A group of masked teenagers throngs in front of a building in the 14th arrondissement of Paris under the intrigued gaze of passers-by.
A young person sometimes comes out and the others rush to him for… a hug.
" What is happening?
»Says a shopkeeper in front of this funny ballet.
The one coming out is Stan Rogelino.
This 20-year-old brunette with a jovial smile has become one of the new French stars of the TikTok social network.
He has… over a million subscribers.
Among the “fans” waiting for him, 12-year-old Anna jumps at the idea of talking to her idol.
“Normally, the limit is 13 years old, but we are a lot in 6th or even elementary school on TikTok.
They do us good since we can not go out too much, like virtual friends, she comes to life.
We comment on their relationships on our networks.
Sometimes it looks like reality TV.
"
The initiator is 18 years old
“They” are called Rafael Caplan, Leny Falgoux, Maryne Ponsard or Sacha Sadok.
Most are under twenty, are unknown to the general public, but impose themselves as real stars in middle and high school courses.
Behind this door, Stan shares a 325 m² villa, "the French House", with a dozen influencers of the same age.
We follow him in this bright house with minimalist decor.
Inside, these young people post videos of their daily life together and dance challenges.
The goal?
Maximize their subscribers and by extension their partnerships with brands.
"We are inspired by each other, that's the goal of TikTok", smiles Stan, who became "an influencer by chance".
Sacha Sadok, unknown to the general public, but a real star of middle and high schools.
/ LP / Yann Foreix
In the vast living room, a young man taps on his smartphone when three laughing girls perform choreographies.
From time to time, Imhotep, the initiator of the project, watches over his charges from the top of his… 18 years old.
Just graduated from a baccalaureate, he brought together these French influencers by drawing inspiration from American “Hype house”.
Where Charli D'Amelio officiates, a real teenage star across the Atlantic with his 89 million subscribers and $ 4 million in annual income.
VIDEO. Charli D'Amelio: 16 years old and his millions of subscribers on Tik Tok
“I was also inspired by the Kardashians of which I am a fan!
“, He underlines in a confident voice.
He rents this building for… 2,500 euros a night.
But the “French House” sometimes changes location.
Newsletter The list of our desires
Our favorites for fun and culture.
Subscribe to the newsletterAll newsletters
In this labyrinth with five rooms, Imhotep often draws his smartphone to photograph his guests.
Like Sacha, a 16-year-old with almost white hair.
“His parents signed so that he could be there,” Imhotep explains.
My agency recovers percentages of their collaborations.
I ask them to make four TikTok videos a day.
They are there to work!
"
First partnership at 14
The band comes here intermittently.
"It's high school during the week," said a teenager.
In front of him, a brunette rehearses in front of a light spot.
Because each video seems to be controlled down to the second.
In a corner, a slender girl catches the eye.
This skinny blonde with 465,000 subscribers managed her first partnership at 14.
“The brands that pay us validate our content and sometimes make us redo.
In one video, I get the equivalent of several days of work from my mother.
She is jealous… ”, slips Maryne Ponsard, 21, embarrassed.
Because it is not uncommon for them to sign contracts with… five figures!
READ ALSO>
YouTube, TikTok, Instagram… Who are your children's favorite influencers?
His videos full of confidence - especially fashion - posted on the networks contrast with his apparent excitement.
As he speaks, his hands twist, almost sweaty.
"I'm reserved so I went there to gain self-confidence," whispers the one who signed up on Instagram at 12 years old.
“The flip side, namely the school bullying that went with it, was violent.
I was called
Maryne Photoshop
… Women are criticized more than men on the networks.
I post pictures of myself when deep down, I don't like myself.
Networks are either you drown in them or they help you get out of it, she analyzes.
But the high school people insulted me while those in the networks were nice to me.
It helped me.
"
Océane, 900,000 followers
With a powerful community on Instagram, the TikTok network approached it a year ago by private message.
“I was paid to register because they were looking for influencers to end music content.
Like his acolytes, the confinements have boosted his community.
A visibility that allowed him to participate in the program "20 years again", broadcast on October 15 on TFX.
“The network opens doors.
In the United States, Addison Rae, an influencer, hangs out with the Kardashians, it's crazy, ”she breathes, admiringly.
The face of Océane Guichard, another 17-year-old “roommate”, seems familiar to us.
And for good reason: she participated in The Voice Kids in 2019. “I was described in the portrait as capricious because I was an influencer.
They did not understand the world of networks, she regrets.
I enrolled in 6th because I took it all in the face in college.
When I started to break through, it was revenge.
"
READ ALSO>
4 tips to get our teens addicted to screens moving
Listed during the first confinement on TikTok, it was her arrival in the "French House" that propelled her.
“I went from 30 to 900,000 subscribers!
I have a mundane life even if I move more according to the demands of the brands.
But I need to get away from it sometimes… Subscribers want to know what's going on in our private lives.
Some comment on our confusion when we film ourselves together.
They want gossip.
A bit of what they're looking for in reality TV after all.
"
And when some reproach her for being too suggestive, Océane gets annoyed.
“We are judged for our clothes when the boys can be there in shorts.
Even the algorithm is sometimes sexist.
We should educate the eyes of the boys rather than block the girls, ”she insists.
As for her recent "notoriety", this spontaneous brunette is surprised.
“Sometimes young people collapse in my arms.
Still, they can easily copy what I do.
"
When they're not filming, our star influencers go about their business as in a roommate.
What to bait the small screen.
"We were approached by a production company for a reality show," says Imhotep.
