David Blondel, 52, arrived in Nice in 1992, has always “adored adventure”. Already when he lived in the Parisian suburbs in the 1980s, he hung out in abandoned factories out of curiosity. “I have always been fascinated by nature, which takes back its rights and all the imagination that we build around what remains of the buildings. At the time, we just said it was exploration, ”he says. Today, it is his son, Yann, 24, who takes him everywhere in the Paca region to discover places “full of history” while involving him in his field: making their outings urbex, videos on social networks.
Launched a year ago, their YouTube channel “ Addyharmo Soon has 10,000 subscribers. On
TikTok, The Blondel family is followed by more than 26,500 people. “Urbex, a somewhat illegal practice that consists of visiting abandoned buildings, atypical places, often photographed and very often secret, became fashionable on the platform in 2017-2018,” says Yann. With my father, we marveled at the videos. Since I was little, he tells me stories related to places we visit. So when I decided, driven by confinement, to embark on content creation, it was obvious to include it. “
“The idea is to make people dream with our stories”
At the beginning, the duo take remarks, in particular David. “I was told that I was an eternal teenager. Still, I just wanted to share my passion with my son. The idea is to make people dream with our stories because we are having fun. “Finally, this concept pleases, they inspire and are even spotted” by a group of known urbanites on YouTube “with whom they then make collaborations.
They thus give a different perspective to this sometimes criticized practice. “Urbex can have a bad image because of the risks we take. But it was shown that it was an activity that could be carried out, or at least watched, by all generations. It was our goal and this is our first success, ”says David.
Former manager of a medical equipment store, the 50-year-old embarked on this adventure a bit at odds with his usual practices. “I come from far away,” he jokes. I got my first cell phone six months ago. Even talking to the camera, it wasn’t easy at first. It is for this reason that we speak of an exchange of passions: Yann transmits all audiovisual matters to me and I bring him my knowledge and my knowledge of exploration. “
More credible and secure when “the daddy is there”
It is this aspect that reassures people who follow their work. “It seems more believable and more secure when the daddy is there,” smiles David. He continues: “In the beginning, it was to launch him in life. I let myself be carried away by his work but I got caught up in the game. ”It is the young man from Nice who does the historical research ahead of the outings they do together.
For Yann, it is not possible to make his videos without his father. “This is the very essence of the chain. I once made a piece of content without it and we claimed it. We both have incredible experiences. They remember once, running through the night to avoid getting caught by a security guard. Or another time when they were in a luxury palace facing the sea and a helicopter flew over their heads several times. “Each place has its share of different emotions,” they explain.
There are still plenty of points on the adventurer’s map, just in the area. “We are the only urbanites on YouTube in Nice, so we have the chance to discover new places and to represent the region in our own way”, affirms the duo. He nevertheless recalls the “rules” in particular, the secrecy to avoid “the deterioration of the premises” by “malicious” people. “You also have to be very careful about where you walk, nothing should be stolen. »Respect the place, quite simply.