Father and son duo experience ‘overnight stardom’ after documenting travel journey in China
A Northampton father and son duo experienced “overnight stardom” after they documented their travel journey in China, which proved extremely popular among the locals.
Simon Phillips and his 19-year-old son Ethan, from Spinney Hill, built a following of half a million on Chinese social media platforms after their first stint of three months in the country.
As well as documenting their travel experiences, Ethan enjoys making cooking videos on the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, called Douyin. These have also received a positive response.
Simon first started travelling to China in 1998 on business trips and described his affinity with the country that he has come to love over the years.
It was in the latter part of last year when he realised the opportunity to make a success on social media in China, which is why they travelled there for just shy of three months from April this year.
“China has been very good to me personally over the years and I wanted to offer something back,” said Simon. “I wanted to give my son the opportunity to do something he’s good at, and introduce him to a completely different culture and way of life. It’s another world.”
The pair partnered with Shanghai TV when they arrived, and they helped to film a third person perspective on top of the first person shots the father and son were taking.
They began with a following of around 25,000 on UK platforms before leaving for three months abroad, and the most popular video skyrocketed them to a 100,000 follower base in China.
Simon, who speaks some Mandarin, says the best way to describe their experience is “overnight stardom” – and they have been praised for the way they articulate themselves in English by their Chinese followers.
“Everyone is exceptionally friendly,” he said. “I love Chinese people, the culture and food. It’s wonderful to experience what we have. People know our names and approach us.”
The pair will pick up where they left off when they return to China in August, with many brand deals lined up with big name players.
Simon’s eldest son, Tom Phillips, will be joining his family on their next trip. He has made his name as a DJ, having recently performed in Ibiza.
Simon hopes to introduce Tom to China and help him to launch a music and producing career there.
Though the opportunities are a major positive, the father says there is nothing better in life than travelling with his two sons.
“I’m a great believer in trying to create motivation for the younger generation,” said Simon. “We’ve gone from nothing to half a million followers. We’re forecast to reach a million by the end of the year.
“I want to show that you can achieve it if you set your sights high and work hard. I want to offer that message to the younger generation.”
Simon is more than happy to offer advice to those with an interest in social media, and he can be reached on [email protected].