Why YouTuber Haris Effendi swapped Dubai for Bradford

Little did he think he'd soon be filming events for the likes of Mike Tyson, Kim Kardashian, Mariah Carey and rapper Rick Ross.

The 28-year-old, who grew up in Leeds, said: “I had a good childhood and a very Asian upbringing, even though my mum is English, simply because my father’s side of the family is so big. Family has always been very important to me.”

So was film-making. “I loved the camcorder. I would spend all day making up stories and filming with the camera. All my friends would be outside playing and I would be at home making videos.”

The videos helped Haris to communicate. “I struggled a bit at school as I wasn’t very good with words or reading. Pictures speak to me more and I can relate more through images and music.”

He came into his own when he started studying for a BTEC diploma in Creative Production at Thomas Danby College in Leeds.

“I had always been an average student, getting Bs and Cs, but when I started my course I started getting distinctions.”

At college he learned the technical aspects of operating a camera and was encouraged to film and edit his own videos. He ended up getting the highest marks on the course.

A degree course in Film Studies followed at Leeds Met University, but with the emphasis on theory, Haris found his creativity stifled.

“I didn’t enjoy it as much as college. We were only allowed to use the cameras in the lectures, so I decided to buy my own.”

He took several part-time jobs, including working in a takeaway and at a call centre, to raise £1,000 to buy a video camera. His first paid job was to film an event at a nightclub in Leeds for £100. This set the ball rolling.

“A big nightclub in Sheffield saw the video and asked me to film an event for them,” he says.

Then, at the age of just 18, he was asked to film a concert and after party for rapper 50 Cent. The video was a huge hit and soon offers from other celebrity promoters and event managers were rolling in.

Haris started up his YouTube channel and that blew up too with viewers lapping up his vlogs.

“Every video I did would lead to another job. Soon I was working with people like Kim Kardashian, Mariah Carey, boxer Amir Khan and rappers The Game and Trey Songz. I was never fazed by them though and, in a work environment, they came across as very normal and down-to-earth.”

By the time he graduated, Haris had set up his own media company, FND Media, and was working with clients Rolls-Royce, Rolex and other luxury brands. He started to think about spreading his wings.

“I was going on a lads’ holiday to Dubai and thought I would meet up with some companies while I was out there.”

The reaction from business owners was overwhelming.

“I decided to move out there. It made sense because so many companies were saying they wanted me to work for them.”

But before going he had one very special event to go to – his wedding.

By now he had met the love of his life, Holly, who is from Bradford. And, being traditional, he wanted to get married before he moved abroad.

Two cameramen filmed the glittering ceremony. “But I did all the editing myself,” he says.

“Holly didn’t want to sit at home in Dubai so she applied for a job as cabin crew for Etihad airways.”

She beat thousands of applicants to land a job for the prestigious airline and the couple moved to Dubai to begin their new lives.

Once they got there, however, they realised that the streets were not paved with gold. In fact, all the promises about work and contacts fizzled out and soon Haris and Holly found themselves in a predicament.

“We were living off Holly’s wages, but she was flying all around the world and I was on my own and I fell into a deep depression.”

He tried all his old contacts, but everything would fall through and, stony broke, he contemplated going home.

“But then I would feel like a loser who had failed, so I decided to try even harder.”

The glitzy celebrity events were a distant memory as he took menial jobs in a bid to keep a roof over their heads and one time he walked the full length of one of the busiest business districts going door to door.

When he got back to his apartment another drama unfolded. “The entire block was evicted at the drop of a hat,” he says.

Quick-thinking Haris grabbed his camera and filmed as the nightmare played out and posted the video on his channel.

“There was a massive reaction. I got so many comments and viewing figures went through the roof. People were hooked on the drama, it was like watching a reality show.

“My audience completely changed. I’d always made personal videos for my family back home, so they could see what I was up to. I had no idea that other people would be interested in what I was doing but they were.”

In 2012 Haris wanted to film Formula One which takes place in Dubai. He wasn’t getting paid and struggled to get a press pass, but when he completed the video F1 bosses were bowled over.

They invited Haris back the following year – and paid him. “It was a massive confidence boost and got the ball rolling again.”

Soon the offers were flooding in again. Meanwhile Haris and Holly were settling into married life with their son Kamran, aged two and daughter, Noura, aged one. By 2014 Haris was back on his feet and able to move his family into a stunning five-bedroom villa with a swanky car in the driveway.

But there was something missing. Posting videos for his loved ones back home were one thing, but having grown up in the heart of a warm extended family he wanted the same for his own children.

So he made the decision to move back to Bradford.

He has fans all round the world who watch, comment and like the videos his posts on MyAbuDhabiLife and FNDtv, and is extremely well-known among millennials.

He continues to work as official videographer for The Rich List brand, Bradford-based Oasis Limousines, and I’m A Celebrity contestant Amir Khan among others.

Haris said: “Now I’m back in the UK I am working on some huge projects. It’s great to go to exclusive parties and rub shoulders with a lot of famous people, but family comes first.”