood out for almost two years for his educational videos grouped under the title “Nature and its secrets”. On the program: short presentations of plants, trees, flowers and, most often, mushrooms, filmed in their environment, generally a forest in the west of France, the favorite playground of this bearded Mayennais. And success is there: more than 440,000 people follow it today on TikTok135,000 on Facebook, 105,000 on Instagram.
“It’s rewarding, it shows that my content is popular,” appreciates Samir Hocine. Especially since I didn’t think I would be there at all at first. I got into the habit of sharing my picking photos on my Facebook page but that didn’t interest many people beyond those around me, and even then. And then, one day, my sister, who is an influencer herself, advised me to get started on TikTok. She was convinced that there could be an audience looking for videos on this theme. To my great astonishment, it took off very quickly. But it’s still only the beginning I think. There is a lot of room for improvement. »
“A lot of people make mistakes”
Some videos, such as those devoted to the amanita, the fly agaric, the tinder tree or the birch polypore, reach around a million views on TikTok. His sequence devoted to toxic mushrooms even has 4 million views. Not surprising. Allowing people to “collect safely” by knowing “distinguish edible species from dangerous ones” is Samir Hocine’s primary motivation.
“I realize that a lot of people make mistakes. They can bring toxic, sometimes deadly, mushrooms home and give them to their children. There really is education to be done on this. There are many mycologists who give excellent advice but who do not have visibility and do not reach enough people. There is also the network of pharmacists but not all of them are very well trained and, if in doubt, they advise throwing the whole basket away. It’s a shame. »
It must be said that with more than 3,000 species of mushrooms recorded in France alone, being sure of your diagnosis is not for everyone. “Almost all edible foods have their poisonous doubles,” explains Samir Hocine. I can cite the example of pink blade agarics, which are not necessarily rosé-des-prés, or lepiotes, whose toxic forms are very easily confused with coumellas. Even experienced people, convinced they know, can make mistakes. And unfortunately there are serious accidents every year. »
“I would love to be able to make a living from it”
The native of Lorraine, who recently left his job selling well-being products, is however not a trained scientist. He gains his knowledge from repeated observation of nature, a “passion” developed since childhood. “On each outing, I brought back three species that I didn’t know and I went to question mycologists. Gradually, I specialized. Even today I read a lot on the subject, I watch shows, I do microscopy, I talk with mycologists and enthusiasts…”
Producing his videos is also taking up more and more time. Samir publishes one per day on average. “During an 8-hour forest outing, I can shoot up to ten. It really depends on what I find. There is no real secret, you have to wander around and keep your eyes peeled. » The profile of its audience would be “very broad”, from curious adolescents to experienced retirees. “There are a few more women who watch videos on plants and a majority of men for mushrooms. I have a lot of adults who contact me for advice, and schoolchildren who are preparing a presentation. I try to answer every time. Sometimes the discussion continues in private. Seeing that there are so many people interested in nature is really reassuring. »
Despite growing audiences, this father does not earn his living with his content. “I get a few free products through partnerships but that’s it. It’s difficult to monetize your videos on networks. I would love to be able to make a living from it. That’s why I’m trying to develop from now on Youtube. » At the same time, Samir Hocine is thinking about opening a boutique selling products linked to nature. And never misses an opportunity to discover new playgrounds. “As soon as I go to see friends or relatives elsewhere in France, I try to take the opportunity to go out,” he smiles. It allows me to broaden my horizons. This is my passion. »