How dad found TikTok fame during lockdown
A CARDIFF dad says his lockdown hobby got “bizarrely” out of hand – and now has a loyal following of more than 36,000 fans.
Abanos is one of the most successful Welsh creators on the app and asked to be referred to as his TikTok handle as he “enjoys the mystique”.
Such is his popularity online, the 33-year-old has even been named as an official TikTok ambassador for Wales.
His videos have seen him explore spots all over South Wales, from the Cardiff park lined with gravestones to the book shops of Hay on Wye.
He’s hung out with celebrities such as John Barrowman and the legendary Thornhill Sainsbury’s cat, while he’s even gone for a very early morning swim with TV star Mathew Pritchard.
What makes Abanos’ success all the more remarkable is that prior to the pandemic he didn’t really know what TikTok was.
As a marketing manager, he was intrigued to find out more about having watched his stepdaughter scrolling through the app.
“I would look over her shoulder now and again to try and understand a little bit about what it was about,” he recalled.
“I work in marketing, so I was interested in the algorithm and how it worked, so I thought I would download it for myself so I could find out more.”
As the country went into lockdown, Abanos suddenly had a bit more time on his hands, and began looking for ways to entertain himself and his family.
“I had a newborn at the time and all we could really do was just walk around Cardiff most days,” he said.
“After a while, I started finding little cool things that we could go to and visit. Then I thought, why don’t I try and do something on TikTok while we’re out at these places? I thought it would be a good way to actually see how it all worked rather than just having an outsider’s perspective.
“I did a few videos, and I’d started doing Instagram stories and stuff which my friends would comment on and say were funny or cool. I was really just making them out of boredom to be honest but I started making a few on TikTok too. I think one of the first I did was about a grave for a young girl who had fallen out of a balloon with thousands of spectators watching [the 1896 death of Louisa Maud Evans]. People really started to engage with that video, more than any of the others before it.”
From there, Abanos’ online profile began to take off thanks to his adventures taking him everywhere from miniature railways and dinosaurinfested parks, viewers suddenly couldn’t get enough of his wellresearched clips and dry comic style.
As well as getting some Torchwood secrets from Captain Jack Harkness himself, John Barrowman, there has also been a bracing early morning dip with Dirty Sanchez’s Mat Pritchard, an experience which Abanos counts among his TikTok highlights.
“I was drinking the night before at a party,” he said, “At 8.30pm, Mat Pritchard messaged me back on Instagram saying, ‘Oh, should we go and do this tomorrow morning?’ I thought, yeah, that sounds great. Then he said it was at four in the morning and I thought ‘Oh for God’s sake”.
“So I had to put the drink down and get myself to Penarth for 4am for a swim with Mat and the Dawnstalkers but it was totally worth it, it was an absolutely amazing experience and I’d definitely recommend everyone to try early morning swimming at least once.”
He added: “It’s the hidden stuff that really flies, the videos where people can watch it and then go and investigate for themselves, like the hidden art you can find in the middle of Cardiff. People really seem to like that but then you’ve also got the odd one where I’m just down at the tip in Lamby Way, walking around looking for bargains. I’ve done videos there and collectively they’ve got something like 170,000 views. That is mad, really, it’s just a guy walking around a shop!”
While he has had to get used to some of the stranger aspects of viral fame, he is grateful for what the experience has taught him about himself and the city he has called home for his whole life.
He added: “I’m Cardiff born and bred, but I’ve learned more about living here in the last 18 months, two years or so than in my previous 33 years here but I’ve also been surprised by the amount of confidence it gives you, speaking in front of a camera. I couldn’t really do that before, but now I’m doing it all the time and it’s certainly boosted my confidence in every aspect of my life. I would recommend it to anyone, just try and record yourselves and see what happens.”
A born explorer, Abanos is always on the lookout for his next video idea and knows he will find no shortage of content across South Wales. However, one legendary spot in Cardiff remains top of his to-do list.
“I really want to explore that secret mahogany dining room in Burger King,” he said. “That would be incredible, imagine eating a burger in there! There are still plenty of places I want to go, but that’s the next one I want to tick off my list. I think it will be quite difficult to get into, but I’m willing to try anything. So if anyone can help me with that, let me know!”